Don Osmond: In my opinion…

June 29, 2009

Be thankful for moisture

Filed under: Cresting 30 — Tags: , — donosmond @ 6:30 pm

Some may call me crazy, but if you’re following me on Twitter you’ve probably seen one or two comments about how much I love the rain. Let’s just say, “we don’t get much during Utah summers.”

I realize Utahns don’t have much to complain about when comparing weather patterns with Arizona or Nevada. But during these dry months, a little rain is pretty nice every now and then.

However, in Mormondum, rain isn’t called rain. It’s called moisture… and we’re thankful for it. Come to think of it, the same can said about snow, sleet, fog, dew, etc. — it’s all moisture.

During the past couple of weeks, a downpour of moisture has blanketed Salt Lake and the Wasatch Front; twice as much than we typically see in June.

Regardless of whether you’re a moisture lover, you have to admit the city is a lot greener — a little atypical for the summer. Usually this is about this time when the grass begins to thin out and lighten its shade of green. Even the mountains turn a little browner, leading the Bureau of Land Management to post signs prohibiting campers from building fires.

Not so much this summer.

Cloudy skies seem to be a constant around here. It’s almost as though the entire state packed up and moved to Washington. The weather is also a little reminiscent of England; some days the sun is shining, but you better have your ‘brolly’ handy just in case moisture begins to fall from the heavens.

All of this got me thinking; “Why do Mormons call rain ‘moisture’?”

Is it just one of those cultural things that we can’t figure out? Or, did someone happen to mention the word ‘moisture’ in a talk or prayer and we all decided to follow suit?

Whatever the case may be, I find it humorous. I don’t think we can change it. But, the next time you the word ‘moisture’ in church, it’s going to bring a smirk to your face.

June 22, 2009

The emergence of necessary luxuries

Filed under: Cresting 30 — Tags: , , , — donosmond @ 6:00 pm

While preparing a talk for church a couple of weeks ago, a thought sneaked into my mind. The talk was on sacrifice, and I was trying to come up with items we purchase but don’t really need to have. My hope was to help everyone consider living within their means — a topic that frequently comes up during every general conference.

Enter my sneaky thought …

Isn’t it interesting how quickly we, as a society, will transition luxuries into necessities? The cellphone is a perfect example.

Before I left on my mission, the only people (at least that I knew) who had cellphones were business executives. Two years later … everyone had one, and for, what seemed to be, no apparent reason. It was as though the temporary excuses for having one slowly became validated reasons. Can you even imagine life without your phone?

Being a college student at that time, what purpose would a cellphone give me?

I fought the idea of owning a phone for a year. Even the thought of someone getting in touch with me whenever, wherever, didn’t appeal to me. A cellphone was more of a luxury item; nice to have, but unnecessary.

Eventually, I succumbed to external stimuli and bought my first mobile phone in 2001. Life has never been the same since.

Leaving my phone at home alone makes me sick to my stomach. No longer is my cellphone a luxury, but a necessity. All of my excuses for owning one quickly became validated reasons.

Truth be told, I’m a cellphone addict. My mother thinks the phone is permanently attached to my hand, and my friends joke about how frequently I get phone upgrades.

Today, cellphone users are becoming younger and younger. Who would have thought that grade school teachers would need to implement no-texting rules in their classrooms.

Since when were 9-year-olds running multi-million-dollar companies? Guess they take calls during recess.

Just like the cellphone example, we all face the challenge of discerning between needs and wants. Taking a step back and thinking about my intended purchases has recently helped me realize the difference. Do I really need it, or is it something I just want?

Although I haven’t done this every time, when I do, it saves me from a heap of debt.

Here’s a thought: Maybe we could simplify life by getting rid of a few necessary luxuries.

June 20, 2009

Bobsled on wheels

Filed under: Health and Fitness — Tags: , — donosmond @ 3:23 pm

Last night was the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. Actually, if you want to get technical it finished at 6 a.m. this morning.

Team Holm Bobsled was invited participate by giving people rides in a bobsled — on wheels! Talk about funny looking. Brad and I fashioned a makeshift bracket for the front and back to attach six-inch wheels on the base. I was pretty impressed with Brad’s design; I was nervous it might not work.

From about 6 p.m. until midnight, yesterday, we pushed quite a few people across the park. Talk about a workout; I’m wasted!

During the event, we had the privilege of pushing both Miss Utah USA 2009 and Miss Utah Teen USA 2009 down and back. We even posed for a picture. Nice girls.

As if all that isn’t random enough, I found out that my cousin Nathan was performing there that evening. He was releasing a new CD of his. During his concert segment, he started singing a song I hadn’t heard in a long time. (Actually, very few people have ever heard it.) He sang “Baby, You’re from BYU.” It’s a parody from Lonestar’s Amazed. So, I ran up there to join in.

Nathan, me and a few other friends rewrote the words to the song back in 2002 — I think. Though a few of the words were different, and it’s been forever since I last heard it, I kinda had to fake it a little. But, I think everyone enjoyed it and had a good laugh.

Anyway, just thought I would give you an update on the event last night.

June 15, 2009

Relay for Life

Filed under: Day in the Life of..., Health and Fitness — donosmond @ 10:35 pm

A couple weeks back, our bobsled team was invited to participate in a community event to promote healthy living. During this event, we had the privilege of meeting Melissa Lowry, the Cottonwood Heights local Relay Online Chair.

We got to talking about the upcoming American Cancer Society Relay for Life and what they were planning. Well, it wasn’t long before the Jeremy, Brad and I got the wheels in our heads moving. We started coming up with a couple of different things we could do to participate in the event.

Here’s what’s going on.

The relay is an all-night event where teams of people will take turns walking around a local track to help raise money and fight cancer. During the event, we’ve decided to bring the bobsled to the track and place it on wheels. We are going to offer rides to people who want to sit in the bobsled and be pushed by our team.

We’re all stoked about the idea. Not only is it for a great cause, but we are also going to get a bit of a workout in the process. The riders are going to have it cushy; maybe even try to find a couple pillows to place in the sled to make the ride that much more appealing.

We will be charging people to ride in the sled, but all of the proceeds will be going directly to the cause.

If you happen to be in Utah, and would like to come check it out, here are the details.

Relay for Life of Cottonwood Heights
June 19, 2009
7500 South 2500 East (Butler Park) Salt Lake City, Utah

For more information, go to the web site.

Speaking of single’s wards…

Filed under: Cresting 30 — Tags: , — donosmond @ 2:51 pm

Speaking in church is never easy, and just about everyone has a fear of public speaking. If I’m not mistaken, glossophobia out ranks necrophobia (or the fear of dying). And as the joke goes… “When attending a funeral, a majority of the people would prefer to be in the casket rather than giving the eulogy.”

Well, I spoke in church last Sunday.

Two weeks before my pulpit pontification, I was corned near the bishop’s office by one of his counselors: “Brother Osmond, you’ve been on our radar for the past month, and we would still like you to give a talk in church.”

(Blogger’s note: I dodged the last time they asked me to speak because I was out of town.)

Unfortunately, I would not be getting out of this a second time. Yep, my phone confirmed the openness of my schedule; the Duck Beach extravaganza would come to a close just in time.

So, I responded to his request: “I’d be happy to speak in church. What is the topic?”

“We’d like to you to speak on sacrifice. You’ll be the only one covering that topic, and the concluding speaker. Prepare for something around five to seven minutes.”

Anyone who has spoken in church before knows the concluding speaker is the buffer, or accordion speaker. It’s his or her responsibility to end the meeting on time. If the first speakers are long-winded, keep it short; if they’re brief, vice versa.

In short, the meeting went well. Katie shared a beautifully prepared talk on fasting and prayer, and I stumbled through mine without making a complete fool out of myself.

But this post isn’t my talk — no. What I find interesting is the whole Mormon singles-ward sacrament experience.

It’s true; sacrament meeting is a great time to be spiritually edified. However, I’m a little concerned why some people feel it necessary to consider their speaking opportunities more like a bidding platform to garner potential dates.

People tell stupid jokes, they share overly personal experiences. There have been times when I’ve literally put my head down, bit my tongue and prayed for the meeting to end.

Look, I’m 29 years old; I’ve been to too many singles wards. And, all you “singles” out there know what I’m talking about.

There is a time and a place for the meat-market spectacle — church worship services ain’t it. It’s distracting, and almost as bad as public displays of affection in the pews.

Church activities: now that’s a different situation. Ward parties, BBQs, mingles … work it! It’s summer time, and parties in the park are the perfect opportunity for you to round up your friends and go on the hunt.

Let’s just leave sacrament meeting for spiritual edification, shall we?

June 9, 2009

A swift kick to the butt…

Filed under: Health and Fitness — donosmond @ 12:52 pm

…that’s what friends are for.

Last Saturday, I was in no mood to go working out. However, I promised Jeremy that we would.

We spent about an hour working out at the track doing field exercises. Although I hated being there at the beginning, by the time we had finished working out I felt a lot better.

That just goes to show the importance of having someone there to kick your butt when you need it the most.

June 3, 2009

More Writing

Filed under: Musing and Writing Projects — donosmond @ 10:27 am

About two months ago, I started developing a new blog that would highlight some of the specific topics I write about. And last month I got a little over zealous and published a new blog layout before it was completed.

Well, this is it!

New layout. New URL. New look.

I hope this offers a little more entertainment than my previous blog since I will try to include photos on just about every entry.

I’ve all ready setup the previous blog to forward to this URL, but you can also change links you may have to: donosmond.com (It’s not as short as donny.com, but I think it makes it that much easier with searchability.) :)

By the way, a big “thank you” to my brother, Brandon; he created the logo on the top left on my blog.

June 1, 2009

Stay true to yourself

Filed under: Cresting 30 — Tags: , , — donosmond @ 2:35 pm

I watched Disney’s Mulan the other night. The final scene concludes with a song titled “True to Your Heart.” Listening to the words got me thinking. “Am I being true to my heart?” Or, in other words, “Am I being true to myself?” This question isn’t unique to me, we all have outward pressures to be what we think the world expects of us.

Nowhere is this more true than in the singles’ scene. First dates are riddled with getting-to-know-you questions, and if you’ve been blessed to experience your 100th first date, you’ve probably got answers polished with quips. You are a connoisseur of conversation; a wizard of wit; a dater debonair.

But, I talked with a few of my friends about the continual monotonous meetings, be they casual or fancy. Sometimes you may feel as though you’ve lost your identity by trying to pretend to be someone you are not; responding to questions with answers just to cater to the interests of someone else. How often have we tried to change ourselves just to get someone to like us? How often do we look upon the outward appearance rather than our hearts?

If you don’t mind me getting personal for a second…

I am an Osmond (not that that wasn’t obvious to begin with). And, there have been times in the past when I’ve appeased other people’s interests, in spite of my own. It could have been during formal gatherings where my family was recognized, or casual social scenes. But the same situations hold true if you’re a Haggard, Prabhakar, or Leavitt. We all play the getting-people-to-like-me game.

Additionally, I’m a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (along with many of you who are reading this). And because of our association to the church, people expect us to be or act a certain way.

But, just because I’m an Osmond, and a Mormon, doesn’t mean I need to measure myself against the expectations of others. That’s good news.

What I have found out is the real you is within your heart. There is so much more to each of us than mere associations and titles, and God knows it; “…for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” (1 Sam 16:7)

Sure people are going to make assumptions about what you should and shouldn’t be doing, but that’s nothing more than an outward projection of other people’s reality. In other words, it’s not real!

I’ve been asked a million times, “Are you a singer like your father?” I guess that’s what people have come to expect of my family — entertainers.

I admire my father; he is an amazing man whom I look up to. I strive to live my life to a similar caliber. However, I may end up singing a different song in life.

So, how does all of this relate back to what I mentioned before? Simple. Be true to yourself; remember that you are a child of our Father in Heaven and that the worth of every soul (me, you, everyone) is great unto God. (D&C 18:10) At the end of the day, we don’t need to be someone we’re not. To do that would be to discount, even mock, the plan that God has for each of us.

So, there’s the pep talk. I guess what I’m driving at is that you just need to be patient with yourself and happy with who you are. You won’t please everybody all of the time, but you don’t have to.

Powered by WordPress