Thankfulness, continued...

I've not been very good at keeping up with the goal I made of writing a thankfulness blog post every day, so today I've decided to go with a more varied, visual post.


I'm thankful for my body. (Thank you, Slim Goodbody, for standing in for this.) I'm thankful for the mobility it gives us, for the ability it has to heal, and for the incredible strength and resilience it shows. I'm thankful for the way it fights infection and sickness and for the little conveniences it provides like thumbs. The human body is a wonder.

I'm thankful for the unique properties of (water) ice. It is the only known non-metallic substance to expand when it freezes. This is important because it allows ice to float on top of water instead of sinking when it freezes. If the opposite were true, the oceans, rivers, and lakes of the world would freeze from the bottom up and life would very likely not exist. I'm thankful for little quirks like that in the world of physics that make life possible for us.


I'm thankful for dreaming! (And likewise thankful for funny inspirational posters) Really, though. Dreams allow us to experience crazy adventures, thought provoking situations, possible real-life scenarios, all in a vivid realism that is nearly identical to waking life, but without any of the ramifications or consequences of actual living. Dreaming is amazing.


I'm thankful for football! I love the hard hits, the break-aways, and the diving catches. I love the fight songs of college football and the celebrations in the NFL. But more so, I love it because I have so many memories of going to BYU games with Dad when I was only 8 or 9, watching big games with Grandpa and Grandma at Thanksgiving, and getting the family together for a feast of appetizers for the Super Bowl. Also, I love that this week is rivalry week and I'll be so thankful for a win when the Cougars crush the Utes in Provo this year. :)

That's all for now.

-Barry

I Love Nature

I just bought a new plant from ikea. It's a Neanthe Bella Palm. I'd never owned a plant before, which I've come to regret, because plants can liven up a room in a way that is unmatched by even the best decoration. It's so refreshing to see something green and lush and healthy when all that is outside is turning brown and hardening for the winter.

I'm so thankful for nature. As an avid hiker, camper, and explorer I adore the outdoors. Not like a tree-hugging, granola-eating, hippie liberal, wack job does. I certainly don't cry when a tree is cut down, but I've come to realize that - for the sake of my well-being - I need an escape every once in awhile into the twisting vaults of a sandstone canyon, the sparkling turquoise of an alpine lake, or that point where the endless blue of the sky meets the naked peak of a mountain. Nature brings to mind a sense of peace, wonder, and reverence that does wonders for my health, mentally and physically. I'm thankful to live in a state where the landscape is so varied, and I'm thankful to God for creating it all this way.

Here's to exploring National Parks we've never been to, hiking to heights we've never seen, and swimming in water we never knew could be so cold.

-Barry

Yes. I Love Technology.

**As we are now 9 days from Thanksgiving (including today) I thought I'd dedicate each day, from now until Thanksgiving, to what I am so thankful for in my life.**



I love technology. I would never write a song about it. That's just not me. But I did want to dedicate one of my thankfulness posts to technology because of it's far-reaching effects on my life.

Consider the following:

I carry, in the palm of my hand, a device that allows me to communicate instantaneously with anyone in the world who also carries a device of similar craftsmanship. It gives me instant access to a gargantuan database of information - one that holds nearly every answer to every question you could ever ask. It takes pictures, tells me where I am on a map, and stores libraries of music - playing them with clarity that would make Thomas Edison applaud from his grave.

In my home, I have a machine that fits neatly on my desk that effortlessly performs 357,230 operations per second. It calculates incredible mathematical equations in a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of the time it takes the average person to do it. It allows me to view news from around the world without the need to subscribe to a paper. With it I can send a letter to anyone I'd like at the speed of light and without the need for a stamp. Through it I can express my creativity with mediums, images, and techniques without ever needing to go to an arts and crafts store. I can acquire an entire song in seconds, view it's waveform, and edit it as I please with a few simple clicks of a mouse. I am no longer limited by my resources, but only by the time and ability I have to learn.

And for that, I love technology. I am so thankful for the ways in which it makes our lives easier, more enjoyable, and more efficient. I'm thankful for the power it gives us to communicate, the ability it gives us to educate, and the quality of health that we enjoy because of it.

Here's to future advances in technology and the accompanying wonders and benefits that it will bring to our lives.

-Barry