forget not to...

 Twice annually the LDS church hosts a General Conference. At these meetings, the prophet and other leaders of the church share inspired talks about all sorts of gospel topics. They are enlightening and uplifting. Lately, I've bee trying to read one of these talks per day. It's something that has helped me feel more in tune with the Spirit and focused on the things that matter most. 

Yesterday I reread President Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk called, "Forget Me Not." The talk is from the October 2011 General Women's Meeting that just preceded the weekend of General Conference. It has always been a favorite, but yesterday was kind of a perfect day to look it over again as there were a few of the messages that exactly fit what I've been feeling lately.

In the talk, President Uchtdorf describe the tiny "forget me not" flower that is often over-looked in favor of the larger blossoms in the garden. He then outlines five things that women often forget to focus on in the hustle and bustle of life. There are two that stuck out for me.

Forget not to be patient with yourself.

and 

Forget not to be happy now.

Patience. This is not my strong suit. I've always been {and probably always will be to some degree} the type of person who likes to check things off her very literal list. If you give me a task, I will do it to the very best of my ability, but I will also complete it well before the due date because it legitimately stresses me out to wait. I want it done as soon as possible. I'm the same way once I set my mind to a goal...like reading a book a week and reviewing on a blog {or something like that haha.} But, that goal has just not been doable for the last couple of months. I could list all the reasons why, but at the end of the day it just hasn't been happening. It's still something I strive for, but after I read this yesterday I decided not to let it bother me so much. I'm consistently reading and reviewing at the pace that lets me enjoy the reading rather than have it feel like work. 

And that's okay.

I"m generally a happy person. I know I live a very blessed life and am so grateful for it. I'm also a serial day-dreamer. I'm always looking ahead of me to the potential happiness that could come. Before Trager got into pharmacy school and we knew what we were doing with our lives, I would spend at least an hour a day in my head dreaming of what would come when we knew our plan. Once we heard back about Idaho the happiness came!! But almost as quickly as the happiness and relief that flooded me with the news of pharmacy school, bigger dreams came with it. We now have a deadline of when our inconsistent "student life" will end and our more stable " real life" will begin.

Then I remember that right now, today is real life and it is just as sweet and happy as my life can always be if I will just let it. President Uchtdorf said in his talk, "...if we spend our days waiting for fabulous roses, we could miss the beauty and wonder of the tiny forget-me-nots that are all around us." He is so very right! I have all the tools for happiness today...I've just got to start using them! If I can be a little more present and a little less urgent to move forward, I will be better at seeing the happy tender mercies of my day to day. This is the current #1 goal. Be happy now.   

I figured {hoped} I'm not the only one who could relate to this sweet talk. I highly recommend reading it here. 

Pride and Prejudice review to come later this week...