Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Write a Letter

Tags

Expressing Gratitude, Expressing your Feelings, Love, Maintaining the Connection, Staying in Touch, Updates, Writing Letters

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

Do you have a good friend or loved one that is far away? Do you miss them? Do you love them? Write them a letter. Even if you do not mail it, they will receive what you are sending. Simply open up your favorite word processing app and write them a letter. If you want them to receive your words, mail it to them or email it to them. I started this practice last year with my wife. We talk on the phone, I visit, and we do video chats, but the letters are a great way to stay in touch.

 

My wife is a special education teacher in Phoenix, AZ. I had to come home to help out with my Dad who is suffering from Dementia. I could not ask my wife to give up her career, so we decided she should stay in Phoenix and keep doing what she’s doing. We also had to consider my stepdaughters. They are all out on their own, but they need their Mama and it wouldn’t be fair to pull Mom out of the picture.

So, I send my wife a letter every month, expressing my love, my appreciation, my gratitude for her being in my life. Yeah, she’s far away, but the letters, calls, and video chats make it like she’s right here.

 

Just because you are not in the same home or locale, doesn’t mean you can’t stay close. Try this out for yourself. You’ll be amazed with the results.

I am grateful for my wife. She is beautiful, hard-working, and a great friend. I got the idea in reading memoirs of WWII veterans whose only contact with their wives were the letters they sent to them. This is the idea I got and decided to run with it. My wife loves them.

I take an entire month to write my wife. I add a little to the letters each day as thoughts come to mind or when something happens here that she’d be interested in. Then I edit and rewrite as necessary in the last week. It works. We both feel like we are with one another all the time and my letters are a big part of that.

Well, that’s it for this week. Thank you to all the new followers this week. I also appreciate the comments you’ve posted. I can never get enough comments. Have a great Thursday!

Until next time…

Dave

 

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Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – New Followers

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Appreciative, Blogging, followers, Grateful, Interaction, Thank you, Writing

I decided to start a blog a few years ago because I wanted an outlet for my writing and wanted to interact with other bloggers. I enjoy writing about the things I care about, like exercise, spiritual topics, productivity, and anything else that comes to mind.

Daily Ramblings broke the 600-follower mark this week. To all my new followers this week—Thanks! I also want to thank those of you who have stuck around. It’s nice to be appreciated by folks across the globe for the ideas and content I submit to this blog every day and I appreciate everyone who has interacted or just clicked like.

We all live very busy lives and I realize spending the time to look at other people’s work in and around working, going to school, traveling, taking care of your families, gardens, and fur babies, is tough. That’s why it means so much to get some response from you on a daily basis.

Honestly, most of us who are blogging would blog regardless of our followings. I know I would. But, it is nice to get feedback and comments on my work. Today, I appreciate all of you for giving me a bit of your time.

If you are new, here is my posting schedule:

• Motivation Monday
• Ted Talk Tuesday
• Wisdom Wednesday
• Thankful Thursday
• Funny Friday
• Spiritual Saturday
• Series Sunday (when I find a topic to be passionate about and want to do some long-form writing on it)

Well, that’s it for today. Thanks again to all of my new followers. Have a great Thursday!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Technology

Tags

Appreciative, Apps, Dreams, Goals, Grateful, technology, Thankful, Websites

If you can dream something, you can do it. As long as you do not align your actions with your dreams, you are not fulfilling your destiny. — Harold Klemp
The Language of Soul

I’m thankful for my dreams. I enjoy pursuing things to accomplish. I am grateful for services like Codecademy, Udemy, and Coursera. These services allow me to learn different things, like coding, writing, and virtually any topic I find myself intrigued by. I am grateful for services like Bodybuilding.com which give me access to workout routines, diet and nutritional information. I am also grateful for their app called Bodyspace. Another fitness app I am enjoying is 5MHW (5 minute home workout) which I use when the gym is not a viable option. I am grateful for Scrivener, Scapple, and ProWritingAid, which help me generate book ideas, help me with grammar and style, and map out new ideas for stories and books. These websites and services contribute to my ability to pursue my interests and enjoy the journey.

 

I am grateful for my technology gear, like my iPhone 10 and laptop, which allow me to do my work anywhere I wish, read a book, watch a movie or show, or enjoy some of my favorite music. Technology allows us to do so many things that in previous eras were difficult or impossible to do.

 

All these tools help me work toward my goals and dreams. It is truly a great time to be alive. I hope each of you has a terrific Thursday! I am banging out my tasks and getting things done.

List any tech or app you use that helps you tackle your projects and goals. I’d be curious to see if there is something out there that I don’t use currently that would help me. Post your favorite tech or app in the comments below.

Until next time…

Dave

 

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Life

Tags

experiences, Foreign Lands, Joy, Jury Duty, Learning, Life, Service, Travels

Thanks to all my new followers this week. I am always thankful for even one new person who follows Daily Ramblings. It is a real treat.

Today I am thankful for my life. I have had so many experiences that have contributed to who I am today. I was thinking about my 20 years in the Army and the opportunity to serve my country in multiple capacities. I was thankful for the places that service allowed me to see. I am grateful for all the people I met, and the friendships made.

I am grateful for the great times I had in Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. I am grateful for the experience of living in these places and learning more about the people that lived there. I am grateful for these experiences and how they helped me grow as a human being.

When I look back over my life, I have a deep gratitude for everything that has happened. Each event added to who I am today. I would change nothing. Every single thing that I have gone through—be it good or bad—was necessary. My life has been one grand adventure that continues to bring new experiences every day.

This week, I had my first opportunity to experience jury duty. I have been selected before, but never actually picked to come into the courthouse. It was an interesting experience. The people I met were nice and the experience overall was great. I spent two days there because the previous day was interrupted quite a bit by a previous jury’s deliberations and the judge had to bring us back to finalize jury selection. It was nice hanging out with the people there and getting to know a few of them.

Well, that’s it for now, folks. Have a great week!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Pets

Tags

Companionship, family, Goldie, Grateful, Gratitude, Love, pets, Thanks, Weezer

Image by Sven Lachmann from Pixabay

As always, thank you to all my new followers this week! It’s always nice to get an email notifying me of a new follower. I appreciate it. It is nice to know that people are reading my content and enjoying it. Thank you very much.

Today, I want to express thanks for the pets that have blessed my life. My family lost two pets in the last month. Goldie was our golden retriever that had to be put down a week ago. The day we made the call, poor Goldie had upwards of 9 seizures. Weezer, my sister’s dog had to be put down a few weeks prior for a brain tumor. The memories of both dogs will be with me and my family forever. Dogs provide so much love to a family. They are good companions, funny, and love to hang out with you. It was not uncommon for Goldie to be in the same room with us, wherever we were. Because Mom, Dad, and I all have different places we like to be, Goldie would always position herself so she was in the middle of us. She had four places she liked. The first was the hallway outside my Mom’s, Dad’s, and my rooms. When we are all on our computers, you could turn around and see Goldie in the hallway, ever vigilant. When Dad and I watch television, Goldie is there watching the shows with us. When my Mom is out on our deck in the morning, Goldie is out there. We’ll miss you Goldie and Weezer. When the family is congregating in our living room in the morning, Goldie was there.

Whether you are a dog lover, cat lover, have birds, or a goldfish, pets are a great addition to any home. Yeah, they are a pain at times, but the love they give makes any home a warm one. They are companions that do not judge. They are just there to keep you company, get a petting, a treat, and are the best listeners in the world.

If you have a pet you’d like to highlight, comment with a picture of your fur baby. They are a treasure that add so much to our lives.

Me and Weezer at my Sister’s House

Goldie in one of her favorite places in our home—the living room floor

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday

Tags

Appreciative, Fulfilled, Grateful, Gratitude, Happy, Thankful, Thanks

Today’s Thankful Thursday starts with a big thank you to all of you who have followed me this week. I really appreciate it. It’s nice to see a new follower in my Inbox. I hope all of you continue to enjoy my writings. For those of you who are new, here is my weekly schedule for postings:

• Motivation Monday
• Ted Talk Tuesday
• Wisdom Wednesday
• Thankful Thursday
• Funny Friday
• Spiritual Saturday

I am also grateful for my wife. She is a daily inspiration to me. She recently went to a bodybuilding competition in Las Vegas and placed 2nd and 5th in two different categories. I am so proud of her and all the hard work she put into this. The dieting, the brutal exercise routines her coach put her through, and all the rest. Way to go dear!

I am also grateful for the opportunity I have to be with my parents in their senior years. Few people can do this. My ability to retire early allowed me to be home and help and enjoy my Mom and Dad before they leave this Earth. It is a real privilege to do this.

When I look at my life, there are so many things to be thankful for. I seek new things that I am grateful for every day. When you sit back and look at your life, it is a great thing to see the good in it, to see the things that bring you joy and make you feel warm inside.

I hope all of you have a great Thursday! One more day to the weekend!!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – The Joy of Video Gaming

Tags

Alien: Isolation, First-person Shooters, Grateful, Metro Trilogy, Survival Horror, Thanks, Video Games, Xbox

Image by Marko Deichmann from Pixabay 

Today, my inner child is coming out. I am thankful for my XBOX and all the game developers out there who create terrific video games. Recently I beat Metro Exodus, the third game in the Metro Trilogy. It has a great story, awesome graphics, and really sucks you in. The entire trilogy was awesome. If you have not played Metro 2033, Metro Last Light, and Metro Exodus, you are missing out. It is a tremendous story, filled with characters you’ll enjoy interacting with.

I just started playing Alien: Isolation. Wow! What a scary game! In this game, you are Ripley’s daughter. You get the opportunity to travel to a ship nearby which holds the final flight recorder of your Mom’s ship. I won’t spoil this for you. You just have to play it to experience it. It is a really creepy game so far. If you have not seen the movie Alien, you may want to watch it. This game was built to add on to the story in the original film.

The trailer above will give you an idea about what I’m talking about. It’s a great game so far.

Here’s to video gaming!

Until next time…

Dave

 

Daily Ramblings – Two Days

Tags

Appreciation, Chuckle, Comedy, Giggle, Gratitude, Gratitude Journaling, Laughter, Thankfulness

I was feeling a little under the weather yesterday, so I missed my weekly Thankful Thursday, so today, I’m going to combine yesterday and today’s topics into one posting.

 

Daily Ramblings gained some new followers this week. Welcome and Thank you for following me. I really appreciate it. I’m also grateful for the success of my Mom’s cataract surgeries. She was nervous about getting it done and was concerned with her left eye, but this week’s doctor appointment confirmed that all is ok.

I wanted to touch on gratitude journaling again because it is such an important habit, at least for me. I started small, but now my gratitude journal has evolved to a combination of gratitude and morning pages. The practice I use now involves writing down what I am grateful for until I feel it. When I feel gratitude my heart opens. There is a calming that comes and sticks around for the day. This feeling is hard to describe. It is like everything is all right in my world. If you are interested in trying this out, I’d recommend starting with the 5-minute journal. I am not an affiliate, but a satisfied customer. I don’t use the app for this reason anymore. I have a tab in my OneNote app that I dedicate to my journaling.

 

Anyway. For this week’s funny Friday, I’ll recommend a comedian I really enjoy. His name is Bill Burr. I’ll warn you, he’s very edgy, but his humor aligns with mine in every way. I hope you enjoy him. He has a few comedy shows on Netflix right now. You should try him out, if you’ve never seen one. My sister and I saw him in Detroit last year, and he has one of the longest comedy shows I’ve ever seen. He was on stage around 2 hours, which is unheard of in this industry. Most are off stage in about an hour or so.

 

Well, that’s it for today, folks. I hope each of you has a wonderful weekend, filled with love, fun things, and some time with your families and loved ones.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Thank You Followers!

Tags

Blessings, Blogging, Content, Grateful, Gratitude, New Followers, Ramblings, Thank you

Today’s edition thanks you, my followers. I really appreciate all of you who follow Daily Ramblings and hope to continue to provide great content in the years to come. Like all blogs, evolution is continual. We find a topic we enjoy writing about and our followers result because of the content we are discussing.

I really appreciate the comments you provide. I also appreciate you spending time reading my postings. I try to keep these postings brief out of respect for your time, but will hit pockets that spur me to write much longer postings.

Blogging has been freeing. It allows me to write daily and contribute to this forum. It also allows me to record my thoughts and feelings daily, which fluctuate over the days and months that precede a posting. Sometimes my posts are impacted by the news, a holiday, or an event in my life that is meaningful. At other times, I just write and the topic develops itself.

I hope all of you are having a terrific week! We are enjoying some rain today. It is really relaxing to look at the rain from my office chair and relish that I’m inside, warm and cozy. In my Army days, you couldn’t escape the weather. It always seemed like whenever we went to the field, the weather turned sour. In reality, the weather didn’t change at all. You don’t notice the weather until you are in it and have no means of escaping it.

Yesterday, I fired up my grill for the first time this year. I enjoy a good steak fresh off the grill. Today, I’ll be pan frying my food, as the rain won’t allow me to grill today. For those of you who have the opportunity to grill today, enjoy! The food tastes so good on the grill.

Well, that’s it for today, folks! Have a great Thursday!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Vacation

Tags

family, Grateful, Happy, Little Moments, Relaxed, Thankful, vacation

Image by Ryan McGuire from Pixabay 

It’s always nice to visit my sister in Plymouth, MI. I arrived last night. We caught up, watched a movie, and had some good food. It’s nice to hang out with her. Today is a relaxed day. Sis is working on her upcoming online business and I am working through my daily list of to-dos.

Today, I am thankful for my family. I am thankful for God. I am thankful for my health. I am thankful for my ability to learn new things. I am thankful for my ability to contemplate and plan. I am thankful for my friends and colleagues. I am thankful for our pets. I am grateful for my wife and stepdaughters. I am grateful for the little moments.

Our lives are composed of a string of moments. Moments where we feel something profound. That moment we blow out the candles on our birthday cake. A moment when we kiss someone for the first time. A moment of cuddling with a glass of wine and some cheese, with romantic music playing in the background. The moment you get a promotion. The moment you enjoy the quiet while you read a good book. We store these moments, like photos in an album, or pieces of newspaper clippings in a scrapbook. It’s these little moments that comprise our lives and what we remember when we reminisce about the great moments in our lives.

I don’t remember a lot about my childhood, but I remember the important moments that were meaningful. I moment when I was in the back of the family car waiting for my Dad to get off work. It was my birthday, and I was so happy and loved that I hugged my Mom from the back seat and cried because I was so happy in that moment. It was a moment that still affects me today. I remember these moments because the meaningful ones, filled with emotion, are the ones we hang on to. We never forget them.

While on vacation I neglect most of my to-dos to get a breather. I enjoy taking time off from my day-to-day things and just watch shows or play games or read. It is a nice respite from my daily routines. It keeps things fresh. I’ll be on vacation until Saturday and then I’m back to it. I hope all of you are having a great week. If you haven’t done this before, take a few moments and think about what you are grateful for in your life. It is a nice exercise that puts things into perspective.

Until next time…

Dave