Team player or member of team

I have never been a big sports fan. I was for my children and am now for my grandchildren, very supportive of their participation in any sport they choose. I can see many sports-derived benefits from physical strength and coordination to mental tenacity and awareness. I think it's also important for children to learn good sportsmanship- not that the lesson always sticks! It's sad how many adults get over-reactive to results of GAMES! Another life skill developed in playing games is learning how to work together with others, how to work as a team. Unfortunately, this ability has been twisted in some areas by some people to being a "team player" rather than being a supportive member of a team. A "team player" implies that you are willing to give up everything, including your moral standards if necessary, for the "good" of the team to win or succeed. "Team players" do not criticize or expect better things from teammates. Their main focus is to do whatever the boss of the team wants them to do.
On the other hand, if you are a valuable member of a team, you not only do your very best in whatever your part is, you also cheer on your team members to succeed and improve, too. I have been thinking recently about the attitude some people have about having expectations placed on them. I have had several people close to me express the opinion that it's wrong to expect people to change, even if it means progressing or improving. The saying is something along the line of, "I wish everyone would just accept me the way I am". Personally, I don't think it's at all helpful and supportive to simply accept people for the way they are. We all have lots of room for improvement. I prefer the attitude that goes more like, "Because I love you and can see incredible potential in you, I will cheer you on to run a better race". A good team succeeds because they all expect good things from each other, not just accepting whatever happens. When things don't go well, there is an friendly but honest analysis of what went wrong with the understanding that, if certain changes are made, it could go better in the future. I think that works for any team, family, or community. You can say, "It's okay. I know you did the best you could." But if you don't have a basic belief in yourself and others to improve, that's the level you will get stuck on. We all have bad days and good days; times when we are better at things than others; days when we are better people than at other times. I sincerely believe that we are capable of improving and I sincerely believe that we are more able to do that when we have the support and encouragement of people who care about us. We don't ever have to settle for "the way we are" unless we choose to. But when we really love ourselves and others, we hope to improve and believe that we can. Just as in a sport, when a teammate, or coach, points out a fault or offers a suggestion for improvement, the whole team benefits if that team member accepts the advice and makes a diligent effort to improve, recognizing that the advice is for their personal benefit as well as for the betterment of the interaction of the whole team. Taking offense just causes bad feelings and deterioration of the value of the team. My son used to use a team analogy to encourage his kids to cooperate in the family. He taught them that the family (team) all benefits when each member does their best. He was right.

Why self-centeredness prevents happiness

Matthew, Mark, and Luke all quoted the Savior saying, "He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." We usually take this to mean that we should serve the Lord rather than pursuing our own selfish ambitions. But why? God and Jesus love us more than we can comprehend in our present mortal state. God's whole work and glory is the immortality and eternal life of you and me. So why the emphasis on worshiping Him? Does God just want us to beat ourselves into the dust in feeling lowly and worthless compared to Him? God has also said that when we have served the least of our brethren, we have served Him. I have been realizing how it is that we become as joyful as the Lord wants us to be when we stop focusing on ourselves.
When we are "self" centered, we cannot feel grateful as deeply. We tend to see only what we want, material things, comfort, a place at the front of the line, praise, etc. We aren't happy with others because we neglect to see things from THEIR perspective. When we think about being the 3rd in a line, we don't even consider what is going on in the lives or thoughts of the person ahead of us, or even behind us. We may think we have reasons to be waited on first without being aware that someone else may have an invalid at home waiting for care or that someone else may have been in this line before and had to leave for some reason so they're back for even MORE time wasted in their busy life. We may not even notice that as we hurriedly approached the line, we may have sped past an older or infirmed person strenuously making their way to get a place in line. We will not feel grateful for the place we have in line because we were only thinking of ourselves. There may be people all around us that are in some way sacrificing or at least compromising what THEY want in order to accommodate US. There may be people in our lives that help or give up without demanding praise or even notice therefore, we don't notice. If we are focused on ourselves, we do not feel gratitude because don't notice what we need to feel grateful for.
When we are "self" focused, we don't feel appreciated enough. We know what we are doing for others but we don't make the effort to see what others are doing for us. We will always feel under-appreciated because we don't strive to appreciate others.
When we are "self" centered, we are pessimistic in general. We don't take joy in someone else winning the game because we are too focused on the fact that we, or the person or team we were rooting for, lost. We may have gotten a cookie, but we think someone else's cookie is bigger or has more chocolate chips in it. We may have had a peaceful night's rest but we think the tasks ahead of us in our day are somehow more daunting than what others face- because we have no idea what they are facing and we don't make the effort to find out or care!
When we are "self" centered we are miserable to be around because we bring no joy to others. When others tire of trying to praise us because it's never enough, they slowly draw away. Then we feel lonely. Then we experience self-fulfilling prophecy and end up being lonely because we are gradually becoming more alone.
It really is in our very best interest to consider and serve others. It is healthier and happier to see all that we DO have and not try to figure out all that we DON'T have.

Changes

I realize that mortal life is not static, and wisely so. As a matter of fact, it's essential to have a firm belief that we CAN change- that we will not always be the person we were when we were young and ignorant and foolish. But what if you feel yourself losing an aspect you don't WANT to lose? What if you feel a change happening that you have fought against? Most of my life I have been known as a cheerful, energetic person. I understand that as I get older, I will probably slow down physically. Despite our best efforts, the old body just doesn't do at 60 what it could do at 16. I prefer to be a positive influence on others and, to do that, I need to remain a positive person. I notice problems, "flaws"?, not with the intent to criticize, but with the intent to want to help. I have helped several older people and been greatly appreciated. I do that by being attentive and trying to be intuitive about when they will need help and how I can best provide that help. I have tried to make people feel comfortable in my home, whether just visiting for a few minutes, coming as a sewing customer, or staying for a prolonged period. I have had people comment on how comfortable they have felt in my home. I try to anticipate their needs or possible feelings and provide what I can or say what I can think of to help them feel comfortable. I'm rambling on about this because I have been having the extremely uncomfortable experience of having to second guess myself. I have always been of the opinion that any disagreement has two sides, two perspectives. It is rare that one person is ALL right or one is ALL wrong. I tried to be a peacemaker amid my children, trying to determine what every child involved in any contentious situation might need to do to improve the relationship. I have tried hard to learn about differing views and how they come about. I have tried to be sympathetic yet stand for what I can determine to be right. Having someone question my motives and take a perspective toward me that is not at all what I intended shakes me to the very core. I want to continue to be a cheerful, optimistic person. But if I am perceived as controlling or judgmental, how can I continue? If I am perceived as causing someone to suffer when I have only wanted to have a sharing, peaceful relationship, what do I do? In the past, I have pondered, prayed, read, discussed, and eventually felt better-able to continue. I'm afraid I am losing my resolve. I don't want to quit life as I have often felt in the past. I understand my purpose in mortality. I believe in a loving Father in Heaven who wants whatever is best for me. When it's my time to go, I'll go. I don't have the wisdom to make that decision for myself. However, I am having a really hard time forging ahead. I am letting fear overcome me and paralyze me. I am reaching a point of finding it overwhelmingly difficult to pick myself up, dust myself off, and keep trying. I will keep living but finding joy in it is really, really, really hard.

What is real?

I haven't had much time to blog and I haven't been taking any pictures. However, I continue to do a lot of pondering. As I watch my mother, and others, slip further into dementia, I can't help but wonder about how to determine what is "real". To my mother, her large belly and great weight gain is ample (ha ha) evidence that she is pregnant. To explain it, she has decided she is the recipient of a "miracle". Russ has been talking about studies that have shown that people who believe they are lucky, or unlucky, generally are so. There is a scripture that says something like "as a man thinketh, so he is" which is a warning to watch what we think. I know people who are constantly paranoid that someone is going to attack them or steal from them causing them to take extreme security measures. On the other hand, there are young people all over the world who have unprotected sex with the totally unconcerned attitude that they won't cause pregnancy or exchange any form of disease. There are many who take risks in driving, physical activities, and even occupations with disregard for potential danger.
So, what is real? Do we know if our perspective on reality is the correct one? There is a wide range of religious beliefs from no god to many gods. Truth is established in the mouths of two or more witnesses. What constitutes a witness? Is someone who simply chooses to believe something a "witness"?
For me, I CHOOSE to believe the witnesses who walked and talked with Jesus Christ 2000 years ago. There were more than one who saw Him and heard Him. I CHOOSE to believe that His promise to return is true. I CHOOSE to believe Joseph Smith saw Him with HIS FATHER. They spoke to him and gave him instructions. I also believe the other witnesses who saw, felt, and experienced things pertinent to Joseph Smith's testimony. I CHOOSE to believe there is an "assistant" to our Father that was promised by the Savior. That would be the Holy Ghost. I CHOOSE to believe the quiet and sometimes insistent promptings I can receive when I pray earnestly originate from the Holy Spirit. My choice is to follow the Savior- to believe in Him, to believe Him, and to try to be like Him. I believe everybody gets to choose- and to receive the consequences of their choices.

More health-related stuff

So for the past 5 or 6 years I have had very rare but somewhat disconcerting issues with my throat/trachea/larynx. Sometimes when I'm awake and sometimes when I'm totally asleep, I suddenly can't breathe. My trachea simply closes right up. It happened last week when the dental hygienist was cleaning my teeth. It freaked her out and she insisted that I see someone before I ever returned. It has been scary to Russ, too. It only lasts a minute so I don't pass out or anything but no air can pass into or out of my lungs. So, I went to an ENT specialist this morning to find out if he could figure out what the problem is. We went over my history of thyroid surgery in 1974, tonsils and adenoids (twice) removed as a kid, exercise-induced asthma, periodic but chronic hoarseness which I thought was caused by acid-reflux, and these strange episodes. He numbed my sinus passages down to my throat then put a scope up my nose and down my throat. He told me to force air through my sinuses and to sing "Eeee", twice, then said, "Interesting!"
He asked if I had had any hoarseness after my thyroid surgery in 1974. I told him my surgeon had told me at the time that I shouldn't plan on a singing career because I probably wouldn't ever be able to sing like I had before. Well, right after the surgery I had no voice for awhile but then it seemed okay. Recently I have noticed more hoarseness and I can't sing quite as well as I used to. I just figured it was another aspect of aging. Then he said, "Well, one of your vocal cords doesn't work, it doesn't move." Amazing! I guess I have been compensating which might explain why I simply can NOT get consistent high notes when I sing. The doctor said that what I'm experiencing is spasms of my larynx which can be caused by any little thing and there is nothing that can be done for them. He suggested angling the head of my bed up to help avoid the possibilities of acid reflux during the night stimulating a spasm. He said the good news was that he didn't see anything seriously wrong so there isn't anything requiring surgery.
So, I have a bit of a dilemma. In researching c-diff (mentioned in my last post), I found out that those most prone to this chronic disease are people who have had lots of antibiotics or people on PPI's. That's me (Nexium). A PPI is a proton-pump inhibitor which is what you take when you have bad acid reflux. The decrease in stomach acid can allow the nasty bacteria to multiply. On the other hand, I could have more problems being able to breathe if I do any less than I am currently doing to cut down on acid reflux. Ironic, huh?

Is this it?

There is a scripture that states, "For a desolating scourge shall go forth among the inhabitants of the earth, and shall continue to be poured out from time to time, if they repent not, until the earth is empty, and the inhabitants thereof are consumed away and utterly destroyed by the brightness of my coming." There are other similar references. As I have become aware of horrible diseases, I always wonder which is the scourge the Lord is hoping will get our attention. Was it polio? Was it malaria? Is it AIDS or any of the STD's? How about the "super bugs" that seem to be cropping up lately now that our wonderful vaccines and antibiotics have killed off the wimpy plagues? Lately I have learned of another possibility- it's called C.diff which is a nickname for clostridium difficile. I don't know what the first word means but the second word is French for DIFFICULT and that's what this thing is! It's a bacteria that lodges in intestines and causes horrible diarrhea with fever and basic mind-confusion. It can be brought on by the extended use of antibiotics (and even proton pump inhibitors like I take for acid reflux) which tend to kill the stomach bacteria that are GOOD for us because they kill other nasty bacteria. Ironically, the only way to kill these bacteria is an even stronger antibiotic. Now for the nastiest part- the bacteria appear to have gone, by stool test results, BUT, they have only gone into hiding. They hide out in little pockets of the intestine then as soon as you have any even slight illness that takes your immune system's attention, they start multiplying again. IT NEVER GOES AWAY! To make this even worse, the most prevalent place for this bacteria is hospitals and nursing homes. The very places people go to get better can give them something that will never go away and makes them slowly waste away with reccurrent diarrhea. It's like the old horror stories from before the medical professionals knew about keeping things sterile. Now we keep things sterile, spending billions of dollars a day on disposable everythings, and we have just whittled the diseases down to where we have this monster bacteria. We currently know of at least 3 people in our circle of acquaintance that have it. It is just so incredibly sad. We are just more and more anxious for the "brightness of His coming"!

Greek Festival

Today Russ and I went to a small Greek Festival. I really love Greek food and thought this would be interesting. The festival is sponsored by a Greek Orthodox Church that is trying to raise funds to build a church building. They are currently meeting in a slightly modified large steel building which they purchased from a Baptist Church. We paid our $2 each to enter the grounds then walked around looking at the various items displayed in booths: jewelry, some clothing, beautiful art (Greece with its stark white buildings layered on hillsides next to deep blue water is so strikingly beautiful!), as well as food. I wished for additional stomachs as well as a bottomless purse so I could try everything available! We ended up getting just one gyro and one Greek salad to share along with a large bottle of water. (It was 99 degrees and the sun was very intense.) I know I always get gyros- but that's because I so like them and really don't have them very often. (Maybe twice a year..??) However, I have vowed that the next time I go to a Greek restaurant, I will try something else. We were grateful for the awnings set up over many tables lined with chairs so we could sit in the shade to eat. It was not disappointing! Then, for dessert we each got a "baklava sundae". Who knew ice cream could be Greek?! It was vanilla ice cream drizzled with honey and sprinkled with bits of baklava (phlyllo dough with walnuts). It tasted wonderful and the cool ice cream felt so good in our mouths.
Shortly after eating, there was a "tour" of the church. It wasn't so much a walk around to see the inside of the church as it was a chance to get into air conditioning, sit in comfortable seats and learn a little about exactly what and "orthodox" church is. I found it very interesting. I have to admire the church members who are diligently seeking to remain "orthodox" according to the written and traditional history of the original church as established by Jesus Christ 2 millenia ago. They believe, as I do, that Jesus Christ atoned for the sins of all who accept Him as their Savior. They believe, as I do, that Jesus was resurrected and that we will be, too. They believe, as I do, that Jesus Christ will again come to the earth and there will be a time when all we be judged and assigned a "mansion" accordingly. Their belief in "Saints" is to use them as role models, not worship them or pray to them. I think that's cool. They have "icons" all over their walls which are elaborate paintings of saints as well as Jesus. The priest emphasized that they do not pray to any of these depictions. They are just there as reminders of what kinds of people they should follow, especially Jesus.
We stood outside after the "tour" and baked in the heat for a little while waiting for the Greek folk dancers. I don't know if there were any adult dancers that performed later, but the children we watched were really cute. Their costumes were fairly elaborate, especially considering the heat! Because all of the shady seats were taken by this time, we sat in the broiling sun. I don't do well in intense sun. After 30 minutes, I was starting to feel nauseous. The children were done but we didn't stay to see if there was going to be anything else. Oh, and the whole time outside of the dancers with their accompanying music, there was a 2-man band playing Greek music. It's amazing how one keyboardist and one stringed instrumentalist (it's like a guitar but shaped like a balalaika), both of whom can also sing, can be sufficient to produce music non-stop hour after hour. And it sounded pretty good to me! I kept my toes tapping the whole time when I stood still or sat.
I had a thought as I was enjoying the food there. Last night we were generously treated to dinner by neighbors for whom we watered plants and stuff while they were gone a few weeks. We went to a Texas Roadhouse, basically a steak house. We were grateful to be taken to a place that was definitely a little more than just eating at Taco Bell or Subway. However, (you guessed this was coming, didn't you?) we were pretty turned off at the volume level and the seasoning on the food. Whereas the food we ate at the Greek festival today, like the food we ate over the summer in Italy, was delicately seasoned with herbs, lemon juice, and other pleasant but subtle flavorings, the food in the steak house was like the atmosphere: in-your-face loud and obnoxious. The music was pretty loud hence the conversation at each table was loud, everybody trying to be heard. The meat and vegetables in my shish kebab were an assault on my tongue. Russ had steak fries that were way too heavily seasoned with some kind of seasoned salt. (The rolls were really good, though.) It's no wonder that Americans have gotten a reputation all over the world for being loud and showy. It's good that we have confidence. It's good that we are not afraid to step in and help, which we do a LOT!! But I think it would be nice for us to be a little simpler, a little more humble, a little better at listening and pondering, maybe going at a little slower pace, too.