What A View

Many years ago my father built a small cabin on part of the ranch property where he had been raised.
The vistas across the meadows were exceptional.
When the walls were framed in for the cabin, I made a visit.
I was surprised that the window with the view focused directly on a power pole that was a short distance from the house.
To me, it was a huge distraction from the magnificent view.

I said, "Dad, why did you let them put the power pole directly in front of your view from the window?"

My father, an exceptionally practical and calm man, exclaimed with some emotion, "Quentin, that power pole is the most beautiful thing to me on the entire ranch!"
He then made his case: "When I look at that pole, I realize that, unlike when I grew up here, I will not have to carry water in containers from the spring up to the house to cook, wash my hands, or bathe.
I will not have to light candles or oil lamps at night to read.
I want to see that power pole right in the idle of the view window."

My father had a different perspective on the power pole than I did.
To him that pole represented an improved life, but to me it was a stumbling block to a magnificent vista.
My dad valued power, light, and cleanliness above an aesthetic view.
I immediately realized that while the pole was a stumbling block for me, it had great practical, symbolic meaning to my father.

-Quentin L. Cook -Valiant in the Testimony of Jesus -October 2016 General Conference

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

It's All Mellow

I sometimes wonder if people get concerned with how easy going I am.

Like...at work I'll often let my coworkers choose which tasks to do.
Mostly because I've done every task like a million times...so I really don't care one way or the other if I do Task A or Task B because I've done both so much that it really no longer matters to me. 

Or tonight, for dinner, Kikay had been planning to make one things, but due to a work thing, and frozen meat and such....dinner wouldn't be able to be made as quickly as expected. And she was getting a bit worked up about not having that dinner tonight when we'd planned for it.

And I was like. "I really don't care when we make this, tonight or tomorrow, if you're stressed out tonight, then we'll make this other thing, that way you can focus on work and I can get something to eat." 

lol. 
Really...I doubt people believe me when I say that I'm pretty easy going.

But it's pretty true that I am.
Most of the time, I'm able to go with the flow, and adapt to changing circumstances. 

Or often people are like: "Sorry about this, or that, or this other circumstance." 
And....I'm like... "You're good guys....I'm easy going." 
Like seriously.
I'm pretty mellow about most things.

I do say most things lol. 
I do have my moments of not being easy going at all.
But usually that has to deal with me not feeling well, or being stressed, or just randomly super sensitive to repetitive noises. 

*shrugs*
Still....overall...pretty easy going.....

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Trick or Treat

Happy Halloween Everyone!!

And in the Spirit of Halloween, I thought I'd share a memory of Trick or Treating.

It's probably one of my first memories of Trick or Treating.

I was young...how young? Not sure.
Young enough to be shy about talking to strangers that's for sure.
Young enough that I'm not sure if I had my siblings with me or not...I think Kikay  may have been there, but Meralto? Not sure.

In any case.
Our Daddoo had taken us to Grandma Dirchi's neighborhood to do some trick or treating.
And I remember there being this one house...which may have been a house on the corner a couple of blocks down from Grandma's.
Where the dude there refused to give you candy unless you said Trick or Treat. 

And before this point...trick or treating had gone well.
I'd gone up to the doors...and hadn't needed to say anything in order to get candy. The adults would just plop it into my bucket/bag and off we'd go to the next one.

Yet here...here was a dude who was denying me the candy!
Not unless I spoke to him...said Trick or Treat.

Which, me being shy, was a big deal. 

I mean...I feel like I nearly left without the candy, but Daddoo was like "just go say trick or treat." 

It felt like an eternity standing there awkwardly on the porch.
Staring at that bowl of candy.
Wanting it.
But not wanting it if I had to speak.

But!
After another Eternity.
I finally mumbled. "trickortreat" 
Finally got my candy.

And left. 

lol. The night continued with more doors and more trick or treats, and possibly more of me having to say the words.

But whatever the case.
That particular memory has stuck with me. Funny how that works. lol.

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

October 2016 General Conference -Sunday Morning

Thomas S. Monson -The Perfect Path to Happiness

• We are blessed to have the truth. We have a mandate to share the truth. Let us live the truth, that we might merit all that the Father has for us. 

Russell M. Nelson -Joy and Spiritual Survival

• Men are, that they might have joy. 
• Saints can be happy under every circumstance. We can feel joy even while having a bad day, a bad week, or even a bad year!
• The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.
• Joy is powerful, and focusing on joy brings God's power into our lives.

Peter F. Meurs -The Sacrament Can Help Us Become Holy

• Prelude music, reverently played, is nourishment for the spirit. It invites inspiration. 
• Music elevates our thoughts and feelings. 
• The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, [and] temperance.

Linda S. Reeves

• When we have sinned, Satan often tries to convince us that the unselfish thing to do is to protect others from the devastation of the knowledge of our sins.
• The truth, however, is that the unselfish and Christlike thing to do is to confess and repent.
• However late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ's Atonement shines.

M. Russell Ballard -To Whom Shall We Go?

• Our precious relationships with families, friends, the Lord, and His restored Church are among the things that matter most in life. Because these relationships are so important, they should be cherished, protected, and nurtured.
• Focus on what you do believe and know.
• Never abandon the great truths revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Never stop reading, pondering, and applying the doctrine of Christ contained in the Book of Mormon.
• We should not assume ... that just because something is unexplainable by us it is unexplainable. 
• Life can be like hikers ascending a steep and arduous trail. It is a natural and normal thing to occasionally pause on the path to catch our breath, to recalculate our bearings, and to reconsider our pace. Not everyone needs to pause on the path, but there is nothing wrong with doing so when your circumstances require. 
• Sometimes we can learn, study, and know, and sometimes we have to believe, trust, and hope.
• I don't pretend to know why faith to believe comes easier for some than for others. I'm just so grateful to know that the answers are always there, and if we seek them--really seek with real intent and with full purpose of a prayerful heart--we will eventually find the answers to our questions as we continue on the gospel path. 
• We must never neglect any of our brothers and sisters. We are all at different places on the path, and we need to minister to one another accordingly.
• Please know that even though great storms of wind and waves beat upon the old ship, the Savior is on board and is able to rebuke the storm with His command "Peace, be still." Until then, we must not fear, and we must have unwavering faith and know that "even the wind and the sea obey him."

Dean M. Davies -The Blessings of Worship

• Every day, but especially on the Sabbath day, we have the extraordinary opportunity to experience the wonder and awe of heaven and offer our praises to God for His blessed goodness and overwhelming mercy.
• When we worship in spirit, we invite light and truth into our souls, which strengthens our faith. 
• It is impossible to say that we love God while at the same time hating, dismissing, or disregarding others around us.
• Spiritual experiences have less to do with what is happening around us and everything to do with what is happening within our hearts. 

Lynn G. Robbins -The Righteous Judge

• The Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.
• Compassion doesn't nullify the need for discipline.
• Without sacrifice, a person may find it hard to forgive himself or herself, because of a lingering consciousness of something withheld.
• Unkind things are not usually said under the inspiration of the Lord. The Spirit of the Lord is a spirit of kindness; it is a spirit of patience; it is a spirit of charity and love and forbearance and long suffering. 
• Kindness is the power that God has given us to unlock hard hearts and subdue stubborn souls. 
• The way you see [a child] is the way you treat them, and the way you treat them is [who] they [will] become.]
• Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved. 

Henry B. Eyring -Gratitude on the Sabbath Day

• Simple service for the Lord mattered in the lives of Heavenly Father's children.
• Just as we sometimes cannot see the results of our own service given on the Sabbath, we may not be able to see the cumulative effects of other servants of the Lord. But the Lord is building His kingdom quietly through his faithful and humble servants, with little fanfare, toward its glorious millennial future. It takes the Holy Spirit to see the growing grandeur. 

Until you next see these words;

I'll be watching the leaves.

Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Midday Energy Nightmare

I've said this before, and I know I'll say it again, because I say it every single Saturday in my journal.
But I hate working the midday shift at work on a Saturday.

Literally it's my least favorite shift ever. 
Why?
Because it's 8 full hours of straight customer service.
And I am not a social butterfly. I can't do 8 hours of customer service and not die at the end of the night. 
I hate that I have to spend my entire day at work.
I get in just before the lunch rush, and then stay until an hour before close.
And it's horrible.
Just stupidly horrible.
I can't do anything before, I can't really do anything after.

The midday shift is a shift from the devil because honestly. Who wants to spend the ENTIRE DAY at work? 
Not. Me. 

I much prefer the morning shifts where I get off at a reasonable hour and I can still do stuff after work without feeling tired.

Saturday shifts?
No, I get home from work and basically die. 
Which sucks.
Because I want to be able to write. 
And I can't write when I'm so fatigued from having to interact with people that I can't think straight. 

Honestly...I hope as this year draws to a close, there will be another switch up in scheduling. So that I can get away from this midday shift and actually feel like I have a bit of a weekend to go and play. 
*exhales*
Fingers crossed.

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

A Different Lighting

Alright. 
Last adventure in Red Rock Country I'm going to tell. 
....For now. ^^;; lol. 

So on the last day of our trip, before we headed home, we drove into Arches National Park to go hike Delicate Arch.

It's usually a tradition with the family to go on this hike at Sunset and watch the colors of the arch change as the sun sets for the day. We then like to hike back to the car in the dark, after all the other people have gone away. 

But this time around...I kinda wanted to see the Arch under a different lighting. When the sun was in a different part of the sky, when the shadows were different.

-A factor into wanting to go at a different time was that the park actually closes early right now, just before sunset hits. -This is due to the park's roads being under construction this entire year and they close the park at night so construction crews could work without dealing with tourists. 

In any case.
I decided that it would be fun to hike Delicate Arch in the morning. Before we headed home.

And surprisingly....it was a lot busier than I expected it to be for a weekday morning. I thought the crowds would be less present...you know because it was a) morning, b) a week day and c) the prettier pictures are at sunset...so....I thought more people would be there at sunset rather than almost lunch time. *shakes head*

Who knows lol
What I do know is that it was a constant stream of people two and from Delicate Arch that morning. Like a never ending line of ants really. 

In any case.
The crowds weren't totally crazy at the Arch itself. We were still able to sit in our favorite spots and not have anyone sitting around us. 

And it was so...well....different to see the Arch.
Because I'm used to the sun shining on Delicate Arch when you face it.
But going up in the morning...the front of the arch was actually in shadow.
Very weird. lol. 
Still pretty.
But weird.

However! That meant that the back of the arch actually had the sun shining on it!
So I was able to take pictures of the back of the arch with it in sunshine instead of shadow like I've only been able to see it from before. 
And that was really pretty!!! :D 

BUT!!
The craziest thing about going up to Delicate Arch in the morning?

There. Was. No. Wind.

Like literally, Delicate Arch is synonymous with Windy. You wear a jacket up there no matter the weather, you expect to be blown away up there. Because Delicate Arch stands on the edge of a bowl. And that particular portion of the park seems to draw the wind to it.
It's a rare thing to experience no wind up at Delicate Arch.

And this was one of those days.
We would get a little bit of a breeze, but nothing drastic. It was barely noticeable.
It was just....not windy.
And it felt so nice!
To be able to sit and enjoy the arch, feel the heat of the sun, and not be fighting against the chill breeze trying to blow you away. 

It was great!

I didn't want to leave lol.
But leave we did...because we had to head back home.

It was a great way to end the trip. ^^ Loved it.
Can't wait to go back.

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

A Triumphant Return

It's always interesting to revisit places that you haven't been to since you were a child. 
Because it's weird to see what's completely the same as you remember it. And what is completely different or you totally forgot about.

This past weekend I had one of those opportunities.
Where I finally. FINALLY got to return to the Marching Men/Tower Arch hike in Arches National Park.

Honestly, I think the last time I was there was like....in Jr. High, if not in Elementary. 
Because it's been ages since we've been back.

Seriously, I feel like we only went on this hike a couple of times...
But it may have happened more when I was younger younger.

In any case.
The Tower Arch/Marching Men hike in Arches is a less common hike for us to visit because often it was a choice between doing this hike or the Double O/Dark Angel loop.
And the latter was more 'fun' and less 'tiring' than the former. 

So when push came to shove....Dark Angel it was!! lol. 

It's not like we haven't tried to return before now.
It's just been that factors outside of our control...well have controlled our ability to return.
Whether it was the weather, or timing, or temperatures or what...
We just never got around to returning to this hike.
Though about every other time we'd go to Arches...I would express an interest in going out to that hike.

The main problem is that Tower Arch...
Is it's off the main road. 
You have to take a dirt road to get to it.
A road that can be impassible if the weather's been bad.

Which is nice If you want to avoid the people.
Because seriously, you could go out there and be the only ones there the entire day.

-At least that's how I remember it lol. 
I remember only encountering maybe one or two other groups on the trail when I was younger.
And even this past weekend it wasn't that much different. 
For a holiday weekend, Tower Arch still remained mostly deserted. There were like 6 cars in the parking lot instead of the usual one or two...but not enough to make a difference really. 

But because of that distance and the inconsistency in how many people make it out...
Was also part of the reason why the last time my family and I ventured down to Arches....we chose not to go.
It had been in the plan like two years ago when me, my brother and my daddoo went. 
To go hike that trail.
But at the last minute Dad had a 'don't go there feeling.'
Which ended up being a good thing that we didn't go...
because our car ended up breaking down....and breaking down at Tower Arch would have been way worse than breaking down in Canyonlands. :S 


In any case.
Back on topic.
This past weekend we finally made it to Tower Arch!
The weather was perfect. (no soul-sucking heat to drain our energy away) 
Very little people.
And yah...a nice clear dusty dirt road lol. 

I really couldn't believe it when we actually made it to the parking lot leading to the hike.
I was like. O.O this is really happening.
It's really happening!!!

And like I said....I haven't been on this trail in at least ten years, if not longer. Not since before High School I'm pretty confident in saying. 

So to be standing at the beginning of the trail, looking up a path that was so familiar yet so unfamiliar at the same time.
Was exhilarating.
Climbing, hiking. 
It was awesome.
It was cool too to see landmarks and go "Oh I remember that!"
Like there's this wall of redrocks right...red rock cliffs with jagged top. And I totally remember me and my siblings calling those landmarks 'castles' and we each had our own 'castle' in that valley. 
lol Kikay didn't remember that at all.

And then there's other things that I vaguely remember.
Like the mountain of sand we had to climb. 
Like. ()_() I remember it...but I don't at the same time.... but gah. Even now it was exhausting. 

Still totally worth it though.
To walk by Marching Men, to turn the corner and see Tower Arch right there! 
Just ahh....
Guys I love this place.
Seriously I love Arches. 

But the craziest thing about the Tower Arch Hike?
Was how SHORT it was.
Seriously it's like...a two mile round trip? It was So. Very. Short.

And this is crazy because I always think of Tower Arch as being this "Long and Arduous Hike." 
Seriously, even though I just barely hiked the thing I still equate it to being as long of a hike as the Double O/ Dark Angel loop and that's like a 7 mile journey....made even longer if you take the side trails to other arches as well lol.

But nope.
It's probably about the same distance from the parking lot to Tower Arch as it is from the parking lot to Delicate Arch. 

So. Very. Weird.
Yet at the same time very understandable.
I mean...if I last hiked it when I was a kid...then I was younger, shorter...
which meant that my little legs needed to cross more of a distance lol. 

So it could have seemed longer. Especially if we were hiking under the blistering sun, especially making our way up that mountain of sand. 

It's so different hiking it as an adult.
So very different.
Pretty easy too.
Honestly, I don't know why I don't make the effort to come out to Tower Arch more often.
Because that place was nearly deserted.

Like...it's funny I wonder if there's some sort of magicky thing there.
Because as we were approaching the arch....another group was leaving.
And we had the arch to ourselves for like 45 minutes it felt like. No people at all.
We were just able to sit and relax and bask in the mighty size of Tower Arch.
But when we left....
We encountered a group of people just coming.

It's like it was an assembly line. Where people could come and leave and enjoy the arch on their own with no others before they'd leave and more people would come.
Totally crazy. lol 

And oddly enough....
Tower Arch was where I got my only injury of the trip. 
Where I'd been stepping off a small fin, to the ground below to get to the arch in front of me....
And suddenly I was on my knees. 

It was the weirdest thing.
I stepped down...my foot twisted...and there I was, on hands and knees with an aching ankle. 
I have no idea what happened. It wasn't like it was uncertain footing or anything. The ground was literally flat where I'd put my foot.
But for whatever reason, my ankle twisted and I went down. 
*shakes head*
Even my family was surprised lol. I'm known as the mountain goat in my family. I don't fall. So we were all surprised when I did. lol
Ankle still kinda hurts even a week later lol. 

But otherwise. I was fine. 
So weird though.
I think Tower Arch is just a weird place. 
Still amazing to go to though. ^^ 

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi