Back on October 22nd and 23rd I went to Vegas for "A Time Out For Women". It was such a wonderful conference. This is my second year going, and I hope I get to go many more years. If you have never gone to one of these..make it a point to get to one. You can read more about it here: http://deseretbook.com/timeout.
I must be getting old. In the past month I have noticed myself having a lot more perspective on life. Things that were so important to me before, I can now see are not so crucial. Things that would try my patience before, are now things I understand better.
Earlier in the month I had gone to Vegas to pick up my mom from the airport. On the way back we came to a complete stop on the highway. Both lanes, no one moving. So I call up Dave and ask him if he knew what was going on. We were only 15 miles from Mesquite. Usually I hate stopping. I am impatient as a rule, but its amplified in a car. I usually would think that it was some small fender bender and we were all stopped because everyone has to rubberneck. Stop looking and just drive people!! After a few moments Dave says that he found out what the accident was, highway patrol had a report on their website about an accident about 2 miles from where we were stopped on the 15. There was an accident, and someone was killed. Suddenly it seemed so insignificant that I waited another 20 or even another 1,000 minutes stuck in traffic. Someone lost someone they loved. Someones child, maybe someones spouse, or sibling.
Perspective.
When we finally started moving again and got up to the accident site we saw several motorcycles on the side of the road. Several bikers standing around, hugging each other, crying, and one under a blue tarp...boots sticking out the bottom. I remember slowly passing and seeing one woman in the group, a blonde staring at the tarp with a lost expression. I don't think I will ever forget that image. Later we found out that the person who died was a famous Swiss rocker on a bike tour across the United States. You can read more here: http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/news_digest/Survivors_speak_of_Steve_Lee_s_final_moments.html?cid=28531990
Out of the 22 people on this tour, only he was hit. They were all standing around putting on their rain gear. The wind caught the trailer of the semi at just the wrong moment. They could have waited 10 more miles...and pulled over safely in Mesquite! Why would they even risk it? Then I quickly knew that I am often not so cautious. I am often impatient and impulsive and don't always do things as safely and cautiously as I could.
Way too much perspective.
One speaker at TOFW spoke about his brother losing a small child. How during that impossible time he was able to remember the plan of salvation. I thought instantly of the blonde biker looking so lost at the blue tarp with boots. Sitting in the conference I wish I could go back and find that lady, tell her that it would be ok, tell her the plan. Then it hit me that I see people in my everyday life and that I could, should, share with them what I know.
Ok, at this point you can see how annoying this perspective is getting!
Right when I was at the age to start young women the church started the personal progress program. The Mormon super hero to me growing up was Ardeth Green Kapp. She was the General YW president and started up the program. I read books she wrote and hung on her every word in conferences. So when I sat down and saw her as the first speaker for TOFW I almost rushed the stage.
Another GREAT speaker there was John Bytheway. He is amazing speaker. The whole time he was speaking I was thinking that when my kids are youth age I was going to have them listen to him constantly.
Since it was a 2 day event a few of us girls got a hotel room to share. It was a blast. It was a full on slumber party with hair curling and all. (On a side note, Saturday I come home from conference with a head full of ringlet curls. Something that is so out of the ordinary for me. After a few hours I finally say something to Dave about my hair. He said, "oh, I didn't notice." Good thing I was full of perspective! )
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