Why I Couldn't Grow Up Earlier

Here are some statistics on me:

Before my mission, I:
- didn't like snowboarding
- didn't enjoy the beach
- avoided musical instruments
- only played video games with my free time
- read only for school

Yesterday I:
- was excited to go snowboarding today
- talked about enjoying the ocean water
- learned "Blackbird" on the guitar
- read a book with the super nintendo unhooked and stuffed in the corner

I don't feel like the old me at all. So what happened? I concluded that I simply avoided work-for-joy scenarios as a kid. My LDS mission, however, broke me of that ideology and tossed me around until I appreciated those things. I learned the joys of work and the pleasures that are taken advantage of when we don't have to work. The contrast is brilliant when juxtaposed with what I thought I had in the past.