The Things That Move Me

--Preliminary shout out to Callie Jo! LET'S HOP!--

Now on to tonight's blog, which is brought to you by AMERICAN BEEF and AMERICAN BEER (or American Amaretto for Buzzard)...and the number 13. :)

Tonight's blog is educational, to say the least. It's probably educational, to say the most, also. Oh well.

Tonight's blog is also lengthy. Please stay tuned. It's worth it, I promise.

I want to share with you a few of the things that move me. I mean, the things that really move me. There are lots of things that move me, but there are a few that are worth noting.

Wow, that little paragraph was all sorts of grammatical homicide.

Anyway, TO THE LOU...I mean...list. To the list.

NUMBA UNO: MY LEGS

HA! But seriously, there's something to this. For those of you who don't know, I ran cross country all through high school. I ran a lot. 400+ miles a season for four years. It was awesome. During that time, I really learned a lot of valuable lessons that I still try to live by. I think I can wrap this up fairly succinctly by providing a quote that my Coach (one of my favorite people ever) told me one day when I was feeling inadequate out on the course. She said, "Michael, you ran your heart out for me and the team, and that's all we can ever ask you to do. You gave it your best. That's all I'll ever want from you." (Now is the important quote that I want to leave you with) "One of my favorite people said this, and I want you to remember it until the day you die: 'To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the Gift.' - Steve Prefontaine." That is something I have remembered every day. I try to live by that quote, and sometimes I come up a little short. But, in the words of Katie Scarlett O'Hara: "...tomorrow is another day," and just one more opportunity to give whatever you choose to do your very best. 

So, in a roundabout way, my legs really do move me.

NUMERO DEUX: MUSIC

I know that there are LOTS of people that say they are truly moved by music. I really hope that they are, because music is one of the most beautiful things in the world. (It is in my opinion, anyway.) Music is one of the very few things that really reaches into the core of me and touches my soul. It can make me laugh, cry (and I never cry), scream, and always, ALWAYS sing along. Music is just a mandatory aspect of my life. It is part of who I am. For as long as I can remember, I have sang along with the radio. Even if I don't know the words, I'll pick up the melody and sing right along. Sometimes I'll do that a little too loudly, and you know what? I don't care. Music is universal. It reaches out to everyone. It is the language of the human race. The only thing that I view as more universal than music is a smile, but that's another blog post. 

I've been involved directly with music since the 3rd grade, when Mom bought a piano and signed my sister and I up for lessons. It's a skill I still exhibit to some people to this day. My involvement really stepped it up a notch in the 5th grade, when I joined band. I played the Baritone. It is possibly the least glamorous instrument in the world, and I hated it at first. Slowly, I gained an appreciation for Barry (my baritone's name) and we had quite the ridiculous relationship. I was in band until I graduated high school, and I miss it every day. During high school, I even picked up a few more instruments. By the time I was done with band, I could play the baritone/euphonium, trumpet, tuba/sousaphone, trombone, valve trombone, timpani, and the drum set at basketball games.  :)

I joined choir in the 7th grade, and singing has actually become a bigger passion for me than band. (Sorry, Barry) My experiences with choir have really opened my eyes to the joy that music can bring somebody. I was in showchoir in high school, and the concert choir at my junior college. I have sang everything from Earth, Wind & Fire's "Shining Star" to Josh Groban's "To Where You Are" to Franz Schubert's "Ave Maria" to Alexander Gretchaninoff's "Holy Radiant Light". I was even the lead in my junior college's musical my sophomore year. Just call me Professor Harold Hill, and stay out of "Trouble". :)

Anyway, music. Number deux. Moves me like none other. Moving on!

NUMBER THREE: ART

This is a really broad topic, I know, but allow me to expound. When I say that "art" moves me, I mean...well, I mean pretty much all forms of tangible art. Photography, paintings, sculptures, architecture, the list goes on. Just the idea that the human mind and the human soul can pour out so much unique creativity and beauty is a beautiful thing. And for decade after decade, century after century, millennium after millennium, to constantly change and alter and expound (I've used that word twice in one paragraph. I need to read a thesaurus now and then...) upon what's been done before in so many different ways! It's fascinating to me. I wish I had an ounce of the creativity that some of the people I know have. It's truly an enlightening experience for me to go to a museum and see what others have been able to create with nothing more than their talented heads and a little inspiration, be it Divine or secular. The human brain: fascinating. 

NOMBRE QUATRE: THE FLINT HILLS

I know I talked about this in my last post, but I can't help it. The Flint Hills of Kansas is one of the most beautiful and interesting regions in the entire country. We, as citizens of this illustrious place, are inhabitants of one of the most diverse and important places in the nation, Agriculturally speaking. WE GOT DA BEEF, MAN. And the WILDLIFE, jeeeez. And the birds and even the BUGS. The BUGS in this place are SO COOL. Aw, man. I'm getting all excited. I know most of you reading this also hail from the Flint Hills in some form or another, so I'm just preaching to the choir, but DANG. Love this place. 

Visual reference for those of you who may or may not have ever been here:

This isn't even the full majesty of the Flint Hills, and it makes me all giddy. LOVE this place!!

(By the way, this photo is once again not mine, nor do I claim it to be. It can be found in the flickr photostream of one Dennis Toll at http://www.flickr.com/photos/flinthillstallgrass/ )

NUMMER FEM: AGRICULTURE

Number five (Nummer Fem in Swedish) deserves its own blog post. I'll compile my thoughts on this and get back to you tomorrow.  :) Until then, let's move on to the conclusion of this ridiculously long-winded posting of things that move me!

I said at the beginning of this post that I would be educating you. Most obviously, I have educated you about some of the things that move me. Covertly, I hope I have moved you to acknowledge and embrace the things that move YOUUUU. Take note of what moves you. Make a list of the things that move you, and do your very best to expose yourself to something on your list every day.

It's a cold, hard world we live in. We all need a little time to feel...something...for us. It reminds us, even if it's for just a wee little bit, what we're here for.

Peace out, yo!

Michael Dean