I wanted to share some thoughts and pictures. Pictures first:Here are the plants I work with. I have been drying these leaves and extracting DNA from them.
This is my desk in the lab. It is not much, but it is mine. Also, that is my lab coat. Yup, my very own. I am grinding up leaf samples to extract the DNA. I am using liquid nitrogen which makes it look infinitely cooler.As to the title of the blog it is the title to a song by the weepies. Some of the lyrics are as follows:
Everything that I said I'd do
Like make the world brand new
And take the time for you
I just got lost and slept right through the dawn
And the world spins madly on
I wish that I had woken up sooner in my life to the possibilities that surrounded me all along. I don't want to let any more pass me by. I don't want to forget the promises I have made. I was listening to this song tonight and thinking "don't ever 'fall asleep'." I realized again, as I have in the past, the importance of taking the time to smile, to say I love you, to give a hug, and to put away your work when somebody needs you.
The other night my professor was at the office until 10:30 PM. He came home to eat and went back again. While he was gone his wife went to do the dishes and the kids didn't let her get anything done, so I started playing with them so she could finish. I was having great fun with them, but then I stopped and realized that their Dad should have been the one there with them.
I don't want to fall asleep while the world spins madly on. You inevitably wake up and realize that you have let the best stuff slip by. A guy that I knew had a list of 7 mottos to live by. When he passed away they were published as his obituary and one of the first ones was "people are always most important". I believe that.
So, to those I love and care about: I love you and I care about you and don't you ever forget it. Wrap your arms around yourself and give yourself a hug for me. I'll see you all soon.
I just want you to know how much I love you Louis!! You are the greatest and I am so happy you get to have this experience. And I know OH so well how you are feeling. Live it up and love EVERY minute of it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the thoughts Louis. Love you too. People are the most important thing, and the people that are the most important are the ones that are in your own family starting with your wife, and your children, when you have them in the future and then going out from that circle. Don't ever forget the wisdom of those words. People ARE the most important! And when you are a father and husband I am going to remind you of that if you ever forget, K? :-)
ReplyDeleteAnd I like your lab coat and what you are doing is so awesome.
ReplyDeletePrimero: Way to work that lab coat.! you look stellar.
ReplyDeleteSegundo: You're amazing. I appreciated your thoughts. You're a genuinely good person. And I really respect and appreciate that. So thanks.
This reminded me a lot of Walden. Well, the whole "living life on purpose" thing. It's a great philosophy to live by. I'm considering myself hugged.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I'm still bitter you have more followers than me. What can I do? You're just so popular.
I dig this post. and this idea. I needed to hear that Louis...You're the bomb (.com).
ReplyDeletealso, the fact that you're using liquid nitrogen to extract DNA from leaves doesn't make it look infinitely cool, it makes it infinitely cooler.