Every day a new adventure...

Friday was my brother's wedding, and unlike most weddings, this one was a day of adrenaline, danger, high speed car chases, illegal activities, and it was nearly the death of me. So, prepare for a tale to end all tales! This is the story of my brother's wedding:

It was early Friday afternoon. I was nearly to the temple, and I was running just a little behind schedule. The wedding was supposed to start at 12:09, and I was told to be there by 11:30 (for good measure). Due to a slight traffic jam where cops had pulled somebody over in an area that was already slow because of construction, it looked like I would be arriving at about 11:40. It wasn't as early as I hoped, but I still had plenty of time.

Driving up the steep, long road to the Bountiful temple, I couldn't help but think that it was REALLY out there in the middle of nowhere. It was a beautiful place, and it was probably best to have it out there, but it was still a little inconvenient. But who cares? I had plenty of time, and it would make for a wonderful wedding.

As I entered the parking garage, I saw my father's car, and what looked my aunt's SUV and my cousin's car, all parked side by side. I parked next to them, smiling, and walked into the temple. As I entered the marriage waiting room, I looked around and realized that I didn't recognize anyone. I asked the attendant if there was another waiting room. There wasn't. She checked the schedule. There was no wedding scheduled for "Hansen." There had been some kind of miscommunication. It was then 11:50, and I was in the wrong temple! It was like a nightmare come true, except I wasn't naked, and there was no pop-quiz, or anything like that.

I ran back to my car. On closer inspection I realized that the car I had parked next to was not, in fact, my father's car. I grabbed my phone and started calling everyone I knew who could tell me where the wedding was. No one answered. Oddly, it seemed like they were all somewhere where they couldn't talk or answer a phone. Finally I got a hold of my cousin, who being unendowed, would most likely be waiting outside.

I asked him:

"Hey, I'm trying to get to the wedding! Are you there?"
"Yeah, I'm here."
"Great! Which temple is it at?"
"Um, I don't really know. Hold on, I'll ask my mom. and call you back."
(Since he's from Colorado, I could understand if he didn't know which temple it was in Utah).
I waited for his call, pacing nervously back and forth. Finally, my phone rang.

"Hey, she didn't answer her phone."
"What?! Just ask somebody there!"
"Dude, I'm in Colorado."
"..." (AAAAAAAAAH!!!)

I frantically began making more calls. Finally, I got a hold of someone at work who had an invitation, and found out that it was the Salt Lake Temple.

It was now 12:00. The wedding was at 12:09. I was in Bountiful. I needed to be in Salt Lake. I was the best man. He was my brother. What do you do? Sit down and cry? Nah, that's not my style. Mexico... I could flee to Mexico...

Seeing as how I don't speak Spanish, and Canada is so far away, I decided to give Salt Lake a shot. The road began to transform before me. Instead of being a winding residential road with double lines and a speed limit of 35 MPH, the road somehow changed into a freeway with a speed limit of 65 MPH and a single striped white line. Old folks on their way home from the temple were giving me odd looks. Soon I was on the real freeway. The signs that used to read "Speed Limit 65 MPH" Now read "Speed Limit 95 MPH."

I was panicking, I was stressing, my heart was beating. Somehow driving had become a cardiovascular exercise. I thought I was most likely going to be dead one way or another, so I kept going. I arrived at Salt Lake, flew off the exit, and headed towards the temple. I couldn't find any parking anywhere. I was about to try driving backwards down one of the roads, but saw an opening ahead and settled for a U turn. I found a parking garage, and stopped in the first empty space I found... even if it was specially reserved 24 hours a day.

I ran up the ramp from the garage, not caring to search for the pedestrian exit, and sprinted for the temple. It was 12:22. I may have held the new land speed record at that point for traveling from Bountiful to Salt Lake, but it wasn't enough. I began running a circle around the temple trying to find the entrance. I realized that I probably had to enter the temple from the newer addition, but decided to ask someone just to make sure. I couldn't waste a second! I finally made my way to the entrance, and through the temple (probably going faster than I should have). I entered the wedding ceremony just as they were starting. I was bright red, sweaty, and gasping for air... but I was there!

The rest of the day went pretty well. I was still experiencing some post-traumatic stress, but the dinner was great, my speech was enjoyed by all, and the toast was beautiful. The reception was also very excellent. Even though everything worked out pretty well, I suppose it would have been best to be prepared. So, in preparation for next time something like this happens, I think I'm going to start brushing up on my Spanish.

έναν άλλο καιρό, μια άλλη ζωή

I just watched a video from the Athens Olympics... I saw a lot of old friends that I haven't spoken to in years. Once more I saw the early morning hours of the Olympic complex before the sun arose. I watched our performances, heard familiar sounds, and saw familiar sights. I remembered the smells. It smelled like summer. I remembered the feelings we had. It was a different time and yet everything was perfect. It was beautiful.

Και τώρα νοσταλγώ...

Torn in two all too often.

Le cœur a ses raisons que la raison ne connaît pas.
"The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of."
-Blaise Pascal

η ζωή είναι εκεί που δε μετράει η λογική.
"Life is that place where logic doesn't count"
-Αμμος, <<επαφή>>

Sometimes I am torn apart inside. Sometimes my mind and my heart battle, disagreeing on which course to take. In a perfect world, the heart and mind would always be in perfect unison. The smart decision would also be your passion. You would long for the things that also seem right or logical.

I hear people say "if I was smart, I would do (...), but I really don't want to." Is that wrong? Is there another way? When you have two choices, do you pursue the one your mind finds pleasant, or do you take the path your heart is seeking?

The mind won't support things which are fleeting and prone to failure.
The heart won't support things unless they promise happiness.
Do you choose stability, or fleeting joy? Isn't there a point where the two can meet?

What about when love doesn't make sense, but something inside of you keeps calling out to make it work?

What about when love makes perfect sense and seems heaven sent, but something inside of you isn't happy?

Why does this occur so often and for so many people?

Why don't the heart and mind agree? Do they both see different things, or maybe need different things?

"In a perfect world, the heart and mind would always be in perfect unison."

So what do you do in an imperfect world when your heart and mind disagree? Do you run away and look for something or someone that calls out to both entities? That is usually my recourse, and it tears me in two since when you look for something else that satisfies both your logos and your pathos, neither is satisfied and one is always torn away from that which it hopes for.

I can't imagine following something that my heart isn't in, but can I really justify following something that my mind won't support?

"In a perfect world, the heart and mind would always be in perfect unison."

But here I am, living in an imperfect world, and my mind and heart are rarely in perfect unison. If I won't choose to follow one or the other, I am usually left with nothing, and neither is satisfied. Is it ok to follow your heart against your better judgment? Should you do that which seems most correct, even if your heart isn't interested? Is choosing one or the other better than being left alone and empty handed, or does hope come into play, promising a future where both heart and mind find what they long for?

Answer my question, if you can.

Body Worlds

Today I went to Body Worlds, an exhibit where they show different displays of the human body that have been preserved through a process called plastination. It was interesting, inspiring, and thought provoking. Here are a few of my thoughts:

The Human Body is Amazing:

Our bodies are so complex (and on many different scales) that it's hard to comprehend the perfect balance and brilliant composure. All of the organs work and fit together perfectly to make living creatures that can move, think, and create. The organs are also surprisingly perfect. The interior of the small intestine, for example, is much larger than one might believe when looking at the small exterior. The interior is full of ripples that maximize the surface area, allowing the small intestine to accomplish much much more. (Think of it as stuffing a sheet inside of a hose. The hose has a rather small circumference, but if you were to cut it open, remove the sheet, and stretch it out, it would cover a large area. The area (the sheet) is what does all the work in the small intestine). All of the organs of the body fit together like pieces of a puzzle, and they support each other as well. The heart delivers blood to the lungs, the lungs provide oxygen for the blood, the blood delivers nutrients to the muscles, the muscles provide food for the digestive system, and the digestive system delivers those nutrients to the blood. The human body is amazing.

God is Amazing:

It's one thing to look at the wonders of the human body and admire them, it's another thing altogether to engineer such a creature. Not only did God create all living things, but it must have been done by designing the genetic code that would produce the desired results. How does one write the genetic coding that will create a human being in all its glory and amazing systems? How do you decide to create a bird, a whale, a lion, or any animal, and then make the genetic coding that will constantly generate the designed animal despite generations of changes to the coding? It's beyond both my comprehension and the talents of mother nature.

Our Journey:

One segment of the exhibit featured fetuses in different stages of development. The human fetus at 8 weeks is stunning. It is smaller than the tip of my pinky, yet has eyes, a mouth, arms and legs, hands and feet, each one with five fingers or toes. Even more unbelievable was the realization that I used to be there, that I was once a tiny, helpless fetus that was so small and fragile. It is amazing that something like that can grow into a strong and intelligent man or woman. If we didn't already know the end from the beginning, we might not believe it. I suppose that when we look at how great and marvelous God is, compared to the frailty and simple mindedness of mankind, one might not believe the potential that we have. Even as the little fetus can grow into something so much greater, we too can exceed our current bounds and become like God.

I can barely walk...

Yesterday I bought a new sled, and I'm glad to say that it's amazing. When sledding with some other people, my sled was considerably faster, and constantly slid about twice as far at the bottom of the hill as all the other sleds. That may have posed a problem, though, tonight.

My friend John and I went sledding in Rock Canyon park. The snow had fallen perhaps a week before, then had been repeatedly melted, refrozen, and compacted by other sledders. Consequently, Rock Canyon park was essentially a large bowl of hard ice. John and I began by sledding down the hill that was closest to where we had parked. It was pretty much amazing, but we were drawn to the hill on the opposite side of the park that seemed to be much higher and somewhat steeper.

At first we had trouble even climbing the hill. It was too steep and too slick to walk up, and we had to try sprinting up different parts. After a few failed attempts of trying to climb the hill and then sliding back down on our feet, we were able to find a good spot to climb up where someone had walked and left footprints back when the snow was still soft. We flew down the hill, and my sled was probably able to slide an additional 75 or 100 feet after reaching the base of the hill. Unfortunately there were a lot of bumps at the bottom of the hill and a few jumps that we had to avoid because we always hit them pretty hard at that speed, and our sleds didn't really provide much cushioning.

On what turned out to be my last real run, I found a spot on the hill that was very high, very steep, and had a nice smooth bottom that was completely void of bumps. The downside was that it was next to the largest jump of all, and it was a jump that everyone was trying to avoid at all costs. I figured that I probably wouldn't hit the jump, that I would be able to steer away, and if all else failed, I would be able to roll off my sled and come to a stop before I reached it. Apparently I was wrong.

As I shot down the hill, I realized that my sled was turning towards the jump. I leaned. It made no difference. As my speed continued to increase until I could barely make out what was happening around me I realized that I was in trouble. I tried to roll off the sled, but all I accomplished to do was turn the sled sideways... a rather unwelcomed event. I hit a large bump which nearly knocked me from the sled, then looked down and saw that the massive jump was moments away and thought to myself "oh, crap...". According to John, at this point everyone on top of the hill went silent and locked their eyes on the impending doom. I closed my eyes and prepared for the impact. The force was stunning. I felt a huge burst from the sled which nearly knocked the air out of me. Then all I felt was the sled disappearing from underneath me. I opened my eyes again and looked down. At this point I was standing vertically in the air facing backwards, the base of the jump was several feet beneath me and I was beginning to spin so that my feet were getting higher and I was nearly on my back. I took a moment to analyze the situation. I was screwed.

Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Classic, eh? Then I hit the solid ground, landing on my tail bone and bouncing a couple of times until I started rolling. Eventually I came to a stop on my stomach and took a couple of minutes to lie still and relish life. Ah sweet life! I was still alive!

A minute later, John was able to regain his composure and yelled to see if I was alright. Then he came down the hill, and I slowly got up. Oh, what agony! I hurt all over! We made our way up the hill, I couldn't stop laughing, except for every time I took a step forward with my left foot, at which point a sharp stinging pain shot up my spine and made me shout and take a quick breath.

I don't know why I was laughing so hard considering the condition that I was in. I hurt all over, and every step was very intense. Still, it was hilarious.

I tend to laugh at a lot of things. When something bad happens, I often find myself laughing about it or just shrugging it off. A lot of things just aren't that important that I need to worry about them. Unless the pain is unbearable, I often just ignore it or laugh it off. I have my limits, I'm sure. Some things are too painful to laugh at, and too difficult to endure, but for everything else you might as well enjoy it!