Thursday Thinking: "You Say Good-bye, I Say Hello."

I say hello.

You say good-bye

That sound bite is what popped into my head this morning when I saw the bright-spot-of-the-day sun in the same sky as the bright-spot-of-the-night moon.  One was coming in the front door while the other went out the back, and it was very cool standing in the middle of the house as they said their hellos and good-byes.    

Sound Bites – bits of songs or speeches that sum up the message like “you say good-bye, and I say hello” – are popular in the news right now.  The presidential primaries are full of them.  Good sound bites (that are accurate and in context) are as Mark Twain said:  “a minimum of sound to a maximum of sense.”  A good sound bite can feed you a long time.  Here are two other sound bites that I’ve been thinking about lately:

Look up, not over.   

I have a hard time making comments or asking questions during question and answer sessions, discussions, or classes.  If you give me a pulpit and ask me to say something I can deliver, but for me to ask for the pulpit (or airspace) is a hard one and I always second guess my comments after I do. 

For example, once a month we have a testimony meeting at church where members of the congregation stand (free-will) and testify of their convictions to the other members.  Whereas I stand in front of people every day and teach gospel principles, and whereas I’m not embarrassed of what I believe, you wouldn’t think sharing my testimony in church would be difficult, but it is.  It’s that thing of asking for the pulpit and supposing my thoughts and words are important enough to interrupt your thoughts and ideas and take your time.

“Look up, not over.”  I read that concept by Carl Cook this week and realized that sometimes I look in the wrong direction for validation and that fear prevents me from doing what I should do.  I need to look up to see if what I do and say is what the Lord wants, not sideways to see if I have the nod of approval.

Forget yourself and go to work.

One day during Christmas break I didn’t feel well.  I wasn’t terrible sick, just medium sick.  After I knew lack of sleep wasn’t the problem, the blip “Forget yourself and go to work” played, and then, “you’ll feel better when you do” followed.  I did and I did. 

This is an oft-quipped sound bite because Gordon B. Hinckley used it and its truth resonated.  You’d think hearing it once would be enough, but that sound bite is stuck on repeat in my head.  And that's a good thing. 

Any sound bites you’ve been thinking of?