The Daily Honky Tonk 169th Edition

The Daily Honky Tonk
169th Edition
November 16, 2008
11:00 PM

Today, Addie(2) decided to put on my deodorant. . . however, instead of applying it underneath the arms, she applied it as lipstick. Luckily, Gideon(8) caught her in the act and was able to report it to mom. If that seems as weird to you as it does to me (and I'll add funny to weird), then you’ll be able to identify with my feelings for this week. This week was weird. Nothing weird happened in particular. . . but I felt weird about many of things that did happen. Maybe I can paint a little picture.

Everyone I talked to this week, for more than a casual five minute conversation, confided something to me about their personal life. Most of those items were of pretty major consequence.

I set up my schedule for classes at BYU. I chose a major and a minor. I want to be an English Major and Minor in Music. It feels right, but I haven’t got down and prayed about it, perhaps because I just feel good about it already. At the same time, I don't feel like I'm leaving for BYU soon.

Firsts since coming home: bought two new CDs, restarted piano lessons, started recording a song on garage band, went to the theater (saw the new James Bond Movie), went bowling, watched a girls hockey game, watched a couple episodes of The Office, went hometeaching, started and finished Twighlight, and renewed my license.

I wrote two articles for this DHT. For those of you who pick and choose what you read, the first is about Emotions, their causes, and how to get past them. The second is a Book Review on Twighlight (If you really really liked Twighlight, don't read my book review).

Thoughts on the ABC Emotional Disorder Theory
After I had been out for about 18 months, my Mission President sent me a packet of about 20 pages of material on Rational Thinking and Perfectionism. There was a page that identified Common Irrational Thinking Patterns, An article about 12 Principles of Rational Thinking, 4 or 5 talks from Apostles addressing concerns about an imbalance in striving for perfection i.e “perfectionism” and a paper about the ABC Emotional Disorder Theory. As a packet in and of itself, I like to call them crazy papers. When I consider changes that have taken place inside of me, while being on a mission, This is one of them. The crazy papers helped me to balance out. They have helped me to think more rationally, act more appropriately, and to deal with emotions that I used to think I couldn’t change. They taught me how to relax and think about things more realistically. The benefits have been very positive.
I ‘m going to focus on one page tonight. I like to review the packet and tell other people, because it helps in a continuing internalization process that I’m going through. This week’s emotion has been “weird”. The theory goes like this:
A (Events and Circumstances) +
B (Thoughts, Attitudes, Beliefs, Perceptions) =
C (Emotions)
“A” is the factor that you generally cannot change. The Event/Circumstance passes through “B”, our perceptions, beliefs, attitudes, thoughts, which causes us to experience emotion “C”. Therefore, the only way to change your emotion, is if you change the belief, attitude, perception or thought. That would seem to be the part where rational thinking principles comes in. As an individual, one needs to figure out which thinking patterns are rational and which aren’t. I often couldn’t identify my own irrationality, because I thought my own perceptions were reality. Thank goodness for a friend on the mission who shed some light when he said that I needed to remember that just because I perceive something one way doesn’t make it truth. I thought about that long and hard.
I do at this point feel that there is a way to overcome feelings. Although, I don’t think it necessary to remove feeling; the scriptures warn us about not getting “past feeling”. By changing irrational thoughts and silly perceptions or beliefs, I’ve been able to remove unnecessary anxieties, fears, obsessions, pains, and other undesirable feelings. However, I would add, that sometimes, to remove the irrational thoughts, it was essential to rely on the Savior and my faith in Him. The Atonement, has a much more powerful eraser than my own intellect and ability. It can change thought patterns, attitudes, perceptions, and believes that are deeper than we can see on our own.
So, the next time you are sitting there, dealing with an undesirable emotion. .I challenge you to take a moment. What is the circumstance or event that is causing the trauma, stress, etc.? What do I believe, perceive or think about this event? Are those thoughts, beliefs, perceptions causing unnecessary pain to myself? What would be a more appropriate thought? Then, dwell on that thought, perception, or belief. Make it yours. And do me one other favor, check that your new belief, perception, attitude, or thought is in line with the Lord’s commandments and laws J.
As a final note, I would like to add, that this kind of change in feeling is not limited to what we consider negative feelings, but to the positive ones as well. Tired of missing somebody? Want to let go of an obsessive crush? Tired of overreacting to something? Try it out.

Book Review- Twilight-by Stephanie Meyer
I caught wind of this book on my mission. LDS Author, Vampire Love Story, and National Bestseller were all I knew about it. Taryn, being the prolific reader, wanted me to read that as soon as I finished Harry Potter and wanted me to go see the movie with her. Someone, I don’t remember who once commented that it was a good book for all genders because it contained a love story and decent action. That statement was true. However, it is not recognized, at least here as a piece of literature that is appropriate reading for both genders; but when have I ever paid attention to what the ominous “them” say.
Now, having read the book, I can’t say that I’m overly impressed. The book wins people over, I believe, on it’s plot. A mix of mystery, romance, adventure, and perhaps a little suspense keeps you moving through its pages. However, it could not pass as a piece of literature. It does not stop to make you ponder any deeper part of life; I had to do my over analysis to get any of that from the book. And as it’s written, well, it’s written, but not well. Granted, I may be harsh because I had just been reading JK Rowling, who I think is an outstanding writer. But, as I discussed with Caleb and Mom, there isn’t anything deep about the book, what you read is what you get.
The most frustrating part to me however, was the relationship of the narrator, Bella, and Edward (her vampire boyfriend). It is an obsessive relationship. They both obsess over each other. Edward, who never sleeps, you come to find out is a stalker. . .he watches her every night. Bella, is obsessive in her thinking patterns. Their interest in each other is built on attraction and is never built on the foundation of a solid friendship. They form the friendship coupled with the obsession. They are often mean to each other, they lack openness and honesty, and they act impulsively despite how they have the appearance of showing great personal restraint.
I don’t know which part disappointed me more, that the writing was poor and didn’t make me think or that it was portraying an unhealthy relationship. Don’t get me completely wrong. In the end, I’ll say I like the book because it’s plot is captivating and the exploration of vampires who don’t eat humans, seems like an original idea. Plus, it’s a short enough read that I couldn’t say it was a waste of time. However, I opted on asking for a brief summary on the rest of the series from my sister rather than reading them on my own. It’s time to move onto other books.

The Editor,
Mark