The elephants are staring me down and a gift from the IT guy

It's been an interesting day so far.  At this point, wholly unproductive from a raw work standpoint, and boy, do have a lot of things that needed to get done.  Partly I feel overwhelmed to the point that I hardly know what to do.  You eat that elephant one spoonful at a time, right?  All I can see today is a field full of elephants.  (and no, I would never really consider eating one)

This is actually how the elephants look to me today.  Huge, imposing, slightly unrealistic and on the rampage.  

I had a rough night last night, up a good portion of the night being sick and it was so hot upstairs in this old house we are living in that I opted to sleep on the futon in the basement.  I had forgotten how much I like that old futon matress actually.  Mostly the good memories surrounding it.

I've had the nice IT tech after me for the last few months to do the yearly maintence and software upgrades to my laptop.  I've been avoiding him thinking that there is no way I have 2 hours to give up my computer to him during the day.  WAY to much to get done!  Today I finally gave in and let him have my machine for a few hours.  The Deans are gone today at a leadership retreat.  At least it would be a calmer day to work.  So in came Mr. nice IT tech and I left with my purse and a folder full of stuff to work on.  I headed over the bookstore to find a little gift for the cute girl I visit teach and then I was going to go tohe library to work. 

I somehow ended up walking over through the books on my way towards the exit and saw a new book that it a compilation of short essays from various high-profile people:  Why I am a Mormon.  Turns out that I know several of these people.  The next hour disapered quickly, but I wouldn't call it lost. 

I spend all day, 5 days a week, on BYU campus surrounded by all the  things that come with BYU - the good stuff and the hard things.  My job is pretty demanding right now and the politics and stress seem a little out of hand sometimes.  Often I seem to get lost in all of that and it's not that the spirit is gone, it's just that I often just forget.  I forget the reasons why I am a mormon and also why I chose to be here at BYU instead of working somewhere else or being home with my kids right now.  Spending some time with that book was a gift today.  Made me feel all emotional and even follow a promting I'vae had to call my sister.  Our relationship has been complicated the last few years.  It was a good call and I'm glad I followed the promting.  I think we both needed it.

So Thank You Mihai, the nice IT guy, for pestering me into letting you take over my computer for a few hours.  Turns out I needed it.