change of plans

​Sunday, December 27, 2015
We had our lost luggage delivered to our apartment this morning. Makeup, outfits, shoes, and other necessary items were secured. Then we made a plan to go to Central Park and the Museum of Natural History. Tons of people were there, and it was some cultural celebration.

We saw performers, ballet, musicians, and thrill seekers. Many of the places and bridges we saw reminded us of places we have seen in the movies. Choirs sang and people meandered through the park.

Mom had to stop and use the restroom, so we dashed into a hotel. It turned it to be The Sherry-Netherland, definitely the fanciest hotel I have ever been to with rooms around $1500/nt. then we walked down 32nd Avenue and found Mandoo Bar--a Korean joint--and had a delightful supper.

We stopped at H&M on the way home and my phone began dying, so we stayed together the rest of the evening so we didn't get separated. We went to Central Park.

One impression I had at the time was how easy it is to follow the crowd and feel totally comfortable about it if you put yourself in compromising situations. We weren't doing anything wrong per se and changed our activities to those appropriate for the Sabbath, mostly. But as we were walking around time square seeing all the activities, and being engrossed in the New York version of lifestyle, we found ourselves stopping and shopping, which we should have delayed. It's easy to say "We may never get back here" or "It's not really that big of a deal," but the truth is we should have recognized the day and waited a few hours, that's all. I think that lesson is applicable in other areas of life. Put your in the best situations among good people that make you want to be better and you action, attitude, and activities will be in harmony with the gospel. Seems small and perhaps ineffective, but great things are built from small components properly situated. The Empire State Building is made of small bricks that together combine into one of the world's most miraculous structures. The Brooklyn Bridge's cables enable it to support millions of cars regularly and make it one of the best known bridges on earth. Little things in the overall scale of things make a big difference.

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