When Pigs Fly

As Americans, it is part of our wiring to think of the best-case scenario, and that the worst-case could never happen. Optimism. We strive for the 'American Dream'- maybe it's to own a successful company, to have a happy family, or to just feel safe within the walls of our home. We are optimistic.

So optimistic in fact that there's no way another country would attack us. Yeah, when pigs fly. 9-11 shook our core. So optimistic that we'll swoop into Iraq and take out the bad guys in a week. Yeah, when pigs fly. Eight years later I'm watching one of my 18 year old Young Life guys in camo walk away, off to Iraq. He's the bravest of the brave, and even he says the scariest thing over there is when you shoot the bad guys, and they keep coming at you.

We're so optimistic that another economic downfall like the great depression could never happen, no not to the U.S. Yeah, when pigs fly. Last fall I watched President Bush give a televised speech to the nation letting us know where we were headed. I also watched the next day as the stock market fell hundreds of points.  

So optimistic, and unstoppable, that a disease such as Swine Flu could never sweep the nation, much less the world killing many, no not in the 21st century. We took care of that disease when it swept the nation in 1976, 1988, & 1998 (It seems that every ten years we fall susceptible). Yeah, when pigs fly. 

Have you ever really thought about the name Swine Flu? The term "when pigs fly" is used to describe something that could never happen. Read the diseases' name this way: Swine Flew. Enough said.

While no one could have ever guessed or predicted that any of these horrible events would happen, our optimism was turned to irony. So do we stop being optimistic? I would answer with a firm and resounding no.

We may not have expected the worse, but it is the tough things that make us stronger. "Consider it pure joy when you are faced with trials and tribulations of many kinds, for the testing of your faith will provide endurance. So let that endurance grow, so that it may perfect your faith." -James 1:2

Like a vaccine makes us stronger against the disease, these events will only make us stronger for the future.

“Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength.” 

-Anonymous

Shirts & Skins

At about 9 pm tonight, as I walked from my parking garage to my apartment with a last minute detergent purchase, I couldn't help but notice the basketball game that was going on next to me. 

Again, 9 pm on the Sunday before finals, there had to be at least 30 guys both on and off the court, yelling out plays and grunting with each pass. You would have thought this was the NBA Finals on ESPN - oh but it was. 

Between growing up with sports fanatics for an older brother and dad, and having a highly competitive boyfriend addicted to Sports Center, I have come to realize that any game that is played- is important. Every play will be recounted for the next 3 days, every shot will be praised, and the game will be glorified as if it were in fact that NBA Final, Super Bowl, World Cup, and so on.

As a girl this is a funny concept. I'm not saying females are uncompetitive & view sports as unimportant, for 6 years I laced up my track spikes with the intention to win, and did just that. But as far as a friendly game on the court goes, I would not take it to heart. 

I believe this says a lot about men, and their yearning to succeed and earn respect. I bet if girls actually sat and watched every emotion going on during that basketball game, they'd understand a lot more about the male gender. 

The guys making the plays are powerful guys. The ones that the guy sitting on the sideline wish they could beat just one time, to earn respect.

 If you walk into an office, it is exactly the same thing. The CEO on the 5th floor in the corner office with his own bathroom is the powerful guy. The guy on the 2nd floor making copies (for some other guy) just wishes he could show his ideas straight to the CEO and pass up all the others, and earn respect.

In fact, I bet if girls did know this about men, relationships would go a lot differently. If girls let their guys know right away that he's her All Star, that she's his #1 fan, I imagine he'd be overjoyed.  From then on I also imagine he'd do every mushy thing in the book for his girl to make sure she knew just how much he loved her, as long as he knew she respected him. There'd be so much love and respect in those relationships, the couples wouldn't know what to do with it.

Obviously this needs to happen with sincere intentions, any girl who just told her boyfriend that she respected him only to get him to watch chick-flicks with her, or do any other girly activity, has issues. 

And this is what I thought about as a watched 30 college guys at 9 pm on a Sunday night, playing an intense game of basketball. Right before I texted my boyfriend, I mean All Star.

I wish to be a sponge.

My neck is sore. Back aching. Hands shaking. Legs numb.

After that description of my body's current state, you would have thought I just carried a large camel across the Arizona desert. 

Hardly. I just spent nine hours making note cards for finals. Although the physical challenges do not match up, the mental ones do. For the past nine hours, my best friend has been a 005 Micron pen- you've got to minimize the pen point to maximize the facts you can cram on those 3x5's. 

I may be bitter that my roommates are off with their boyfriends, checking out the local art scene at First Friday and such, and I am stuck in our over-priced, poorly lit, humble abode with my nose in books. However, at the same time I feel accomplished. One more semester down. 

As I walk the pathways of ASU I either see disgruntled or peaceful faces. I imagine the distain is only with themselves, seeing that nights filled with keggers and bad pickup lines do not raise your GPA. I imagine the etherial smiles are from hard nights of studying, similar to the day I just had. 

If only the mass population of this institution of higher education could see the happiness that can be brought after passing a test. There would no longer be the 5th or 6th year senior, or the line, "Well I'm supposed to be a junior, but I'm still at the 100 level." Of course everyone goes that their own pace, but why not pick up that pace? 

I wonder what happened to the days of ambition. Walk into a Harvard classroom and the environment is 180 degrees different. People want to not only know what the teacher knows, but what you know, what your dad knows, what the person next to you knows, and so on. They are intellectual sponges fighting to get ahead. I wish to be a sponge.

(My actual 3x5 with four astronomy chapters crammed onto it)