A String of (Very) Loosely Interrelated Thoughts

So, this post was originally titled "HEAT WAVE - AWESOME DANCE!" and began as follows:

"That's right - the dance this past Friday was AWESOME!

(TANGENT: I kept thinking of calling it 'best dance ever,' but I so commonly abuse superlatives that I'm starting to feel a tad bothered when I get into exaggeration mode. Which is, to be fair, the mode I most often operate in in casual circumstances, but I really think I get so much more satisfaction out of using greater precision of language in my compliments and self-expression. For one, I love the nuances of meaning in language. For two, exact compliments from me are always more sincere. Especially if they sound odd and include random adjectives that may apply more intuitively than by literal definition. In this case, 'awesome dance' wasn't very exact...but when I want to be particularly precise I tend NOT to be concise, and titles demand brevity.)

TANGENT OVER."

Then I realized that the tangent was NOT over - or if it was, a new one had to follow, cuz rereading the last one reminded me of this mini-goal of mine. I'm trying to stop "dumbing down" mah language in casual conversation. I've mentioned this to some of y'all – a lot of us do this. Trying to avoid "smart-sounding" language in order to avoid seeming like a show-off. Doing the "you know...(trail off)" when you probably actually COULD finish the sentence effectively. Also searching for simpler words instead of the more correct one you have in mind. Some of my favorite people EVER are the ones who just use beautifully intelligent language naturally - and they never sound like show-offs, either! In that first tangent I had a great deal of fun using whatever words I WANTED to describe my train of thought. Note: blogs are public but the audience is undefined so the posts are more self-addressed, which provides an ideal environment for practicing this kind of "freedom of speech"...interesting.

But anyway, after all that, I'm going to continue to use only the word "AWESOME" to describe the dance. There was such good energy! So much fun interaction! I felt less inhibited than usual. Then again, when I'm dancing (without fear) is one of the times I feel the most free. The other times I feel the most free and the most truly myself are those rare occasions I can get up to a comfortable lope on a horse, outside somewhere, with sky and nature...and when I'm at the temple, deep in my scripture-ponder-pray cycle...when I'm singing and/or otherwise performing uplifting music and reach a moment of joy that extends beyond the song...and when I get the chance to sit and write outdoors. Especially somewhere with a body of water and trees. Beach w/ palm trees, park by a lake, forest near a stream, whatever.

Interestingly, each of these five things, done properly, require a certain willingness to "lose myself" a bit, or let go of control and take a leap into something difficult (re: impossible?) to define. Maybe that's another possible meaning of "he who loseth his life shall find it." I'd like to seek more of those moments in my life. Having just verbalized (is it verbal if it's written...? Kay, articulated) those five things and the feeling that connects them, I think I can endeavor to DO them more. Get more out of life than I do sitting on a computer! Which, while fun and occasionally useful, is getting to me, and I must be off.

Somehow, this post went all over the place. Hopefully it didn’t make you dizzy! This is what an average minute in my mind is like.

Luvs to all!
Lauren

P.S. Today is Day 1 of read the Book of Mormon through before the new year! 4 pages a day should do it. Let me know if you're following along! Maybe I'll make some kind of graph to chart my progress...