Where You Are

         I’ve said it before and will probably continue to say it as long as I keep writing and saying things that people listen to or read but music is a powerful way of communicating emotions, ideas, and thoughts about a myriad of topics. This post will center on a song from the first Moana movie and some lessons and thoughts I’ve had from it. The song is “Where you are” which is a favorite to listen to and watch in our household. It sets the stage for the conflict that Moana has between her love and desire to be at sea and her love and desire to do what her parents want her to do. The most recent time I heard the song, I was reminded of two general conference talks about being present where you are. The first was a talk from Elder Stanley G. Ellis, then a general authority seventy.

“One thing we have often been taught is to bloom where we are planted⁠. Yet sometimes we are tempted to migrate to some new area, thinking our children will have more friends and therefore better youth programs.

"Brothers and sisters, do we really think the critical factor in the salvation of our children is the neighborhood where we live? The apostles and prophets have often taught that what happens inside the home is far more important than what our children encounter outside. How we raise our children is more important than where we raise them.

"Certainly there are other factors involved in deciding where to live, and thankfully, the Lord will guide us if we seek His confirmation.”

The connection between this quote and the song, “Where You Are” comes in the phrase, “bloom where you are planted.” I love the phrase from the song, “you can find happiness right where you are!” Moana felt the pull to go to the ocean but perhaps before doing so, she needed to learn to find happiness in her current circumstances. Sometimes, especially in a world of social media where comparison can truly be a thief of joy, it can be easy to see another’s circumstances and think that I need to change my location or do something different to be happy.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m always a fan of improving one’s situation, but I believe the Lord can help us do as President Nelson has taught and find joy no matter the circumstances of our life.

Another talk that came to mind while considering the idea of “finding happiness where you are” was from President Unchtdorf, then second counselor in the first Presidency. He shared the following story in October 2008: 

“Some years ago in our meetinghouse in Darmstadt, Germany, a group of brethren was asked to move a grand piano from the chapel to the adjoining cultural hall, where it was needed for a musical event. None were professional movers, and the task of getting that gravity-friendly instrument through the chapel and into the cultural hall seemed nearly impossible. Everybody knew that this task required not only physical strength but also careful coordination. There were plenty of ideas, but not one could keep the piano balanced correctly. They repositioned the brethren by strength, height, and age over and over again—nothing worked.

"As they stood around the piano, uncertain of what to do next, a good friend of mine, Brother Hanno Luschin, spoke up. He said, 'Brethren, stand close together and lift where you stand.'

"It seemed too simple. Nevertheless, each lifted where he stood, and the piano rose from the ground and moved into the cultural hall as if on its own power. That was the answer to the challenge. They merely needed to stand close together and lift where they stood.

"I have often thought of Brother Luschin’s simple idea and have been impressed by its profound truth. Tonight I would like to expand on that simple concept, ‘lift where you stand.’”

This is another illustration of the importance of doing what you can where you are. Moana never gave up on her dreams of being an explorer and going to sea but she did her part to lead when she could. She “lifted where she could.” 

With all I have written here, I feel the need to explain that I am not advocating for staying idle or staying in an unhealthy relationship or situation, rather I am simply trying to share that there is something about being present and doing what you can to make a difference “where you are.”