Our mind can play tricks on us. When you and I get a bad thought and we try to not think about it, somehow it keeps coming back. Because it keeps reappearing in our mind we start to believe that it is actually true. Why else would we be thinking this? It isn’t like we are trying to think this thought? We determine how likely or true something is by the ease we are able to bring it to our mind. Whatever desires we try to push away will become more convincing and powerful.
We will fall deeper into a desire when love is prohibited such as in Romeo and Juliet and Anna Karenina.
The harder you try to fall asleep the harder it will be to fall asleep.
The day of my wedding, I was so nervous and the harder I tried to relax, the more nervous I became. I didn’t even get to enjoy any of my wedding food because I was a nervous mess.
“Try to pose yourself this task: not to think of a polar bear, and you will see that the cursed thing will come to mind every minute.” – Fyodor Dostoyevsky. This is known as the ironic process theory, ironic rebound, or the white bear problem.
In the book The Willpower Instinct, Kelly McGonigal shares a story of a student telling her professor that she was having suicidal thoughts. The professor told the student about the white bear problem. He told her that the more she was trying to push away the suicidal thoughts the more she believed it was her only way out. She believed that this was what she actually wanted. Why else would she be having these thoughts?
When we get thoughts that do not align with Gods word we have to remember this white bear problem. We have to remind ourselves that the thought we are thinking isn’t true. We have to tell ourselves to not “follow our heart” and that our mind is playing tricks on us. Cry out to God, read his word, and seek advice from someone dear.
Stonehenge Memorial
The famous Stonehenge was sure to get a full size replica and it got one in the form of Stonehenge Memorial, Goldendale, WA. In 1918 it was dedicated to those who died in World War 1 and was finally completed in 1929. This is actually the first monument made to remember those who died in World War 1 in the USA. There used to be a town here but it burned down. The only remain is this concrete structure. Here you can see what is left of a town, what was made to remember those who died in World War 1, and a pretty awesome replica. The perfect memorial to visit in the area.
Located at Goldendale, WA 98620.
Minuteman Missile Visitor Center
In South Dakota there is a wonderful visitor center to a National Historic Site from America’s perspective. I am speaking of Minuteman Missile Visitor Center. This visitor center tells the story of the Cold War between America and Soviet Union, showing the tension between the two nations. With charts on the development of weapons and sections dedicated to different precautions that the nations took. The most prominent being Americas development of the 44th Missile Wing which has missiles you can see in another section of the historic park. The park rangers were ready to give us directions to these locations. This is simply a great detour while driving through South Dakota.
Located at 24545 Cottonwood Road, Philip, SD 57567.
North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame
Maybe your driving past Medora and wanna take a break or wanna know what to do after checking out Theodore Roosevelt National Park then visit the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame. If you have been driving across North Dakota it will be no surprise that ranching plays a huge role in both the states past and present. This museum starts by showing you how horses were very incorporated in Native American culture. It then shows how ranchers used horses only to get to North Dakotas rodeo culture. This was definitely a interesting place to visit. It was like nothing we have ever seen before and gave us some new insight on North Dakota.
Located at 250 Main St, Medora, ND 58645.
Museum of Clean
Sometimes your driving through Idaho and take a break by going to a museum of cleaning. The Museum of Clean is one of the most unique places we have seen in Idaho and that’s a good thing. Throughout the museum you can find information on the evolution of different cleaning tools and supplies. Did you know that Play-dough was marketed as a wallpaper cleaner and it is still useable for that purpose? Did you know that vacuums used hand pumps? Speaking of vacuums, here you can find the first not hand operated vacuum. It looks like a pain to get around. On the top floor there are games using cleaning supplies and tools. When you enter you actually encounter tons of hands on activities. Like any good cleaning museum there are cleaning tips spread through out the museum. Definitely worth a stop for the learning experience.
Located at 711 South 2nd Avenue, Pocatello, Idaho 83205.
Ashton Gardens at Thanksgiving Point
Sometimes when the surrounding scenery is desert you need to see green plants. Well that’s guaranteed at Ashton Garden at Thanksgiving Point. This garden has plenty of different plants considering that it spans 55 acres with 2 miles of pathways. Definitely a massive area here. They have a man made waterfall which has 7 falls. A garden known as The Light Of The World Garden. Here you can see sculptures of Jesus and his many encounters and situations he faced. Everything here looked really nice. A great way to stretch after a long drive.
Located at 3900 Garden Dr. Lehi, UT 84043.
Thank you for reading our blog post. We share a new blog post every Tuesday and Thursday at 8pm.