Daily Ramblings – Reading, Watching, and Learning – Ancient Wisdom for Today and YouTube

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Blogging, Books, Building Community, Courses, Eckankar, Learning, Reading, Watching, YouTube

I’m still reading the books I listed last week. I’m enjoying them immensely. I am also doing a lot of reading on Activision’s blog. This blog covers all things Call of Duty. One of the books I’d like to mention is a free book that is offered from ECKANKAR. It is written in layman’s terms, so it’s easy to understand. If any of you would be interested, here’s the link to get your free download or hard copy: https://www.eckankar.org/freebook/wisdom/

I watch a lot of YouTube, particularly to learn how to do things in Call of Duty and other games I’m playing. It is a great source of information. I watch videos on weapon builds, maps, all kinds of things that creators put together so others like me can learn something quickly that took hours of game play to figure out. It’s a great service.

I read another person’s blog post today about restarting her blog after finishing grad school. She expressed the same doubts about what to write about–one of the fears I had when I started Daily Ramblings in early 2016. Now, after 7 years, I write about what I like and care about. I’ve found that the people who enjoy my blog are kindred spirits. They like learning, they like interesting videos and articles, they have some spiritual inclinations, and they are politically agnostic–they realize politics is a reality in our lives, but choose not to participate or waste their time and emotions arguing fruitless points with one another.

I want Daily Ramblings to be a place where people can hear from people across history who offer great advice that is still relevant today. I want to share how I run my life, after a lifetime of military service and working in corporate America. I want to share my love of technology, video gaming, reading, writing, and sharing. I like sharing hacks I ‘ve come up with that make my life much easier.

In the end, I write this blog for me. It’s a nice “diary” if you will. I can go back to some of my earlier posts and remember what I was thinking at the time. I also enjoy the blogs I follow. There are artists, philosophers, environmentalists who love animals and nature, people who craft, authors I’ve come to know through their books, and so many others, just because they have interesting things to say that align with what I like to read about.

My advice is this: Write. The followers will come, if you are interested in building a community. Just write. There are a lot of people out there who are interested in what you have to say, because they think the same way you do. They’ll share the same interests.

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

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Funny Friday – Thanks!

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Blogging, Contributing, Friends, Funny Friday, Gratitude, Readers, Reading, Sharing, Thanks

All, I’m taking a little break from the funny videos today, to express my thanks to my readers and all the new followers of Daily Ramblings. When I started blogging in 2016, I had no idea what this was about. Now that Daily Ramblings has been up for a while, I am still amazed by the folks on this platform. So much talent!

It is also terrific to peer into your lives, for a few minutes each day and see what you are up to. The pictures you post, the stories you tell, the neat “finds” you share, are all a wonderful part of this special place.

I hope each of you have a terrific weekend. Thanks for reading, sharing, and following. This has truly been a positive blessing in my life and I look forward to many more years of contributing, sharing, and learning.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Blogging

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Blackbirch, Blogging, Friends, Good News, Grateful, Quilting, Thankful

Today, I’m grateful for blogging. I started this blog in 2016, when I returned home from Arizona to help out my folks in Michigan. I’ve always wanted to write and have a blog, but never had the time before retiring to really put in the time to build a readership, put together written content, or any of that.

One of the unknown benefits of blogging that I discovered is the ability to make friends. I’m pretty isolated here in Michigan with my folks. My Dad’s immune system is pretty compromised. My Mom and I have to be very careful, particularly now with COVID and all of its different strains. My state is one of those states experiencing another surge, due to the Delta variant. Now that the omicron has hit, who knows what will happen. So, getting out is risky, other than making short trips to the gas station, doctor and dental appointments, or a run to the grocery store.

I have made some really great friends here. At least I consider them friends. When you think about the intimate conversations we have with one another, it is more than most friends who see each other all the time have. Friends sharing stories about losing their husband, other friends talking about the writing life they have, and still other friends who focus on passing the good news around, rather than the bad news, which is so rampant.

So today, I am grateful for blogging. Here’s to some great friends, I would have never met any other way. Your stories are terrific. Getting to know you over the years has been great! Here’s to many more years of friendship, more stories to share, and even more friends, from who knows where.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – My Readers

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Blogging, followers, Individual, Interesting, passion, Readers, stories, Unique, Variety

When I write these postings, I rarely know what I am going to be thankful for. It just comes as I begin rambling on and on about this or that. Today, I am thankful for my reading audience. I have already achieved my follower goal for the year, but many are still coming. What a wonderful blessing.

When I first began blogging a few years back, I was very apprehensive about what I was writing. I worried about what people would think. Over time, I realized that each blog is individual. We write about what we care about. Some care about writing, some crafting, and some just put out the news in a particular area. When I realized that we are all just posting things that we are passionate about, I loosened up.

So today, I am grateful for my readers. Some of you are authors, some of you are crafters, others are retired. All are enjoying life as it comes and sharing their stories. And boy, are some of these stories terrific. Some stories are also sad, but informative. They share what a person is going through with the hope they might help someone else deal with the same issue in an easier way. All of these stories forms the fabric of the blogosphere. What a magnificent quilt it is!

Have a great day, folks. Thanks for following Daily Ramblings. I truly enjoy your comments and look forward to more people joining the conversation in the future.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Final Post Friday – 2020

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2020, 2021, Blogging, Bye for Now, final post, Friends, New Year, Thank you

Well, it’s been a helluva year. I hope all of you have been safe, healthy, and happy. This will be my last posting for 2020, as I’m taking off the last few weeks in December to celebrate my favorite part of the year.

With this final post, I’m grateful to have made a few friends, including author K.M. Allan. So many stories of your lives, pictures and places you’ve traveled, and all the rest each of us enjoys talking about are truly a tremendous gift for me. Despite our lockdowns, we have a medium to write down our thoughts and share them with the world.

I’d also like to thank all of you, personally, for following my blog. I try to capture a bunch of different topics, unlike many out there that stick to one topic or idea. This year, I’ll be dropping some of my daily topics for others. I don’t know which ones yet, but I’ll be thinking about that before the New Year begins. As this blog grows, so will my ideas.

In closing, I wish all of you peace, happiness, and love in 2021. See you there!!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Thank you Followers!

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Blessed, Blogging, Freedom, Grateful, Happy, Readers, Thankful

Today, I’m grateful for you, my readers. I think about the beginnings of my blog, and how it has evolved to its present state. It’s been quite a journey. I think the best part of blogging is the freedom to write what I wish. Yeah, I try to keep categories for each day of the week, but there’s still a lot of freedom to write about the things I care about.

I really appreciate those of you who took the time to respond to my posts. I hope this continues, because it is nice to interact with people all over the world. Each day I check my stats, I’m amazed by the geographical spread of people who visit my blog. I thank each of you for stopping by when you can.

Well, that’s all I have for today, folks! I hope you and your families are doing OK in your particular part of the world.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Week of March 16, 2020 – Updated

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Blogging, Coronavirus, Exercise, Learning, motivation, Reading, social media, spirituality, Writing

***Both of my gyms have closed. I’ll be moving all of my workouts into the home with my exercise bands.*** 

Well, it’s another week, folks!

What are you working on? As always, I packed my week with reading, writing, educating myself, spiritual work, and exercise. It’s going to be great fun!

My schedule:

• Scene construction for my fiction book – daily.
• Blogging – daily.
• Spiritual reading – daily.
• Spiritual exercises (meditation) – daily.
• Exercise – daily (see my workout routine) – daily.
• Algebra, Spanish, Python, NLP classes – daily.
• Post articles and quotes to social media – daily.
• Read writing book, fiction book, and Bible – daily.
• Journal – daily.

With all the news about the coronavirus (COVID-19), I would be remiss if I didn’t discuss it briefly. My advice: take all measures specified by your government. If you get sick, stay home, watch your symptoms, and get yourself to a hospital if your symptoms get worse.

Take care of yourself. Eat right, drink plenty of fluids, keep social distance, and help out your friends and family if they need it. My folks are in their late 70s and early 80s, so I’ll be on hand to step in and help if they get sick. We’re in a pretty small town and have not had any cases arise yet. We’re monitoring it.

What to do? Read, catch up on your movie watching, pay attention to your new outlets, exercise at home if your gym is closed or too far away, and follow any protocols your employer has put in place. My brother, sister, wife, niece, and nephew have all been moved to remote work/school, so life will be different for a few weeks.

Most important: Do Not Panic. I know it’s hard with the 24-hour news cycle, but use your common sense and don’t go overboard. Everything will be alright.

Have a great week, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

 

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – It’s Sunday Night, and All is Quiet

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Blogging, Comments, Flexibility, habits, Meditation, motivation, rituals, Variety

Hey there!

I was reading through a few blog posts and saw the time. It’s Monday Motivation time. I’ll time this post if I finish early or just post it at midnight. I love the variety in the blogs I follow. One had a family visit to a great tropical resort, another is in Japan, and yet another got to the gym and knocked out some treadmill work. We are all so unique, yet the same. We like to write (obviously), we like to tell our stories, and we like the occasional response to our work. I try to respond to all the blogs I read, hoping folks will do the same on mine. I really enjoy getting comments. It makes my day!

OK. Off we go!

This week I’ll be following my daily regimen. Writing, reading, learning, meditating, coding, exercising, and all the rest. I enjoy my rituals. I schedule enough work to keep me busy and the rest of the day is mine. Rituals are nice because they slowly become a habit. I do not follow a daily schedule, because I would rarely follow it. I get all of my stuff done. It’s nice to have some flexibility in the day and attack what I want to when I feel it.

One thing I do is cluster like tasks together. When I’m done with this blog post, I’ll hit my journaling, posting quotes, sharing articles, and letter writing. Tomorrow during the day when I’m fresh, I’ll do some work on my classwork and coding exercises. I’ll get my exercise in, and I try to meditate every afternoon between 2:30 and 4:30 pm. I like this time of day because there is little chance I’ll fall asleep. I tried morning meditations and before-bed meditations, but I always fall asleep. The afternoon sessions are perfect.

I hope all of you have a great week!

Until next time…

Dave

 

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursdays – Kind Words and Friendship

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Blogging, Comments, Connecting, Connection, Friends, Friendship, Grateful, Thankful

Today I’d like to thank the thoughtful bloggers that wished me well this week as I fight through a cold. What a wonderful gift.

What I find most fascinating is that small interactions over time can truly turn into a friendship. I know the terms friend and friendship have changed meaning in our new virtual world, but the sentiment is still the same. Friends are people who care about one another. They may not talk every day, but the feeling is there.

It’s interesting. I have been blogging for a little over 3 years and it took me this long to figure it out. You have to engage with other people to open the door to friendship. If you write your blog postings and never interact with other people in the blogosphere, you will likely remain alone, other than the random like here or there. We all love comments and feedback. To get this feedback and receive comments you have to take the first step. At least that is what I have discovered.

So, THANK YOU! Lillie, CrazyKat1963, and K.M. Allan for your kind words of encouragement. I am grateful for our friendship. It truly means a lot to me. And this is where I will end my posting today.

Until next time…

Dave

 

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Grateful for Retirement

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Blogging, Exercising, Grateful, Gratitude, Joy, Learning, Loving, Reading, Retirement, Service, Writing

When I was in the Army, particularly when I surpassed 10 years of service, I knew I was going to retire. It just didn’t make sense to leave the service and walk away from retirement. Boy, I’m glad I did.

I am grateful for the time I served, and if young enough, and faced with the same choices when I was younger, I’d do it all again. It was an adventure of a lifetime and it offered me the opportunity to do things I would have never had an opportunity to experience any other way.

I served in Europe for 6 years. I was in Berlin, Germany when the Berlin Wall came down. I was at the retirement ceremony for Checkpoint Charlie. I got to see Reagan give his famous “Tear down this wall” speech. So many memories.

Because of my service, my medical care is literally free for life. I had the opportunity to retire early and come home to help my folks. This has been a great thing. How many people get to celebrate their parent’s senior years? Not many. In fact, most people will never retire.

Honestly, I am not retired either. The key difference between my working life and my “retired” life is that I can do what I want. So, I am.

What do I love? I love reading. I love writing. I love exercise. I love serving. I love meeting new people and having impromptu conversations with people. I also love learning. So this is what I do every day.

What is something I discovered pretty quickly? I learned that I couldn’t just hang out and do nothing. Netflix is entertaining, but watching it all day every day—No thanks!

My military experience has bled into this retired life. I need structure. I don’t need a minute-by-minute schedule, but I need to do the same things daily. I do all the things I enjoy each day. I love blogging. I love working on my book projects. I love learning new things. All the things I do every day are an absolute joy. I hope all of you are in a position some day to do the same if you wish to.

So this is what I’m grateful for. My retirement and the new adventure I’ve embarked upon.

Have a great Thursday everybody!

Until next time…

Dave