Are you Claritin clear?

‎"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit." -Aristotle

Often times an individual can detect healthy positive progression based upon the amount of discomfort, challenges, and pain they may be currently experiencing.

For example. When you have acne and are using an effective acne treatment, in order to know if the treatment is working properly you will feel a slight sting upon the protruding red dotted surface of your skin.

Similarly, a sure sign of growth and strength when it comes to exercising would be the slight ache you feel in your muscles after a good run.

Such examples serve as a reminder to all those out there who feel like the walk of a trial simply leads you back to your starting destination unchanged. This can not ever be. Ever. Individually, we are always changing and if we are doing all that we can do in order to be living a happy life and yet are experiencing grief from trials then rest assured that the realization of the positive growth and progression will come.

This summer I have had the great opportunity to have the time to look at my life and to recognize that out of moments of pain came the most beautiful forms of change. A jungle piece begins to understand that the beauty and success of life lies within the daily moments that clutter the canvas of ones reality of inner change. I personally get too caught up in the "to-do's" of life and often forget what i am becoming.This summer has given me the opportunity to experience the great outdoors with clarity of mind and focus of identity. It is my hope that I may once again enter the "provo bubble" with an appreciation for life in its patchwork of random moments and laughs and to not get caught up in the never ending "to-do" list of every well accomplished success BYU student.

Wish me luck.

Have you laughed today?

No, Im not referring to the Laughing Cow Cheese even though its quite delicious. I am referring to the random experiences that we, for some reason or other, find funny.

I love laughing. Love it.

And if i could just take a moment to brag a bit about my laugh. I feel I have a pretty awesome laugh. Not too boisterous, not too cackle-ly, not too soft, not too loud and no strange animal comparisons (i.e.- goose, snake, hyena, banshee). Right now you may be thinking, "How do I laugh?" or more importantly "Do I know anyone that sounds like a witch being boiled in canola oil when they laugh, or perhaps a slithery serpent?" If you do, post a comment and share the love.

I love to hear myself laugh and to hear other people laugh. So naturally, I find occasion to laugh often.

This is a very jungle piece thing to do.

With that said, hear is a list of a couple of things that I have experienced throughout these past weeks that have made me 'split my sides' if you will. My only hope that this list will make you, dear reader, laugh.

1. A week or so ago I was walking through the hospital with my lovely momma. My brother Travis had to stay in the emergency room for two days because of a nasty stomach virus (don't worry, this isn't the funny part) and we were trying to find the exit. Bless our hearts, we struggled to get out of that place. As our journey through the bowels of the hospital continued, I pretended to be a nurse leading my momma to the cafeteria to get some tapioca puddin for her make believe' up-set stomach.' This proved to be very believable on the count of my mom looking tired from staying with my brother all day and me still being in my scrubs from work. I talked loudly and slowly to her. Calling her Sweetie and other appropriated pet names. I had a good laugh, and so did my momma.

2. I read an awesome article on Cleopatra. This may not seem funny, but for some reason I got a kick out of it. IDK.

3. I walked into work one day and decided that i should wish my sister-in-law Jenny a happy birthday. I made her a sign and wished her some of the best wishes ever. It was memorable. But of course, the catch is that Jenny's birthday is September 22nd, not July 20th. I knew this before i put on my show, but i just felt that on that particular day Jenny should experience the special feeling of being wished a Happy Birthday. Jungle pieces follow their heart when it comes to making someone feel special, no matter how off the wall random it is. And i laughed at myself.

4. I work up at the front desk at my Dad's Dental office. I wear scrubs. Everyday we are suppose to wear a specific color. These colors include the entire ROYGBIV spectrum. I have only 3 of the 20 combinations of scrub possibilities. Now, there is no doubt in any patients mind that come through our glass french doors that i do not belong with the rest of the clan. I am merely the summer help, the girl that makes appointments and files charts. Not pathetic, but hilarious. I show up in a lovely peach while the rest of the office is wearing lime green and navy. Each day I like to laugh at this.

5. I called a patient, asking for William. He said there was no William there. I doubted him, i had just called that number and was talking to the same guy. He was William. I knew his voice. It was the same and I was confused that he was denying me from further speaking to him....In short, his name was really James. I was wrong and had to call him back and apologize. The costumer is always right. And i laughed.

These are just a few random experiences that i have enjoyed this week and will always remember.

Has anything made you laugh recently? I would love to laugh too.

You are all awesome.

Many commercials nowadays lack an element of creativity that we jungle pieces highly revere.

Although, we all painstakingly make due.

The mere 3 minutes between each viewing of our favorite sitcom or reality show can become agonizing. It can even dissuade us from wanting to finish up a well beloved television series or to find out who really IS smarter than a fifth grader.

Not all of us our blessed with the sheer genius that comes only from a television that posses DVR capabilities.

But not to worry.

The strong and creative jungle pieces at Jimmy Dean have heard the cries of the weary, the bored, and the down trodden.

The message: Start your day off right by realizing that we all have a part to play on this earth and that every part is unique special and needed.

This is also the message of every jungle piece.

Do you have a favorite commercial?

I Implore you, Dear Reader...

So I had a thought today that I need help with cracking...

Why do tan people look skinnier than pasty white people?

Ok, c'mon. You know this is true.

Bleached white skin appears to 'carry more' with the visual eye than tan skin ( by tan I mean somewhere in between the range of healthy glow and brown leather briefcase).

WHY?

Or, maybe Im wrong?

What to eat when you are 1,872 miles away from the nearest EarthFruits.

Jungle pieces love earthfruits.

Its a given.

For those of you who dont know what an "earthfruit" is, just think back to the greatest frozen yogurt you have ever had. Now, multiply that by 1,000 and add fruity pebbles. Wait .5 seconds for the reality of sheer awesomeness to sink in and you have earthfruits.

I love earthfruits with a passion hotter than 12 ghost chilies...but unfortunately, even though the south is a piece of Gods 'Heaven on Earth' it does not have an earthfruits establishment. And so my soul has to hunger for yester-year.

So. Although, my sweet tooth subistutes may pale in comparison to the sweet necture of earthfruits, I must do the best I can under such circumstances.

What Jungle Pieces Do When They Are 1,872 Miles Away From Earthfruits:

1. Blue Bunny Yogurt bar. This is a great alternative to a chilled sweet fix. Clocking in at only 100 calories the Blue Bunny Yogurt Bar has saved me many a times from raiding the cookie jar. Jungle Pieces are resourceful, clever, and will always look for the silver lining in every situation.

2. Plain Jane Yogurt. Vanilla Yoplait knows how to calm those dasterdly sugar/sweet attacks when they come...especially when you add graham crackers for that much needed crunch.

3. Apple. An apple a day keeps the doctor away....actually, to tell you the truth im really ashamed of this one. i mean, an apple!? how boring!! Not jungle piece material at all.

4. Buried Treasure. So. I LOVE cereal. Alot. And to make it fun I like to mix my cereals. I hardly ever eat just one kind of cereal. The concept behind Buried Treasure is that, you may have a bowl full of healthy special K or Honey Bunches of Oats, but floating beneath the surface lies fruit loops, oreo pieces, cookie bits, poptarts, anything thing that will go in milk basically. Its breakfast and dessert and its coming to a grocery store near you.

5. Cookies. So whenever the Blue Bunny dont cut it i go for golden oreos...my fav.

You may be wondering, "Man. What a weird post"...

Yes. Yes it is.

This is what happens when you have the security of having free frozen yogurt for a year and then you use up all your tickets in 8 months.

What is your favorite sweet treat? I obviously need some new creative ideas.

Heaven help me...

For me, I felt that being "a blogger" was a pretty hefty commitment. So naturally I waited till the time was right to start my very own blog. Unfortunately, I didn't know that the time would hit me at 2:00 in the morning. Anywho here I am. So is there a blog warming party that needs to be held? Should I prepare jello and finger delights for such an occasion? If so, please kind viewer, let me know. I would hate to be out of the loop on proper blogger etiquette. Anywho, the purpose of this blog is to inform the public about the goings-ons of jungle pieces in the arctic. Say What? Let me explain. You see, the world is filled with different types of people; just like a puzzle shoppe is filled with different types of puzzle pieces. Well, there are those in the world who are more practical, straightforward, and realistic. This, in puzzle piece form, would be a desert landscape or perhaps a computer keyboard. Something with slight variation and plenty consistency. There are those who are shy and keep to themselves. More introverted. These chaps, in puzzle piece form, would be those I Spy puzzle. Its the kind of puzzle where a lot is going on, but you may miss what you are looking for (like the cherry red Popsicle stick) amongst all the cracker jacks, bobby pins, Lego's, and cold french fires. Make sense? So, there can be countless of classifications of people and puzzle pieces. But I want to share about one in particular. And that would be the Jungle pieces who feel like they are stuck in the arctic. A jungle piece offers variety, but not too much. The puzzle provides enough interest with the toucan in the tree and the various greens in the foliage to hold your attention, but not to the point of overwhelming you. A jungle piece is slightly goofy and crazy (i mean come on, its a jungle out there) but they have a specific place amongst there own kind. Of course, i personally believe that there is a jungle piece in every one, but some jungle pieces find themselves in the arctic. A world of slight variation and color. Of little life, laughter, lollipops, and lemurs. So, what is a jungle piece to do? Well, I'll tell you. In the following blog posts. Yes you guessed it. My name is Lindsey Owens and I am a jungle piece stranded in the arctic. "I am broadcasting on all AM frequencies. I will be at the South Street Seaport everyday at mid-day, when the sun is highest in the sky. If you are out there... if anyone is out there... I can provide food, I can provide shelter, I can provide security. If there's anybody out there... anybody... please. You are not alone" (I am Legend) .
What puzzle piece would you be?