Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Fall

Tags

Blankets, Books, Chili, cool, Fall, Leaves, pumpkin, Reading, Soup, Stew, Sweaters, Thanksgiving

Today, I am grateful for the fall. It is the season of colored leaves, pumpkin flavored everything, Thanksgiving, my birthday, and cooling temperatures. It is the time mother nature prepares for winter.

I love the fall, because one of my favorite seasons is fast approaching–winter. I love the winter, the snow, the warm indoors, a warm cup of coffee that steams up the window. I love sweaters, blankets, and looking at the pristine snow after it falls.

The older I get, the faster the time goes. Days whip by, months roll along, and before you know it, it’s a new year.

Another thing I am grateful for in the fall are the stews, soups, and chili that fill the menu at my home during the fall and winter months. I love a good stew, soup, or chili. I also love the bread that you dunk in it. Ahh…

I also enjoy the reading I get done in the last few months of the year. I get the bulk of my reading done in the fall and winter months. There’s nothing better than a great book and a warm cup of coffee, while I listen to calming music on my iPhone.

Well, that’s it for today, folks.

Have a great Thursday!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Wisdom Wednesday – Kin Hubbard

Tags

Abe Martin, Column, humorist, Indianapolis, Learning, wisdom, Wisdom Wednesday

Photo Credit: Published by Teachers Journal Printing Co, Marion, Ind, 1908 – Some Indiana Writers and Poets (free pdf from archive.org)

There is no failure except in no longer trying. There is no defeat except from within, no really insurmountable barrier save our own inherent weakness of purpose.

Kin Hubbard

Men are not punished for their sins, but by them.

Kin Hubbard

It’s pretty hard to tell what does bring happiness; poverty and wealth have both failed.

Kin Hubbard

Don’t knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldn’t start a conversation if it didn’t change once in a while.

Kin Hubbard

We would all like to vote for the best man but he is never a candidate.

Kin Hubbard

I hope you enjoyed these quotes today. I try to find people that are not familiar to most people, including me. Here’s a wikipedia link to learn more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kin_Hubbard

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thinking Tuesday – The Multiverse

Tags

Energy, Infinity, Matter, Multiverse, Space, TedEd, time, Time track, Universe

So many movies have taken on the idea of multiple universes, dimensions, and time travel. I often contemplate on these things and it always gives me a sense of expansiveness, like sitting in an empty theater, only much bigger. Today, I found a cool TEDEd video that goes over this line of thinking. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Have a great Tuesday!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Affirmations

Tags

15x Exercise, Affirmations, Contentment, Detachment, Discrimination, Forgiveness, Humility, tolerance

Hello, Monday!

I hope each of you has a terrific day, today!

I hope all of you are primed for the week and everything works out the way you want it.

One of the things I have used for years and years are positive affirmations. It’s something I write in my journal every day. Affirmations can be about any topic you wish. I chose five virtues.

Here is my short affirmation I write down each day: I am discriminating, tolerant, forgiving, content, detached, and humble.

Discriminating means making good choices. Tolerance and forgiveness are about letting people be who they are without judgment, and if they hurt your or cause you problems, forgiving them, regardless. Contentment is being happy regardless of my physical, mental, social, or spiritual situation. I keep this quote in the back of my mind: “All is in its rightful place in the worlds of God.” – Sri Harold Klemp. This means that whatever happens, it is exactly what is supposed to happen. Be happy and content, regardless. Detachment is doing the best you can with, with what you have, from where you are, without forcing any outcome. I do the best I can and whatever happens, is exactly what should have happened. This also relates to ideas, habits, everything. We must be willing to accept the changes that come and know they are for our benefit. Humility is the last one. Being humble is avoiding the grandstanding, bragging, and other things that have one purpose–elevating the ego. The ego is something we all need to survive in this reality, but the goal should be to minimize this as much as possible. The ego will get you into trouble, if you let it get out of hand.

Well, that’s all I got for today. You can create daily affirmations too. One great exercise, that I also do is a thing called the 15X exercise. Take any one thing you want to be, and write it down 15 times each day. Start the sentence with “I am…”. Overtime, the affirmations take hold, because the mind latches onto things that are repeated to it. When you believe something, things come together to help you achieve that thing.

Have a great Monday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Funny Friday – More Fail videos

Tags

Chuckle, Friday, FriYAY, Fun, Funny, Giggle, Hilarious, Laugh, Relax, Snicker, Weekend

Here’s a 9-minute video for funny Friday. I enjoy watching these and I hope you do too!

Have a great Friday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Gas-powered Generators.

Tags

Grateful, heat, iPad, iPhone, Laptop, permanent generator, Thankful

Today, I’m grateful for gas-powered generators. You see, Michigan is one of those states whose power grid is not that robust, particularly when we get hit with storms that are accompanied by high winds. High winds knock over trees. The trees take out the power lines. Downed power lines eliminate power. Currently my street and the streets on either side of us are out of power. Luckily, a few years back, my Mom and Dad ran into this same issue. My Dad ran around trying to find a gas-powered generator to get the power back on, but to no avail. Everyone had the same idea and there were no generators left in Southeast Michigan. After this experience Mom and Dad vowed to never again be without power and purchased a permanent generator which runs off of gas. We now never run out of power to our refrigerator and other key items in the house.

So, yes. We are “roughing” it, but not as bad as some are, who do not have a permanent generator attached to their gas lines, and are indeed suffering, when the power goes out, not to mention the potential loss of food in the fridge. So today, I am grateful for the permanent generator we have, that allows me access to the Internet, my phone and iPad, and this laptop, which I am using to post today.

I hope DTE gets the power back on quickly for folks who do not have one of these. It sucks to live by candle light, particularly if you are like me, and enjoy the access to the web and other devices I use each day.

This reminds me of a quote (I don’t know who created it). It’s about being mindful of the blessings in your life, even when things aren’t perfect. It also stresses the importance of taking nothing for granted. Be grateful for all the things you have. You never know when those things will change or go away forever.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Wisdom Wednesday – Eleanor Roosevelt

Tags

5 Quotes, Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady, History, trailblazer, UN, Wednesday, WWII

Photo Credit: Unknown author – This image is available from the United States Library of Congress‘s Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID cph.3c08091. This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. See Commons:Licensing for more information.With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.

Eleanor Roosevelt

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

Eleanor Roosevelt

Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility. For the person who is unwilling to grow up, the person who does not want to carry his own weight, this is a frightening prospect.

Eleanor Roosevelt

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.

Eleanor Roosevelt

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’

Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt is an icon of American History. Here’s her wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_Roosevelt. Take some time to learn more about her. She was a trailblazer in so many ways and was one of our most memorable first wives.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thinking Tuesday – Critical Thinking

Tags

advertisement, Critical Thinking, ideas, misinformation, Opinion, Politics, rumor

In today’s world, information overload is a common term. We get pounded with advertisement, news, and a truckload of gossip. Ask any question in Google’s search engine box, and take a look at the responses you get. I bet you will get both sides of an argument, regardless of what question you pose. Keto or not, vitamins or not, vegan or not, what type of exercise works–what doesn’t?, etc. I chose physical fitness for my core topic here, but you get the idea. How do we sift through all this information to find the truth?

Unfortunately, it isn’t as easy as it sounds, typically because most of the voices online are in it for a profit, clicks, or some other selfish purpose. This is where critical thinking takes on a whole new meaning. Today, we all have to become critical thinkers to avoid being overwhelmed by masses of opinions that are just that–opinions. To arrive at some semblance of truth, we have to really dig, and examine what we are reading critically. Watch this short video to learn how.

I hope you enjoyed this video and will try out some of the things it suggests. Critical thinking is no longer relegated to the university. We must all learn how to critically think and choose our information sources wisely. If we do not, we will be easily duped by many on the internet who have no interest in telling us the truth, but are rather interested in gaining political points, selling us something, or perpetuating a rumor that is popular.

Have a great Tuesday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Moving Left

Tags

Conservative, Curiosity.com, Documentaries, Learning, left, Liberal, right, school

The weather is sticky today in Michigan. Dad had a hearing aid appointment, and Bella (our dog) and I are holding down the fort. Today, I’ve got some homework to do, my exercise routine, reading, taking a class, and all the rest. I’m in my last class for a Masters in Sociology. Why college, when I’m retired?

I love to learn. I don’t take student loans. I pay cash for my courses and materials. I also attend online, so I don’t have any commuting to do. It’s a good feeling to knock out a degree. I just enjoy reading broadly. When I left the Army I was pretty conservative (politically). Over time, however, I have moved more left. I have experienced a great deal in my life, and have opened my mind a great deal, particularly because of the assignments and reading in school.

Have I been indoctrinated, like so many conservatives would posit? No. When you read broadly, however, you take time to hear the arguments of the other side. Instead of being close-minded, like so many on the social media feeds, who are constantly bashing the other side, I have discovered that both sides of the political aisle have legitimate positions. Compromise, however, left our political discourse years ago. You just do not see it anymore. Maybe some of our elected officials should go back to school? (Ha)!

What’s the message of today’s posting? Read broadly and continue to educate yourself. You are not too old to learn new things. We are always learning new things anyway. Why not learn something specific? I try to learn something new each week. I like learning about other people, who I post about on my Wisdom Wednesday article. I like to watch documentaries. You just pick up so much stuff when you watch a good documentary. I really enjoy the documentaries on history. I would recommend curiosity.com for my documentaries. This is one terrific channel and it only costs $20 USD a year.

Well, that’s it for my Motivation Monday posting! I hope you have a terrific day!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Funny Friday – Call of Duty

I normally post something funny on Friday–ergo Funny Friday. Today, however, I’m going to post a clip of one of my favorite Call of Duty streamers–StoneMountain64. If you’re not into gaming, don’t worry about watching it. But if you are a gamer of sorts, and heck, maybe play COD, enjoy!

I hope all of you have a tremendous weekend! I will. I’ll be gaming my tail off. They’ve introduced new game play in Warzone called Clash, and it looks epic.

Thank you readers for supporting this blog. Comments are cherished and always welcome. This blog would be a lot less fun without your comments, likes, etc.

Happy Friday!

Until next time…

Dave