Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – The Numbers are Going Down.

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Coronavirus, family, Friends, Guidelines, health, Safety, Thankful, vulnerable

After watching today’s White House briefing, I was encouraged by Dr. Birx’s analysis of the models we have now, based on the numbers they are receiving from healthcare providers across the area. New York’s numbers are still high, but their cases are going down. Only time will tell.

That being said, I am thankful for the American people for sticking with the guidelines that have been provided. According to Dr. Birx, these lowered numbers (about 60,000, instead of the earlier numbers between 100,000 and 200,000 deaths). 60,000 deaths is still high, but it’s a much better number than the scary numbers that were put out a week ago.

I’m also thankful that all of my family in Michigan and Arizona is safe and healthy. I talked to a colleague of mine who is an ESL teacher in Vietnam. His grandmother died from the coronavirus, and his aunt is on a ventilator. Due to travel restrictions he can’t get home. Bad news indeed.

Finally, I am thankful for all the healthcare professionals, military, first responders, scientists, and other members of our critical supply chains continuing to go to work at great risk to themselves. I’m also grateful for the folks who work in our grocery stores, convenience stores, and restaurants (the ones that are still open for pickup or drive-thru). What a great collection of heros.

Please continue to stick with the guidelines that have been put in place. They are working. I realize being stuck at home is a pain, but if it saves the lives of those in our society that are most vulnerable, it’s worth it. I hope all of you continue to stay safe, stay informed, and follow guidance provided by our government.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Wisdom Wednesday – Give it a Rest.

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Do something else, Give it a rest, Let it be, Problems, Take some time, Unconscious mind, wisdom

It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it.

John Steinbeck

Ever run into a problem that you just couldn’t solve? You work your tail off. You brainstorm. You put in place a plan of action. You still fail. It can be very frustrating.

Take a break. Give it a rest. The solution will reveal itself. Sometimes after a good night’s sleep. Sometimes after a good meal. Sometimes after you’ve put it aside for something more pleasurable. The subconscious mind is a powerful tool. It continues to work on the problem, even when you aren’t. That’s why this quote is so important. You can apply it to any problem, goal, or task.

I love Steinbeck. He was a great writer. He also had a pragmatic way of approaching his problems. His goal was writing one good page a day. That was it. If he wrote one good page in 15 minutes, he was done for the day. If it took him 3 hours, that’s was ok too.

I’m at that step in book writing called “scene creation”. It can be difficult. A story reveals itself to you as you work through it. Sometimes you hit a great way for your character to deal with something; other times you’re just drudging through the day, hoping for some inspiration.

I like to chip away at things. I don’t like to grind through 3 hours of misery. I do a little here today. I do a little more tomorrow. It works for me. It also lets me give my story some time to develop in my head, as I think about it throughout the day. My writing time is between 12 am and 3 am. I do my best to get as much done as possible on my blog, journal, letter writing, and working on my book. I do a bunch of other things as well, but the bulk of my 3 hours is writing anything and everything. It’s quiet, because my family is sleeping and when I get up I can socialize, run errands, and all the rest without worrying about what I have to do today because it is already done. The only things I do during the day are my exercise routine and my meditation practice.

Whether you are writing, composing music, writing a computer program, or struggling to come up with a solution to a problem. Give it some time. Go exercise, sleep on it, watch a show, or spend some time on something else that takes your mind off of things. You’ll be amazed at what you come up with when you return to your work.

Stay safe, stay informed, and follow the guidance of your local authorities.

Until next time…

Dave

 

Daily Ramblings – Ted Talk Tuesday – The Coronavirus Explained.

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Coronavirus, Educational, Follow Guidance, Learn, Stay Informed, Stay Safe, Ted Talk, TedEd, Video

If you’re still confused about the coronavirus, here’s an educational video to help you out. Stay safe, stay informed, and follow the guidance your local authorities provide.

Have a great Tuesday!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Workout Routine – Week of April 6, 2020.

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Activity, Dedication, Discipline, Exercise, fitness, healthy living, Schedule, workout

I hope all of you are safe. This week will continue to use my home for my workouts using exercise bands. I hope all of you are doing something for yourself physically. I know it’s tough if you don’t have a home gym or are not used to working out in your home, but you can get a good workout in, if you put a little thought into it. Using your stairs, chairs, and other items can provide a great workout.

Here are my workouts for the week!

• Monday – Upper Body
• Tuesday – Lower Body
• Wednesday – Upper Body
• Thursday – Lower Body
• Friday – Upper Body
• Saturday – Lower Body
• Sunday – Day off

See you at the finish line!!

Dave

 

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Week of April 6, 2020.

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Daily activities, Mental, Monday, motivation, Physical, rituals, Social, Spiritual

Here we go, folks! Start your engines!!

Weekly schedule:

Physical (Exercise daily)

Mental (Coursework daily, Book writing daily, Read a chapter a day)

Social (Post to this blog daily, share quotes and articles daily, and stay in touch with friends and family via social media or phone)

Spiritual (Religious Discourse work daily, Spiritual Exercise daily, and read my Bible daily)

Relaxation (Netflix, Amazon, Vudu, Curiosity Stream, and Xbox Games)

Have a great week, everybody!!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spread Your Wings Sunday – Week of April 5, 2020.

Tags

Concern, Connecting, family, Friends, Friendship, Love, Reaching out, Staying in Touch

I’m only offering one challenge this week. This is it:

Challenge: Reach out to all of your family members to make sure they are OK.

I know most of you are already doing this, so it may not be too much of a challenge, but for those who have estranged family members, who live far away, would appreciate a call. Promise.

My stepmom is in Mexico. I used Google Translator, reached out on Facebook messenger, and she was so glad to hear from me.

Here’s the thing. I would hate to lose any of my family members without having a chance to touch base with them. There are so many stories in the papers, blogs, and books that highlight how horrible it is to lose someone and miss the opportunity to say you care for them. I hope this doesn’t happen to you. Take a minute and reach out. It doesn’t take long, it’ll prevent you from worrying, and the other person will feel great.

Well, that’s all I got today. Have a great Sunday!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spiritual Saturday – Living Through a Life-Changing Global Event.

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Avoid touching your face, Coronavirus, Do your part, Follow Guidance, social distancing, Stay in touch, washing hands

If our hearts are ready for anything, we can open to our inevitable losses, and to the depths of our sorrow. We can grieve our lost loves, our lost youth, our lost health, our lost capacities. This is part of our humanness, part of the expression of our love for life.

Tara Brach

We are all living through a life-changing global event. This coronavirus is crippling governments, devastating communities, and killing without reason. The number of cases grows every day as scientists race for a solution, governments try to do their best to protect their citizenry, and each of us, huddled in our homes, hopes for the best.

If this disease has touched you personally, I am truly sorry and send good thoughts your way. Losing a loved one, a friend, or a colleague, to something like this has got to be heartbreaking. As the numbers grow across the globe, it is highly likely that some of you, including me, may suffer some loss from this virus.

How do we deal with this?

I follow my daily rituals. I get my work done. I stay in touch with family here and abroad. I monitor the official sites that are working on this and provide information about it. The area I live in is up to 65 cases, with no fatalities. My sister lives in a part of Michigan that is being ravaged by this thing. She’s got close to 3000 cases in her county, with 100+ deaths. My brother, wife, stepdaughters, niece and nephew, live in Arizona. They all live in the hardest hit county in Arizona, but the numbers aren’t staggering like they are here in Michigan. Thank God for that.

I will try to not focus on this thing anymore, but will leave you with this. Stay safe by following the guidance of your local authorities. Practice social distancing, only go out when you absolutely have to, wash your hands, and avoid touching your face, when you’re out, particularly when you’re shopping for groceries. Stay connected with your local authorities, state authorities, and federal authorities. Guidance is changing almost daily as we learn more about this virus. If you live in a foreign country, follow the guidance provided within the structures you are used to following during disasters. These authorities love their countries, just like our authorities here in the states do, and will get you the information you need that is specific to your particular area.

I wish all of you a great Saturday.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Funny Friday – A Kid Asks His Dad…

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Chuckle, FriYAY, Funny, Giggle, Happy, Laughter, Snicker, Weekend

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

A kid asks his dad, “What’s a man?” The dad says, “A man is someone who is responsible and cares for their family.” The kid says, “I hope one day I can be a man just like mom!”

Courtesy: The Laugh Factory

Thanks to all the Moms out there. You gals rock!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – The American Spirit.

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American Spirit, Can do, Resilient, Sacrifice, Scared, Serve others, Suffering, Tough, Volunteer, Win, Worried

The entire globe is being impacted by the coronavirus. It’s hard to be cheerful when you imagine the loss, suffering, and overwhelm many are feeling. How do you cope?

I cope with these types of situations by keeping my head, following guidelines from trusted resources, and doing all I can to maintain a sense of normalcy in these insane times.

The American spirt is something hard to quantify, particularly if you are not from here. It is facing hardship and finding your way through. It is doing for others who are worse off than you. It is fighting through whatever comes our way, and learning that if we all work together, we will succeed. Since our declaration of independence from the British Empire 243 years ago, we have survived wars, depression, political strife, including Presidential assassinations, impeachments, and all the rest. Each time this country goes through something, we always come out stronger than we were before.

When times get tough, we naturally get tougher. I’m thankful to be an American and proud of all the people who are putting themselves at risk for the sick, the people and companies who are contributing to the effort to curtail the effects of this virus, and just going out of their way to help and contribute to the well-being of others.

Do we have our share of knuckleheads? Sure. Hoarding, ignoring guidance, and all the rest. The majority of us are, however, doing all we can to help our neighbor and do our part. This is the American spirit that wins over diversity, strife, and disaster, over and over and over. I am grateful for that.

Today, I send good thoughts to all who are suffering, afraid, and feeling helpless and stressed. We will overcome this thing, like we have everything else.

Stay safe. Stay informed. Follow credible guidance from trusted channels.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Wisdom Wednesday – Helping Others.

Tags

Follow Guidance, Helping Others, Little tasks, social media, Stay busy, Stay Informed, Stay Safe

Well, the President extended the guidelines provided by the government out to April 30, 2020. The governor of Michigan has ended the school year. The virus is hitting New York hard, and has cropped up in Louisiana, Michigan (my home state), and a few other places. Idaho experienced an earthquake late this afternoon. This virus is hitting every country and territory on the planet.

How does one maintain their sanity? First, keep yourself busy. Develop a routine and stick with it. Second, if you are working remotely, continue to do a great job for your company, despite the new difficulties presented by remote work. Third, help other people.

How can you help? You can pay it forward at restaurants you’re picking up your food from. You can stay in touch with family, particularly those family members that are elderly and isolated. You can reach out to elderly neighbors to see if they need anything from the market when you go to resupply. You can be courteous to other people and keep your distance when in public. You can abide by the hours stores set for the elderly and other populations at the grocery store, Walmart, and other outlets that are still open. You can post positive, funny, educational, and helpful information to your social media feeds. You can be a good family member by helping to cook, clean, and help with chores you might not otherwise do because you’re at work.

The key to feeling better when you feel helpless, frightened, and overwhelmed is to help other people. This will help you focus on someone else and take your mind off of things. Not to mention how great it feels to help other people out. While I was out today, I took a few extra minutes to bring a few shopping carts back to the entryway of the store, besides mine. It’s a small task, but who knows how that contributed to an employee’s day, who would normally have to go out and get them. Little things build up. Take a few moments to help. It’s worth it.

Well, that’s all I got, folks. I hope you and your family are safe. I hope you are enjoying your time at home with your loved ones.

Stay safe, stay informed, and follow guidelines provided by your local, state, and government authorities.

Until next time…

Dave