Yesterday I went to a ward barbecue in the afternoon at around 5. It was pretty fun; I brought my guitar and entertained there. One of my friends there reminded me of the Stake Dance going on that night. I was not planning on going; I thought that I'd get in the way with the ward barbecue. But she reminded me that it started at 7, when the barbecue was pretty much over. I thought, "Hey, with those fun wax earplugs, that last dance I went to wasn't so bad! Maybe I can get a ride with the Tripps." And so I asked Marney if I could get a ride to the Savage Street building (where the dance was). She talked to her dad and said that It'd be fine. But she still needed to get ready, and so she said that they'd pick me up from my house (after I'd gotten a bit more prepared for the dance :P).
So, I went home and got ready for it. It was Hawaiian themed (what's the deal with Hawaiian themes in my Stake??), and so I borrowed my father's radiant, orange Hawaiian shirt. I wore a nice brown shirt underneath which I thought harmonized with my eye color. I got my hair all gelled up and just waited. And waited. And waited...
I looked at the clock and it was almost 8, an hour after the dance had already started. I talked to my mother and she explained a lack of communication. It was complicated, but what I got out of it was that her dad thought that they'd be taking me home instead of actually bringing me there.
Out of my mother's wonderful mercy, she drove me there herself, with three reluctant toddlers who had one of their most favorite musicals (Webber's Cats) interrupted by the trip. I had my earplugs in my pocket and was ready to have some fun. At least until I walked through the doors. I could hear a huge, pulsating beat and a loud female soloist singing dependently about some guy she was obsessed with over the pounding heartbeat drums. I squinted into the window on the door to the cultural hall and could see silhouettes dancing in the very dark room. I turned and saw a picture of Christ on the wall and thought, no way. The Savior does NOT want me in there. I turned around and walked straight through those glass doors.
Thankfully, my mother was still in the parking lot, waiting for me to give a signal. She wondered whether I'd want to have the colorful shirt at the dance or not and was waiting for a few seconds to see if anyone else was wearing that kind of a thing. I am so glad she was inspired to wait for me. That would've been a really spiritually draining experience. And I'm also glad that there was a lack of communication too!
But all the same, I feel ashamed that leaders set up that kind of nonsense for the youth. It is really, really sad. I found out later that that night they gave the DJ job over to a priest in my ward and one of his friends. I don't think that was a very good idea, and all the same, these dances need some major changes. The dance at Education Week (minus the volume) was not really that bad. It was much lighter and was in a larger place. Wearing the earplugs made the experience just fine for me. But at this dance, it all seemed too dark. The song seemed too suggestive pertaining to the beat and the lyrics. I'm really glad I had a brief scripture study before going to the dance so I had the Spirit to prompt me to leave.
As you all may know, I've been trying to get myself organized. I heard a quote today that really inspired me in my planning. I don't remember exactly how it goes, but it was by one of the Apostles. If said something like, "Success is vanity unless it is in the name of the Lord." So, I need to make sure that all of these things that I am trying to focus on are what the Lord wants me to focus on and pray for His guidance. Another quote I heard today was this: "Self-mastery: Turning yourself over to the Master." That sounds so much easier than trying to become successful on your own!
In order to improve my life, I must become more dependent on the Savior. It's the only true way.
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