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Be Honest With Yourself: Healthy Happy Lucky You!

Be Honest With Yourself: Healthy Happy Lucky You!

Healthy Happy Lucky You!

Lucky is the youth who has learned that health, success, and happiness come with clean living. Lucky is the youth who has learned that some things should not be touched or tampered with…that some things should be left alone.

Lucky is the youth who learns this lesson early in life, from parents and from the teachings of the Church — and who doesn’t have to learn it the hard way.

Health and happiness and success are what our Father in Heaven wants for us. And that is why He has given us commandments to keep — and not for any other reason.

Health and happiness and success are what our parents want for us. And that is why they give us counsel and commandments — and not for any other reason.

We have one mind and one memory — and it deserves to be clear and clean.

We have one earthly body which must last for a lifetime. Our Maker planned it that way. He knows what is good for us. He knows what will give us health and happiness and success and peace inside ourselves. That is why He has told us how to live; that is why He has told us to leave some things alone.

Lucky you; you don’t have to learn everything the hard way. Lucky you; you can learn from those who love you. Lucky you; you don’t have to pay a painful price for learning how to live — you don’t have to learn too late.

Be smart. Be clean. Be virtuous. Be healthy. Be happy.

BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF.

Be Honest With Yourself: Beauty is More than Skin Deep!

Be Honest With Yourself: Beauty is More than Skin Deep!

Beauty is More than Skin Deep!

What is beauty? Who can have it?

Ask John Robert Powers, world-famous authority on the subject. After many years choosing and training beautiful models, he will tell you:

“There are certain features that most beautiful women have in common”…”a glow of health,” “a radiant personality,” “a complete self-assurance and naturalness,” “intellectual curiosity; integrity and stability of character.”

“Real beauty comes from within.” “It is within the potentialities of almost any girl….”

Or look to some authorities of the past. Said Emerson: “Beauty is the soundness of the bones…a peach-ripe complexion; health of constitution that makes the sparkle and power of the eyes.” “…character gives splendor to youth.”

Sir James Barrie says of charm (the sister of beauty): “If you have it you don’t need anything else, and if you don’t have it, it doesn’t much matter what else you have.”

Beauty is largely a matter of the thoughts we think, the deeds we do, the food we eat, the interest we show in others.

It is the sum of sincerity, enthusiasm, and unselfishness.

It is the product of busy days and nights untroubled by guilty regrets.

Beauty is obedience to the laws of good and wise and wonderful living of the laws of health and happiness. To these add a lively search for eternal truth–for the good things here–for the good things hereafter–and you will surely find beauty in living, and be beautiful yourself. In short, beauty is a reflection of what you are inside yourself.

So, if you would be beautiful — BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF.

Serengeti-Ready

Introduction

Watson, our Honda Element, is the consummate road trip vehicle. It is rock-solid reliable, it has plenty of room for suitcases and backpacks, the stadium seating gives kids in the back a decent view of the road ahead (decreasing the incidence of motion sickness), 39.1 inches of rear-seat legroom give the passengers plenty of room to spread their stuff out, and when we get home, the stain-resistant seat fabric and urethane-coated utility floor make it a breeze to clean up.

But there were two features of the Honda Element that we really came to appreciate while “on safari” in Yellowstone this year.

The Long Tailgate

Breakfast at Inspiration Point
Breakfast at Inspiration Point

The Honda Element has a “tailgate,” an automotive artifact usually only found on pickup trucks or certain motorized vehicles from the mid-twentieth century called “station wagons.” So named because it is located on the “tail” of the car and sometimes opens like a “gate,” many people see the tailgate as merely a cargo access and containment device.

But with a bowl of Honey Smacks in your hand and a crisp mountain breeze in your face, it is the perfect impromptu breakfast nook, complete with an unbeatable view of the sunrise at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, or the sunrise in front of the Yellowstone Lake Hotel, or the sunrise at Old Faithful…

I Had A Sunroof in Yellowstone

Do Not Approach Buffalo
Do Not Approach Buffalo

One of the difficulties you encounter while on safari is trying to view dangerous wildlife up close without meeting the same fate as the hapless photographer on the Yellowstone “Do Not Approach Buffalo” flyers.

Well, with the Honda Element this is no problem at all. Simply pop out the removable sunroof and you are Serengeti-ready.

Surveying the Savannah
Surveying the Savannah

Whenever wildlife makes an appearance, passengers in the back seat can unbuckle their safety belts (after the vehicle has come to a complete stop, of course), stand up on the rear seat, and while resting their bums on the rear headrests, survey the savannah with comfort and ease.

A 360 Degree View of the Veldt
A 360° View of the Veldt

And it doesn’t matter what side of the vehicle the point of interest is on since everyone has a 360° view of the veldt.

A Bisons-Eye View
A Bisons-Eye View

If an especially photogenic specimen appears, the driver can simply hand his (or her) digital camera to someone on the wildlife observation deck for a bisons-eye view of the roadside attraction.

Conclusion

These are two very compelling features that Honda should be touting. Yet nowhere in the product literature is there a mention of either the “breakfast nook” or the “wildlife observation deck.” Sure, they list a “tailgate” and a “removable sunroof,” but perhaps it’s time for the Honda marketing department to start thinking outside the boxy car.

Be Honest With Yourself: No, Thank You!

Be Honest With Yourself: No, Thank You!

No, Thank You!

How should you answer the person who invites you to “take a cigarette” or “have a drink” — or do anything which is against your conscience or contrary to the teachings of your Heavenly Father?

What should you say? How much do you need to explain or apologize? When, if ever, should you compromise just a little for the sake of appearance?

The answer is easy. Just say “No — no, thank you.” Don’t waver. Don’t worry about how others may think or act. Be your own natural, honest self. Everyone admires sincerity.

If the invitation to indulge in something you don’t believe in comes from a host or hostess while you are a guest, your answer will come even easier. The obligation of courtesy is not that of the guest but of the host.

The gracious host will never press you, never question your right to be yourself in matters of conscience. He will admire you for your forthright stand.

It’s natural to want to be liked by the crowd. But compromising with principles is always wrong, often dangerous.

What is right? What is wrong? Fortunately, there are ways for members of the Church to recognize right from wrong. Read the Scriptures; listen to the teachings of your Church leaders. And listen, also, to the whisperings of that “still, small voice.” When it whispers: “It’s wrong; don’t do it!” — say firmly, honestly, finally: “No, thank you — no!”

BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF.