Never minds

I suppose it all started on New Year's Eve. I went to a fancy party with a couple of girls. For the most part, it was a lot of fun, getting all dressed up and watching other girls being asked to dance. The low moment came when I first saw a guy that I had liked for a very long time with the girlfriend I didn't know he had. I knew I had no right to be upset, as I hadn't even seen the guy for months, but I found myself unable to stop my eyes from tearing more than once. It was silly, but I knew at that sight that all the "What If?" moments I entertained myself with from time to time would never come to fruition. I chalked it up as closure, but my mind has been stretching itself beyond the specific to a general remembering of all the guys in my life that got away.

Since then, I haven't been able to get Adele's "Someone Like You" out of my head, specifically the line that says, "Never mind; I'll find someone like you". I've never thought much on it before, but never mind really is such a cruel little phrase; it's like you're using two little words to negate an entire history, as if it never actually happened, as if you regret every single moment spent on whatever it is that you're "never mind"ing.

I feel like there are so many "never mind"s in my life as of late: "I've met a guy in my ward that seems really nice and we have a lot in common. Maybe I'll try to talk to him. Never mind; he just spent all of ward prayer flirting with the same girl he sat by in Sacrament meeting" (and on that note, "I think I'll go to ward prayer tonight. I'm getting to know more people in my ward and I'm sure I won't have to sit awkwardly, not talking to anyone. Never mind; I went and felt like I'd shown up uninvited to a party. A grand total of three people acknowledged my existence, so I went home afterwards and cried"). "Hey, I think my boss and I are getting along better now. Never mind; she still uses her condescending tone and nature to show her disdain and complete lack of respect for me." "I'm sure there are plenty of jobs that I can apply for. Never mind; I'm officially qualified for nothing, save the job I currently have and hate."

Never minds are rough. The mere utterance of the phrase is like you're entirely giving up and giving yourself permission for an eternal pity party. Quite honestly, I'm forcing myself to write the next portion of this post, knowing full well that it's Satan who is tempting me to wallow in all these sad, sad, anti-progressive thoughts and emotions.

These are the times when I make myself remember all the times when someone didn't say "never mind", and how great the effect was. Abinadi didn't say "never mind" the first time he was thrown out of the city; he came back and preached the gospel, even though his mission ended with his martyrdom. Through Alma and subsequent prophets, Abinadi's teachings reached millions of people. Joseph Smith didn't say "never mind" after receiving the First Vision; he pushed on through unspeakable persecution to bring us the restored gospel and the Book of Mormon.

Most importantly, our Savior didn't say "never mind" when facing the Atonement. How grateful I am that He suffered for not only my sins, but my every pain and sorrow so that He would know exactly how I feel through every trial, including the very trial I am writing about now.

It seems so easy to say "never mind" and walk away from the hard things in life. It may bring temporary relief, but giving up is never going to permanently satisfy anyone. My Heavenly Father expects a lot from me in this life; it even says so in my patriarchal blessing. He would never say "never mind" to me; He knows what I'm capable of and knows that I have, or will develop, the strength and skills within me that I'll need to accomplish those things. How can I say "never mind" to Him when he has blessed me with so much?

Of course, writing about something is far different from developing an unwavering habit of positive thinking. I can guarantee that there will still be many tears and nights when everything seems so impossible. I can only pray that when these tears and sad nights come, instead of saying "never mind" and giving up, I will instead think to myself, "Well, that was rough, and I'm sad, but every experience is a chance to grow". I hope that I will be able to see the light a little sooner and spend a little less time moping. Moping never helps anyone.