The Hazard Chronicles

This year during the the commencement exercises at BYU, Elder L. Tom Perry spoke to the recent graduates. His message addressed an issue that is a continual challenge for me, as well as one that has blessed my life with purpose and direction. The topic? Balance.

See, I DO stuff. Boredom has never really been a part of my life. Instead, some of the hardest decisions I have ever made have been what NOT to do. What not to major in (they all looked so interesting), what not to read (there is so much good literature out there), what schools not to attend (they each had their own strengths), and which places not to live (so many beautiful areas) have all been hard choices for me to make.

But it gets worse. Not only do I want to do EVERYTHING, but I want to do it all well. I don't just want to be a good husband, but I want to be the guy who spends tons of time with his wife, continually surprising her with fun ideas and engaging her in constant dialogue. At the same time I want to be an awesome dad- the dad who kids listen to because they respect him, but at the same time, the dad who all the other kids wished they had because I do cool stuff with them and take them cool places and treat them like real people and not just pets. While doing this, I totally have ambitions to be one of the best dentists in the state of Idaho, if not the entire country. I hope, one day, to be teaching other dentists through my writing and through lectures, how to do their jobs better and give the best possible care to their patients. Oh- and I also want to have a highly successful business, with several different offices and dozens of employees. But not just dental offices- oh no. I also want to own a sandwich shop, a real-estate company, and an international non-profit organization to provide health care and educational opportunities for those who lack the proper resources to pursue these things on their own. In my community, I want to be highly involved in organizations such as the LDS church, the chamber of commerce, and the rotary club. Along some of these same lines, I would like to get involved in local politics one day so that I can further serve those who share this beautiful part of the country with me. And of course, while I am doing all of this I will want to maintain my hobbies. I want to rock climb like Chris Sharma, play the guitar like Tommy Emmanuel, and build motorcycles like Tony Stark (just kidding on this last one...sort of). I also want to train for and complete the Coeur d'Alene IronMan. Besides these hobbies, I hope to continue my education with further degrees- one in History, one in Philosophy, and one in Music. And, although I surely have a lot on my plate, I need to remember every day to do my exercises, scripture study, social networking, and leisure reading. I also need to take a few minutes a day to relax and do nothing.

Whew! So, that sort of gets things started. I could go on, but I won't. And the thing is that I am totally, one hundred percent serious about each one of these things. At the same time, I realize that they probably won't all happen- can't happen. Because unfortunately these things all take TIME. Time that I don't have. But I will still go after them. It's what I do- make impossible goals and hope to end up somewhere close to where I was aiming. 

But getting back to my original point: Balance. It is hard sometimes to decide which things to allocate my time to and which ones to hold off on. Some things are obvious- Family and Faith come first. I also try to make sure I am always doing something in the other categories as well- Self, Community, Business, and Profession. But it really is a challenge. So, I guess I've just got to say thanks to good ol' L. Tom for the timely message (We've been on a first initial basis every since seminary. I can't say why.). 

Anyway- let's back up a little and go over the week. We had Evelyn's open house where she got to show us her class room and some of the projects she has been working on. Addy and Jackson's pre-school is in full swing as well and they are enjoying it. Maren is crazy- in a good way. Except for when she is throwing food because that's not so good. Rachel is working hard at interpreting and advertising for our business. She also teaches pre-school, does Achievement Days for our ward, and keeps our home from self-destructing. 

As for me- I'm just doing my best to stay balanced.

(Sorry- no pictures this week)