Out of the 25,000 days I'm supposed to live (the average male lifespan is estimated at 72 in the US), this one was pretty busy. I'm working on getting my CRIT (rhetorical criticism) up for the George Mason Speech Tournament next weekend, and the coaches had to start cutting it because it was too long...I hate that part!!! In fact, it got to the point where they even took out the word 'recently'. Honestly, how am I supposed to give a speech without 'recently' in it? You can sat it with a really dramatic effect with just a slight pause and serious tone, and it just fills the room; but alas, 'recently' is no more in the CRIT.
In other news from the world of Barry, there's a really great book out called Stumbling On Happiness by Harvard Pysychologist Daniel Gilbert. In it, he tells us that humans really can't predict what makes them happy, and it is often when we're in the middle of tough situations that we learn to make the best of life's circumstances. One of the examples he uses describes going out on a date versus being married. If you were just going out on a date and a guys picks his nose, you probably wouldn't date the guy again; but if you're married and the guy picks his nose, you tend to be able to overlook it! That kind of oversimplifies his work, but anyways, take a look at it if your interested. It's a great read. Here's his website:
http://www.danielgilbert.com/
Finally, I want to close this out on a positive event. Tonight I went on hospital visitation with my pastor and younger brother and our friend Matt. Instead of going to visit sick people like we usually do, however, we went to see a brand new baby! The baby was born while we were in the waiting area, and the lullaby theme started playing over the loudspeakers, and then we got to peek through the windows to see the nurses giving the baby its shot and bath...I made a bet that the baby would be born at 8:19, but instead it was born at 8:13, so I lost five bucks, but it was worth it! The little girl's name is Aleshia Jewell. I'm kind of fond of the deeper meaning of life and all that sentimental stuff, but tonight it really stuck with me that in the midst of a world where violence is common and no one can agree and where people needlessly suffer, there's still hope as new life comes into the world. I thought about all the great joys that baby is going to have over her lifetime. It was a great experience.
In other news from the world of Barry, there's a really great book out called Stumbling On Happiness by Harvard Pysychologist Daniel Gilbert. In it, he tells us that humans really can't predict what makes them happy, and it is often when we're in the middle of tough situations that we learn to make the best of life's circumstances. One of the examples he uses describes going out on a date versus being married. If you were just going out on a date and a guys picks his nose, you probably wouldn't date the guy again; but if you're married and the guy picks his nose, you tend to be able to overlook it! That kind of oversimplifies his work, but anyways, take a look at it if your interested. It's a great read. Here's his website:
http://www.danielgilbert.com/
Finally, I want to close this out on a positive event. Tonight I went on hospital visitation with my pastor and younger brother and our friend Matt. Instead of going to visit sick people like we usually do, however, we went to see a brand new baby! The baby was born while we were in the waiting area, and the lullaby theme started playing over the loudspeakers, and then we got to peek through the windows to see the nurses giving the baby its shot and bath...I made a bet that the baby would be born at 8:19, but instead it was born at 8:13, so I lost five bucks, but it was worth it! The little girl's name is Aleshia Jewell. I'm kind of fond of the deeper meaning of life and all that sentimental stuff, but tonight it really stuck with me that in the midst of a world where violence is common and no one can agree and where people needlessly suffer, there's still hope as new life comes into the world. I thought about all the great joys that baby is going to have over her lifetime. It was a great experience.
