World Class?

Lone Peak High School.  The greatest school in Utah.  4 straight state championships in basketball.  One national championship.  World Class.  World Class.  World Class.  Nationally ranked in soccer.  Nationally ranked in ultimate Frisbee.  World Class.  World Class.  World Class.  Number one in the state in academics.  The school that everyone loves to hate for being so dang good.  World Class.  World Class.  World Class.  One of the highest drug rates in Utah.  World Class.  World Class.  World Class.  5 attempted suicides in one week.  One Successful.

World Class.

World Class.

World Class.

When is Lone Peak High School going to realize this isn’t an oddball thing that happened?  PEOPLE STRUGGLE EVERY DAY.  People have things that they are going through.  

Lone Peak.  We are in no place to call ourselves “World Class”.  If I were a parent, I’d get my kid out here as soon as I could.  Lone Peak is not a safe place.  It is a place of comparing.  It is a place of “I have a state championship ring, so I must be a better person than you.”
 News flash: HIGH SCHOOL DOESN’T LAST FOREVER. 

I don’t care.  If you have a 4.0

I don’t care.  If you’re a star athlete.

All of that lasts for 3 years of your life, and then in a blink, it doesn’t matter. 

I don’t care.

I don’t care.

I care that you are here.

I care that you can experience this roller coaster of a life like me.

I care about you. 

I may not know you.  I may not know what you’re going through, but I care. 

I care.

I care.

I care.

When are we going to start caring?  Does it take a young man taking his life for us to start reaching out?  Because I guarantee next week nothing will be different.  People will still compare, because that’s what World Class is all about.  Comparing.

It doesn’t start with an “I see you” video.  It doesn’t start with “Be the Change”.

It starts with you. 

It starts with reaching out to EVERYONE.  Weather they’re in your group of friends or not.  Would Tarik be here today if we could have reached out to someone hurting?  I don’t know.  But isn’t it worth the effort?  Does it really take much effort to smile?  To say hi?  No.  Reach out.  Be a friend.  That’s how we can be a “World Class” school. 

Life is NOT like a brick.

This life is not what we thought it was going to be.

When I was a kid, I never expected to be where I am today. 

I never thought that I’d be working construction, laying bricks all day.

I never thought I would have depression.

I never thought I’d be fighting to keep my grades up, fighting to even go to school.

I thought I’d be perfect.

I thought by this time, I would be working at Nike.

I thought I’d be getting accepted to BYU.

I thought I’d have a girlfriend. 

LIFE IS NOT CONCRETE.

A brick is something exact, something you can expect over and over and over again.

Life is not.

Life throws curveballs at you.

Life isn’t always perfect.

But what’s the trick to enjoy life?

The trick.  Is to know that life is not like a brick.

The trick.  Is knowing how to hit that curveball.

It’s ok that I’m not working at Nike.

It’s ok that I don’t have a girlfriend.

Because God knows what’s best for me.

And he knows that everything will work out.

And I need to trust that. 

Read Your Mind

Is that a green light? Is that a stop sign?
I don't know which way that you want me to go
Trying to look deep into those blue eyes
Do I lean on in or just leave it alone?
Wondering what kind of friends you wanna be
I'm wishing I could read your mind

Baby what you mean when you smile like that?
When you take my hat and turn it around
And you pull me close and you push me back
Look away and laugh, I can't figure out
If you want my kiss or if I'm reading too much into this
You playing with your pretty brown hair
I wanna go there, no it ain't fair
How you got me stuck out in the middle of nowhere

Tongue Tied

The first time I saw her there, she was lookin so pretty with her long dark hair,

Swingin on that tailgate, listenin to the radio.

I went over to say hello,

To ask her questions to get to know

Her, but when I opened my mouth to speak, the only thing I could think was…

Girl you got me tongue tied, I don’t know just what to say

I can’t say a word, when you’re lookin my way

Maybe if I had a little more time

I’d be able to say, “I want your lips on mine”

But girl you got me tongue tied. 

What is love?

What is love?  How can someone define something that no one truly understands?  How am I, an 18 year old kid, supposed to explain 'the L word"?  I told my mom I thought I was in love once.  I told her I liked how this girl made me feel.  I said that I loved her, and you know what she told me?  "You're to young to know what love it sweetie."  How does she know?  Does love have a sign like the ones at Disneyland that says, "you must be this tall to enter."  No.  It doesn't.  Love has no definition.  Love has no age limit.  Love can't be explained.  LOVE CAN ONLY BE FELT.  I think I'm in love right now.  I can't tell you what it really is, I can only tell you what it feels like.  It feels like when I'm with her, nothing else matters.  When I'm with her, I'm the luckiest guy in the world.  I want to protect her.  I want to be with her.  I'm happy when she's happy.  That's the only way I can describe it.  It's not something that can be written on paper.  If anyone can explain it it’s Lee Brice, one of my favorite singers of all time. 

Love Like Crazy-They called them crazy when they started out, Said, "Seventeen's too young to know what loves about"  They've been together fifty-eight years now.  That's crazy.  

I Don’t Dance- I don't dance, but here I am, Spinning you around and around in circles, It ain't my style, but I don't care, I'd do anything with you anywhere.  Yes, you got me in the palm of your hand.  'Cause, I don't dance.

Those two songs are the closest things you can get to describing love.  It doesn’t matter if you’re 5 or 55, anyone can find love.  If you would do anything for her, that’s love.  If you’d dance with her, even if you don’t dance, that’s love.  I think I'm in love, and that's ok.  Because it's the best feeling you can have.