ACCORDING TO ZAC

A long time ago I wrote a post about the way my life had changed in a short period of time. I talked about how six months previously I had faced a trial that scared me a lot, but that I conquered it. I mentioned how before that trial I faced something else a few months previously and managed to take care of it and learn a lot in the process. It was cool to chart my growth. Well, dear blogging world, I took a two year hiatus. I missed blogging and writing a lot. Seriously, writing is just good for the soul, even if no one reads what you put down on paper. So, here I am, ready for a little recap of life and what I've learned. Unfortunately, there just isn't time (and I don't have the energy) to tell you about all of my adventures in the last two years. I would, however, like to tell you a little about what I've learned. I hope you enjoy it: On September 7, 2011, I entered the Missionary Training Center in Provo, UT. It was a weird day to say the very, very least....

I cry when I least expect it. I was coming to the end of Mockingjay , a hopeless, gory and depressing book. It offers no sense of realism in any way shape or form. Katniss spent the whole book in a stupor, actively trying not to cope with everything going on in her life. After months of denial and struggle, she comes to and decides to pick herself up and get on with life -- it's really the only viable option for anyone, anywhere. And that's where it started: She began writing down the details of the people she loved dearly but had tragically lost in the war against the oppressive government: the details of a person's laugh, the color of her friend's eye, or the kindness of someone she had grown up with. All of a sudden she was human again, and it struck a chord. I'm a detail-oriented person when it comes to personal interactions and relationships. As Katniss brought these details forward to prevent them from ever being forgotten, I thought about how much I do...