Thoughts on the Future (A Poem)

Thoughts on the Future

No one can see ten years from now

if the days will be good to us or

who is finally rich or poor.

No one can see where you will be

but, I hope you are happy.

Nobody knows five years from now

if the world is gone or at peace

or if there is a cure for anything.

Can’t see who still loves each other

but, I’m sure you are beautiful.

No gypsy can predict next year

who is married or dying

and who will always be alone.

But, if you finally let yourself fall,

I hope it healed you.

No fortune teller can see all.

But, there is one thing I know.

Looking to tomorrow and

believing you're there is all I need

today.

By: Brett Merritt (me)

Let's Stop Worrying About Being the Same

I love Utah and I love living here. But I don't always feel like I fit in. See, I'm a card-carrying Democrat. I voted for Obama (both times!!) I support Gay Marriage. I don't like BYU sports. I don't like U of U sports. I don't actually like sports (but that's a post for another day.)  I think we should have a law banning cell phone use in cars. I'm anti-gun. I let my kids watch a lot of TV and eat trans fats.

Did everyone stop reading? See, sometimes living here I feel like I have to keep a lot of those things secret. I'm not ashamed of them. I'm not ashamed of any of them, but I feel like I worry so much about fitting in, or offending people or whatever that sometimes I keep them hidden. Sometimes it's easier to smile and nod when people are talking about sports like I have ANY idea what they are saying. Or when people curse Obama for how he ruined their life, I usually keep my mouth shut.

I feel like in Utah...and parenting...and life, really, there is a strong desire to be just like everyone around you. Like maybe if you are not raising your kids or living your life the same way that everyone else is you are somehow failing. Or maybe everyone else is on to something that you have missed, so therefore they are all doing it better than you. (That's how I feel about the TV show Arrow. Like I've really failed at something because I am not watching Arrow.)

Obviously things like politics exacerbate that feeling of different-ness. With social media, our whole lives are on display to be judged and poked over. When I was in college I didn't necessarily know the political leanings of my friends unless we actually had a conversation about it. Now I can just check out some one's profile and infer a lot of things about their life based on which things they've liked. And it is easier and easier to surround yourself by people who think the exact same way that you do and assume that everyone else is clueless, or uninformed, or obtuse.


There was a talk at General Conference that's really stuck with me. Surprise: It was by every one's favorite GA Crush Fantasy, Elder Uchtdorf. But maybe, you didn't hear it yet because it was at Priesthood Session. (Maybe you did - I think there are about 10 readers of this blog who are male.) It was an amazing talk. I wanted to stand up on my chair and cheer, but I think that is frowned up. It's called Four Titles. Essentially the talk is about the role we all play here on Earth - how we are imperfect, but trying. And there was one section that really jumped out at me. President Uchtdorf said:

But while the Atonement is meant to help us all become more like Christ, it is not meant to make us all the same. Sometimes we confuse differences in personality with sin. We can even make the mistake of thinking that because someone is different from us, it must mean they are not pleasing to God. This line of thinking leads some to believe that the Church wants to create every member from a single mold—that each one should look, feel, think, and behave like every other. This would contradict the genius of God, who created every man different from his brother, every son different from his father. Even identical twins are not identical in their personalities and spiritual identities.

 It also contradicts the intent and purpose of the Church of Jesus Christ, which acknowledges and protects the moral agency—with all its far-reaching consequences—of each and every one of God’s children. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are united in our testimony of the restored gospel and our commitment to keep God’s commandments. But we are diverse in our cultural, social, and political preferences. (Emphasis mine.)

I think what he was trying to say is that it is OK to not like BYU or U of U sports. And it's OK to make your own informed choices about how to raise your kids, even if it's not what your neighbor or sister is doing. And it's OK to be a Democrat. That is the genius of God. We live our lives, we do our best and we worry about our own Salvation, not our neighbors. The Atonement is there for everyone.

So let's stop trying to be the same. Let's respect each other and be OK with being different. You can be a Republican, or a Libertarian or whatever and I'll be a Democrat. You can be pro second amendment, and I'll be anti-gun.  But we can still be friends. But will you please tell me what is going on on Arrow? That show is
getting a lot of buzz and I feel like a failure that I'm not watching.

puppies all over me

So here's a little commercial I made that is making the rounds on TV.  I shot it a few weeks ago, and it was directed by my friend Daryn Tufts. You know Daryn as Clarence in "Stalking Santa," the movie your parent's "didn't get" and which "wasn't as cute as the box made it look." Daryn is also responsible for casting me in everything he does, and I take this responsibility VERY SERIOUSLY so he has to, too.

Anyway. It was a fun shoot, and just half a day. But here are a few "behind the scenes" pieces of trivia!

We shot this in a house in SLC. The family was absent for the day except for a teenage kid who came home from school, scowled, and hid upstairs with video games.

The clients were worried about my beard. They almost didn't hire me. Daryn and I had to convince them that it was more "hipster" than "homeless." In the end, though, the client was right! I look homeless.

The beagle on my lap was super cute. He farted a little, but who doesn't? He nailed that yawn on his second take. He was really professional. He kind of has dog cancer, so he had a patch of shaved hair on his back. But don't worry, his prognosis is really good. He'll be yawning on couches and farting into laps for years to come.

The lady who supplied the puppies was probably twice as animated as they were. She loved those puppies! She kept bragging about how obedient and cute they were, but they were neither obedient or cute. I thought they smelled bad. And when the director would yell action they would just run off the set. (I know actors like that, too) Anyway, Daryn smeared chicken bits all over my bare chest and in my beard and it worked! The puppies went nuts. What you are seeing in this commercial is nine little puppies literally biting my chest and pulling my beard hair out! Hardest acting I've done in some time. It hurt. If you watch the commercial you'll see a wet spot on my shirt where they stuffed some wet, stringy chicken.

Commercials like this are shot in about four hours. Daryn is pretty great at keeping things moving. In fact, Lisa and Phoebe shot a commercial like this one just before I did. The best part of the day is free lunch. I never want it to end!

General Conference Recap

I remember watching a movie once where a man who had been in prison for most of his life was well into his twilight years when he was finally paroled. I’m guessing it was the late 1940s. He wrote a letter to his friends back in prison about how he was struggling in this new environment, and he noted, “The world went and got itself in a big hurry.” I remember it struck me that he considered the era of the 1940s to be “in a big hurry.”

The world is noisy, isn't it? It’s noisy and in a hurry and a lot of the time it seems like the noise is primarily distractions from what matters the most. Sometimes those distractions are fun--I’ll admit I’m distracted pretty easily. Sometimes I’m annoyed by the distractions; or I’m annoyed with myself for getting distracted and giving my devotion to "lesser things."  

Anyway, I've recently felt weary of the world. Do you ever get that sensation? It’s clearly my own fault. I think I have probably given excess time and attention to noisy things that really aren't worth such focus.  Somehow, maybe because the noise was so loud, I figured it must need my attention; and  it was getting it. And it exhausted me.

I almost felt like I was holding my breath for this General Conference. I don’t know if I've ever approached a Conference Weekend with a more prayerful heart. I was anxious to inhale it all, and I felt like what I was seeking came fast and powerful; like taking a drink of water from a fire hose.

As soon as Conference started, I felt it. I continued to feel reassurance throughout the entire weekend of who I am, what truth is, what is important, what nourishes me, where my happiness comes from, where safety is, and why divinity makes all the difference. I felt gratitude for leaders who love and sacrifice and know the Lord and never fear. I felt still. I thought it was a really great weekend. I hope you enjoyed it too!

A Writer's Body Language Cheat Sheet

Here at PTA we are very interested in the craft of writing (which for Patrick and Josh means sometimes writing about crafts) so it's important that we brush up our skills as we complete that first draft of that novel we've been working on.

One skill is that of making your characters more real. Here are some excerpts from a cheat sheet I found at ArchetypeWriting.com that will help writers add depth to their characters. I've added my own comments next to some selected signs for fun.

Signs of Anger 

• Balling the fists - A new meaning for baller.
• Crossing the arms tightly - Protecting the heart.
• Tight-lipped smile - My usual smile.
• Clenched teeth - My usual state of sleeping.
• Shaking a finger like a club - I've never shaken a club. How would this look?
• Stabbing a finger at someone - "Hey you! I know you! I know you!"

Signs of Attraction 

• Pupils dilate - I've never been able to remember which on dilate is ... larger, right?
• Women will cross and uncross legs to draw attention to them - Like the Rockettes, got it.
• Mirroring - (usually unconsciously) mimicking the other person’s body language - If it were consciously, that would feel awkward.

Signs of Being Closed Off to Conversation 

• Keeping the hands in the pockets - "Can't talk, I'm pocket texting."
• Arms and legs crossed - My usual state of sitting.
• Sitting back - It's more of a relaxed "I don't want to talk to you."
• Folding the hands together on a table (creates a barrier)
• The “figure-four” leg cross (setting the ankle of one leg on the knee of the other) and then grabbing the lower half of the top leg with both hands. - You lost me.

Opennesss and Honesty 

• Exposure of the palms 
• Arms and legs unfolded 
• Leaning forward 

Submissive Signals 

• Slumping the shoulders - Aka The Charlie Brown.
• Doing anything to appear smaller - Like eating 1500 calories a day, amirite?!

Distress 

• Self-hugging - See your bishop.
• Folding the hands together in front of the crotch (men) - No comment.

Lying

Lying causes a subtle tingling in the face and neck, so the gestures below are attempts to eliminate that feeling: 

• Covering the mouth - can be like a shh gesture, or they may cover the mouth completely - "Cough."
• Touching or rubbing the nose or below the nose - Picking isn't a lying tell; it's a disgusting tell. 
• Rubbing the eyes (especially men) - I knew my allergies were a lie.
• Scratching the neck with the index finger - Scratching with the middle finger is something else.

Superiority, Confidence, Power, Dominance 

• Steepling the fingers - "Here's the church, here's the steeple, close the doors to all the poor people."
• Folding the hands behind the back - I see a lot of Asian men walk like this.
• Hands on hips - "Hey, Macarena!"
• Straddling a chair - My favorite improv stage maneuver.

I hope this helps! Happy writing to all.

Get more writer helps here.

A Counterpoint: Why I Love (Hate) Running

Me and my lovely family running the Leprechaun Lope.

I loved Patrick's post about hating running/ers. Not only because it was about how Patrick is becoming a runner, but also because I am narcissistic and it was really about me. You see, I am one of those annoying runners. And if you are a runner you love nothing more than seeing other people succumb to the cult of running.

Here is the real secret about running, however. (And no, this is not about how runners don't wear jock straps. You can read the comments on Patrick's post if you want to know what we really (don't) wear.) All of those runners your know - the people who obnoxiously post on Facebook about how many miles they did that day, or what race they are running this weekend - they all really hate running.

No one likes running, except gazelles, the Tahrahumara and that guy winning the race in that picture wearing the shorty shorts. Everyone likes how it feels when you are done running. There is a feeling of euphoria that you are finished and that you did something hard and that now you can eat several chocolate chip cookies guilt free. You see, the chocolate chip cookies are why we really run. You've heard of runner's high? That's cheesecake. Endorphins? Those are the cheese fries we eat guilt free post 10k. Exercise euphoria? Ice cream. Running a 10K = 1000 extra calories. That's a lot!

I guess I shouldn't speak for all runners. Maybe some really do love it. And I do get a certain sense of happiness setting off on a run on a beautiful sunny day. But if you told me tomorrow that I could burn the same number of calories reading articles on Buzzfeed than I could running, you better believe I would be spending 1 hour with An Analysis Of The Unwinnable Spice Girls Vs. Hanson Debate. (Duh, Spice Girls all the way. Once I had a dream that I was best friends with the Spice Girls and they called me Timber Spice and I was always really mad that everyone was so hard on them. Wait...Did I just type that out loud?)

When I found out Patrick was serious and was going to really run, I had some unsolicited advice to offer. (It's the best kind!) And if you, gentle reader, want to take up running as well (read: eat more cupcakes) then you can share in this advice.

• Start slow. When I started running I remember thinking that no matter what, I would never be able to run a mile without stopping. I just thought that my body would literally be unable to EVER do that, no matter how long I trained for. Eventually you get a mile in. And then a couple more. So don't worry if you can't run 10 miles (or 10 yards) on your first run.
• Run outside. For the love of all that is holy, don't run on a treadmill. Treadmills are boring and terrible and mind numbing and not for beginning runners. And in most parts of the country now is a perfect time to be outside. Not cold, but still cool enough that you don't die.
• Find a friend. That's really why all us idiots post on Facebook about our runs. So we can find the other runners. Having made a running date with someone makes it a whole lot tougher to talk yourself out of it. My running partner is about 8 years younger than me and significantly more in shape than I am. This helps too, because I do longer and tougher runs than I would do on my own because I don't want to appear weak.
• Find a 5K and train for it. Yes, it is really annoying to pay someone $25 for the privilege of running. But they are a lot of fun and their are other runners and adrenalin and lots of crazies to make fun of later. In fact, if you are up for a run next Saturday, I'll be at the Racin' for Greyson 5K to raise money for my friends son who has a disease that is so rare he is basically the only kid with it. I'll be the tallest bald guy there. Come say "Hi!"

So get out your dance belts, or jock straps or whatever you want to run in and come... join our cult. (Also, please wear pants on top of your dance belt.) Think of how many instagrams of race finishing times you can post! Think of all the Facebook status updates you can have talking about your amazing 7 miles you just did. But really, think of the chocolate chip cookies that you will eat and tell yourself, "Yes! I will have another! Because I ran 7 miles today and tweeted, instagramed, four-squared and facebooked all my friends letting them know that I did. My body craves it." They'll never know you are really talking about the cookie. 

stay away!

I know I'm being a little Cassandra about this right now, but I want to urgently warn you: DO NOT GO SEE ANY MOVIES RIGHT NOW. Resist them. Save your money and hold your breath until I say so.

There are basically two periods of the year to see a movie: late May to August, and November to December. The first period is summer movies and the second period is Oscar season. You are generally assured of some quality entertainment. The rest of the year? Dumping grounds. I'm not kidding. Going to a movie in March or April is like scavenging for food in The Road. You will search and search and you will only find pits of gravel and the occasional scratchy tin can of peaches. You've been warned.

I remember so many of my friends were super excited about that Gangster Squad movie. Looked so sexy and decadent! What a cast! What could go wrong? Answer: everything went wrong. And once I saw the January release date I knew it was going to go over like a pregnant hurdler. You can't actually pay me to set foot in a Cinemaplex in January. Every movie is going to be teens with magic powers or something Mark Wahlberg pooped out. There's going to be some movie with a hot wife who gets kidnapped by the mob and her awesome-sauce husband who will stop at nothing to get her back. There's likely to be a fairy tale story updated to be empowering and booty kickin'. Also, something with Brendan Fraser. You will want to burn your eyes and divorce your spouse.

Interested in what's playing now? How about GI Joe: Retaliation? Anyone tempted by Tyler Perry's Temptation? Please, by all means, give The Host a shot. You hate yourself, right? You like to light dollar bills on fire, yes?

Honestly, just hold on. The light will come. It's almost Memorial Day and you'll get to see Iron Man 3 and The Great Gatsby and Star Trek: Into Darkness. You know, movies the studios actually spent money on. Please don't catch yourself going to see something because it "looks cute" or your "mom liked it." We are in an economic downturn, people! You can't afford this! In the meantime you have a Bible miniseries on the DVR and that BBC Midwife show you want to hurry and watch so you can tell everyone you were the first person to watch it before it turned into Downton Abbey.

I hate Running...and 'ers.

Oh, you all know the type: once you were good friends, and you hung out a lot together at places with the words 'Hut' or 'O'Ramma' in the title and then something changed and they became distant and aloof. And then, after a time, they started looking at you with sort of a mix of pity and superior understanding....well, you guessed it, your friend is now a runner.

Yes, yes, it happens all the time, "Something just had to change," they say, "We're not 21 any more and I can't eat the way I used to." Well who cares, I say?! I'M still 21 and as long as I can have my Tums/Alka Seltzer cocktail I can eat whatever the beans I want...only not beans. And who asked you!?

Anyway, I'm sick of it.  Too many good friends have gone to the dark side...some of whom post on this blog. It's true, some of these guys, whose posts you skim every other day of the week, are runners. I won't name names, I am a professional, but you may have noticed that Josh gave away 'Earbuds' and not 'Milk Duds' on his giveaway.

So what to do about it?!  That is the question. I hate to complain with out a solution. Well, I have a scheme. I have to say I'm pretty excited about it.  It's cunning and devious in all the best ways. How can I possibly take those runners down from where I sit? I can't. They are much to quick. And so, in an effort to slap those smug self satisfied smiles straight off their faces, I'm getting off the couch.  I will run.  I will prove that the body's natural state is plump, stationary, and in flip flops.  I will dispel the myth that runners love the most, "Yeah, it was hard at first, but now my body craves it and I just can't get anything done until I've got my run in." HOGWASH!  Your body craves chunky peanut butter on a spoon, shoved into a half pound bag of milk chocolate chocolate chips! It does not crave running! Je deteste! And there is no other way to prove it than for me to run till blood spews from my eye sockets and I collapse, mangled and dead, from their lies.

Here is the plan.  I will run every day.  I have too, I can't leave room for their running lawyers to say I didn't do it right.  I will run every day.  I've already had push back from the few runners I've enlightened,  though I would expect nothing less, OF COURSE they would tell me not to do it, OF COURSE they would tell me that going from a primarily sedimentary life style to a wildly rigorous one would be a bad idea, and I say, "THAT'S MY POINT!" if you body needs that much coaxing to do something, then don't make it do it!

So, I will run every day.  But for how long...?Okay, so today is the first of April, so I'll run everyday for a year...no, wait, seven years....no, then I will just be a runner and I MUST NOT let that happen...oh yes, my stupid sister-in-law (she's not that stupid, she just graduated from some east coast university, but I'm enjoying the venom of my righteousness) my STUPID sister in law said it takes one month for the body to really enjoy running...again, I'm sure I could get my body to enjoy being eaten by a crocodile if I gave it a month!

I will run every day for a month.  Perfect. But what about soreness? No doubt my rereading this post will fire me up with vengeance enough to run a thousand millennia, but when my legs are sore then I'm just useless. For reals, once I made my wife carry me up a flight of five stairs three days after a most exhausting walk up a trail in the mountains, you can read all about that calamity here.  Alright, so I will run everyday for a month, but just enough not to get sore.  I'm not going for quality here, I am going for the bare minimum here, just so I can check their check list (notice they don't actually have such a check list) and prove they are crazy zelots who lure unwitting fatties into their sugar free Kool-Aid drinking cult!  (I've never been on this side of a 'Cult' conversation, it's nice) A CULT!! Supported by running shoe corporations and jock strap manufactures... woah, do you think I need a jock strap? I've never had one...NO! BARE MINIMUM! That's my motto and that's what you can put on my tomb stone, that and 'It was the lies of runners that put him here! I hope you're happy.'

Alright, what time is it...8:41?! Good Heavens! Well, I can't run tonight, it's getting dark...or is it?!  That's what those runners would have me think!  I bet they are responsible for this daylight savings crap! I WILL RUN EVERY DAY!  I will run so you don't have too. Stay put my comrades, I will be the Trojan Horse they never see coming!  My only fear is that Men's Health doesn't pull a Tonya Harding on my, now, late night run.  Well, hope they can catch me! Of course they can catch me...I'm gonna have to wear all dark clothing and keep to the shadows.

Stay strong for me gentle readers! I will maintain a journal and keep you abreast of all the horrors which will undoubtedly follow.

I'm gonna have to shave my head.

And if you don't support this in anyway, then keep quiet.  We know you are a runner and just trying to quell the truth. If you have any pro running comments you can shove them here on Josh's, 'Thoughts on Running' post...though I've never read it myself. Who knows what kind of propaganda he's pitching over there?

Good news!  I may not have a Jock Strap but I did dig out my old dance belt... hang on...it sorta FITS! OKAY!! I'M OFF! START THE COUNT DOWN! ONE DAY DOWN!

Coincidence? Maybe.

Do you believe in coincidences?  Or, more to the point, do you believe there are no coincidences? Do you feel that two experiences or events that are closely related by time or space or some other association … may have some purpose? And do you feel there’s a purpose … every time?  

It’s probably a hybrid of my faith as well as life experiences, but I fall in the No Coincidences camp. Although I will freely admit three things: First, it will not always be clear why a specific “coincidence” occurred and it may never be clear; not until the next life. Second, I believe our relationships in this life are purposeful and tied together. I don’t know that it is ever any type of “coincidence” to know the people we know. I would say, rather, it is Providence. And third, coincidences are rarely tied to birthdays. For example, consider the following conversation:

Friend #1: When is your birthday?

Friend #2: April.

Friend #1: MINE TOO! April WHAT?

Friend #2: April 13^th.

Friend #1: Mine is the 24^th! What are the odds??!

Uhm, the chances that two friends have a birthday in the same month? I’m no mathematician, but I believe the odds are…1 in 12? That’s not a coincidence, that’s algebra.

Anyway, I was recently listening to an NPR episode of This American Life, and they were re-telling stories that listeners had sent in regarding really incredible coincidences. I mean, some truly uncanny stuff.  Like a student who’s car broke down in rush hour traffic on a busy highway and the one person who happens to stop and come to her rescue – her dad; who lived four hours away. Or Steven and Helen, who get engaged and when their parents meet, they find out that Steven’s dad had dated Helen’s mom back in Korea in the 1960s. You can listen to the entire podcast here.

Of the many coincidences in my life – some profound and personal and some silly, here are two that jumped into my memory right away, for whatever reason.

Coincidence One: In January 2008 we were living in Las Vegas and our entire family took a vacation to Florida to visit some friends and go to Disney World. It was the end of the day at Magic Kingdom and my son decided he wanted a sword – a sword available only at the store just outside of Pirates of the Caribbean, on the other side of the park. Because I was campaigning for Dad of the Year, I didn't even complain, just grabbed his hand and bolted across the park. We’re buying the sword and the cashier looks at my credit card and license and says, “Hey, Las Vegas! Do you like living in Vegas?”

“Sure,” I answered.

“Oh, we live in Las Vegas!” said the couple directly behind us in line.

“Really?”

“Yes, what part do you live in?”

“Way up in the northwest,” I answered.

“So do we; we’re off the 95 and Durango.”

“So are we…we live off of Brent,” I raised my eyebrows.

“So do we, we live on Wind Warrior.”

“So do we,” I said.

Here I am, literally on the opposite end of this big country of ours, on a random night, in a random line, in a spot that I ran across the park to get to in a last-minute effort … to find myself standing next to a couple who lived precisely six houses up from me back in Las Vegas. We had never run into each other on the street or at neighborhood activities. We had to go to Disney World to bump into each other. Coincidence?

Coincidence Two: When I returned home from my LDS mission in the summer of 1992, my friend, Melissa, called me the next day and asked if she could visit. We had been good friends before I left on my mission, and I was excited to see her. We talked about life before my mission, I told her some of my mission experiences (as RMs are want to do) and she told me she was excited about her mission call to Iowa – where she would be heading in about two months. Outside of my family, Melissa was the first person I saw after my mission.

In the spring of 1994 I took a trip with some friends to St. Louis, Missouri. As part of our trip, we took a couple of days to drive up to Nauvoo and visit a few Church History sites. It was while we were on a tour of the site where the Prophet was martyred that one of my friends leaned over and whispered, “Somebody is staring at you.” I looked where my friend motioned and standing there, in the middle of Carthage Jail, mouth wide open, completely gob-smacked, was my friend, Melissa. You could have knocked me over with an issue of Times & Seasons. She was there with her parents, who had just picked her up at the end of her mission and decided to see some Church History sites before heading home to California. Outside of her family, I was the first person Melissa saw after her mission. Coincidence?

For the life of me, I cannot pin down any specific and life-altering reasons for these “coincidences.” I have a couple of theories and impressions…but I can’t point at a direct cause or effect. I don’t know the purpose. Yet.

Do you believe…in coincidences…? What are yours?

5 Suggestions to Remember How to Be a Hero

We had a strep attack last night and today so Friday's post is very late. But, I didn't want to leave you with nothing so here's this cool article on how to be a Hero.

In it, Fred Kofman writes, "Heroes are not just mythical characters. They are examples of you at your best," and then he lists five suggestions to remember how to be our best:

1. No problem -- Take the challenge
2. Drop “Who's responsible?” – Be response-able
3. Forget what you don´t want – Focus on what you want.
4. Take one eye off the ball – Go for the gold.
5. Failure is not an option – Succeed beyond success.

He concludes by saying success may give you pleasure, but integrity leads to happiness and leaves this quote by Viktor Frankl author of "Man's Search for Meaning":

"Don't aim at success--the more you aim at it and make it (your final) target, the more you are going to miss it. For true success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one's personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself. Listen to what your conscience commands you to do and carry it out to the best of your knowledge."

Have a great strep-free weekend, everyone.

Read the full article here.