Daily Ramblings – Spiritual Saturday – Love Yourself

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Contentment, Detachment, Giving, Humility, Love, receiving, Self Love, Selflessness

“You have to give love to get love” – Paul Twitchell

This is a simple equation, isn’t it? It’s the simplicity of these wise words that makes it difficult, right? The mind likes to complicate things–make them difficult. Easy things are hard to imagine, because we are so ready for the hard things.

Our minds are always on the lookout. The mind seeks out danger because it is wired to do so. It is fearful of the unknown. It is fearful of something new. It is also very hard on us.

When you begin something new, what does your mind tell you? Why are you doing this? You don’t know what you’re doing. You will mess up. You aren’t good enough? The mind is a terrible taskmaster for some of us.

When people speak of love, they typically mean loving someone or something else. When was the last time you loved yourself? When was the last time you cheered yourself on, patted yourself on the back, imagined a younger version of yourself and told that version that you were good, you were enough, and that you are loved? I bet it might have been a while–am I right?

You have to love yourself, before others will love you. You also have to be satisfied with being alone. When you love yourself and are happy by yourself, you won’t have any expectations of someone else. You won’t attach strings to the love you give them, because you are already satisfied with the love you are receiving–from yourself.

Take the time to really love–YOU! You know yourself better than anyone. You are the only person that can do this for you. Why be dependent on another person? Why yearn for love when you have more than enough to give yourself?

This isn’t selfish. You aren’t going to neglect the loved ones in your life, just take some time to love yourself. When you do so, you’ll find that the love you give is more selfless. You give love to just give it. You won’t expect anything in return.

I hope all of you have a terrific Saturday. I also want to thank all of you who stopped by to wish me a happy birthday. It was nice to hear from you. It was the icing on the cake, so to speak. A great day, followed by happy birthdays here and on my social media accounts. It was really nice.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Ted Talk Tuesday – What a Wonderful World!

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Beauty, It's a Wonderful World, Louis Armstrong, Love, Music, Song, Ted Talk, Tuesday

Here’s something a little different for you on this fine Tuesday. Enjoy this rendition of Louis Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World.

All the best to you today.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Wisdom Wednesday – Words

Tags

Adventure, Books, heartache, ideas, Journals, Love, stories, Storytelling, Travels, Writing

Today’s wisdom is about writing. When we write, we bring what is in our head to the page. For some, this is a difficult process. It is difficult because our minds can be so jumbled at times. We have thoughts. But until we write those thoughts down, read through them, think about them, edit them, and then complete what we have written into an intelligible collection of words, sentences, and paragraphs, they remain in the same form they are in our minds. Writing clarifies our thinking. It solidifies our thoughts. It changes a wisp of thought to a concrete idea. 

This is why I love writing. I love capturing what is in my mind and bringing these thoughts and ideas into reality. It is really magical. When you read a book written by an author, you realize that this world you are exploring was in someone else’s head. That is magic. 

You, my reading audience, are also involved with this process each time you write a post for your blog and submit it to the WordPress servers. You tell your story. You expose yourself for others to see. You talk about what bothers you. You talk about what excites you. You tell your stories. 

Your words teach, inspire, and impact everyone that reads them. You allow your readers to see a little piece of you, expressed in your words. The stories of adventure, heartbreak, mystery, war, love, and every emotion we experience as human beings. Words do that. Words!

Write. Write every day. Journal. Capture your thoughts. Tell your stories. Your travels, your experiences, your recipes. They all bring a richness to our existence. Your words matter. Your words impact others. Your words tell your story.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Wisdom Wednesday – 5 Quotes

Tags

condemnation, Imagination, Love, Mistakes, Power

We cannot change anything until we accept it. Condemnation does not liberate, it oppresses.

Carl Jung

The debt we owe to the play of imagination is incalculable.

Carl Jung

Mistakes are, after all, the foundations of truth, and if a man does not know what a thing is, it is at least an increase in knowledge if he knows what it is not.

Carl Jung

A psychoneurosis must be understood, ultimately, as the suffering of a soul which has not discovered its meaning.

Carl Jung

Where love rules, there is no will to power; and where power predominates, there love is lacking. The one is the shadow of the other.

Carl Jung

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spiritual Saturday – Love is Given; Love is Received.

Tags

Flowers, Gratitude, Joy, Karma, Love, Mother's Day

Begin with the love you have. Love gratefully. This love expands your heart into a greater vessel which can hold yet more love.

—Harold Klemp
The Language of Soul

Today’s posting will be a little short, because there’s not much I can add to this quote to improve its message. The only thing I can say is that you get love when you give it. Sometimes the timing is a little off, but if you are aware enough, you’ll recognize this when it happens.

Here’s a brief story to illustrate my point. My wife and her daughters aren’t communicating right now and it is just killing my wife. She misses them. I don’t blame her. They are my stepdaughters, and they are going through that phase that all young people go through. You know that phase when your parents know nothing, are behind the times, etc.

Anyway, my wife went to the market on Mother’s Day and realized people were buying flowers for their Mother’s that day. She picked up a bouquet and went to the checkout line. As she waited a young man came up behind her and struck up a conversation. During the conversation, the young man offered to buy my wife the flowers she had picked out, stating that his Mother died a few years ago, and he wanted to buy someone a Mother’s Day bouquet because he didn’t have a Mother to buy them for anymore. This act of love reduced my wife to tears, right there in the shopping line.

Some would say this is coincidence, but I say that there is no such thing. That man needed to show his love by buying a bouquet of flowers for my wife, and she needed those flowers, because her daughters didn’t get her anything. Love was given; love was received.

I hope you enjoyed my little story and this quote today.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Wisdom Wednesday – Do What You Love

Tags

Engaged, Love, passion, Time stands still, Unique, wisdom, Wisdom Wednesday, Yours

Where does your joy come from?

What is the one thing you would do for free and feel completely fulfilled?

Is there one thing you could do that makes the time fly by because you are so engaged with it?

All of us have that one thing we love to do, but never have time for. I realize many in my readership still work, still have responsibilities, and that requires a certain amount of your time. What do you do with the rest of your day?

The “rest of your day” is what remains when you’ve handled the things you “have to do”. Maybe you work. Maybe you have a family to take care of. I just finished a Master Class course by James Patterson. When he began writing his first book, he wrote every day at 5 am before he went to work.  By the way, his “work” at the time was copywriting. So writing is James Patterson’s one thing.

If you look at any of the greats, you’ll see they gravitated toward what they loved and made it work. If you find that one thing or a few things you really love doing, no one will have to tell you when to do it. You won’t be able to wait.

If you want to pursue something in your life, pursue that thing you love doing. You’ll naturally put everything you have into it. You won’t need to drag yourself to do it. You’ll outwork everyone else in the field because it is just that much fun—to you!

I wish I could wave a wand and tell you what yours is. I can’t. It took me many years to figure that out for myself. Your area could be drawing, pottery, playing an instrument, or playing video games. It could be reading. It could be collecting stamps, coins, or something else. Heck, it could be blogging.

Take some time to think through this. Maybe on a Saturday or Sunday when you have more time on your hands. Whatever your day is to do this type of thinking/contemplation, take some time to do it.

How did I find my “thing” you ask? Well, I looked at my life and sought out that thing I did when time evaporated. What was I doing? What did I do? When I was young, I played Dungeons and Dragons. I had to create adventures for a group of my friends. This creation called for drawing out maps, creating characters, putting together plots, and doing enough of that to keep four of my friends busy for up to 8 hours every time we got together. Writing. Writing is the time I lose myself. Writing is when I gain the most joy. Writing is my thing.

Am I a great writer? Who knows? Will I be a best-selling author? I don’t care. I love to write and create worlds that I enjoy. This is all for me and no one else. I’m taking Dan Brown’s Master Class (he wrote the Da Vinci Code and many other books). He stated the same thing in one of his classes. “Write what you would want to read. If other people like it—terrific. If not, who cares. It’s your book.” (I’m paraphrasing).

The whole point of finding what you love is for you. It isn’t about making a lot of money or being famous. It is about doing what completes you. What is that thing? You find that and you’re on your way to a very fulfilling life.

Well, that’s all I got for today, folks. I hope you have a terrific day!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spiritual Saturday – The Love You Give Returns

Tags

Altruism, Charity, Giving, Goodwill, Love, Saturday, Selfless, spirituality

What is spirituality? Some folks believe it is attending church, a mosque, or a synagogue, and following the rituals associated with their religions. Others meditate and read and learn about mindfulness and themselves. Still others do the best they can for their families, contribute or take part in charities, and follow the golden rule. Based on what I’ve written here, it is what you make of it.

Spirituality, at its most simple level, is serving others. It is giving and receiving love. It is putting everything you have into something. Putting love into it. It is extending your goodwill to all. It is expressing your love for others without trying to control them or forcing them to be who you want them to be. This is a detached love. It is loving someone for who they are, nothing more. It is a love without strings attached.

When you do something selflessly for someone else, there’s a good feeling that comes with it. It’s like love leaves you and goes where you are putting your efforts. Then, that love returns to fill you right back up. The more love you give, the more you get. This universe is just that simple. It is we humans that make it hard. The human mind loves complicating things.

Have you ever decided to love someone and serve them, regardless of what they do or don’t do? It is a very selfless act. It is also hard. It’s hard to serve and love someone that does not return that love. Yet, it still comes back. The more love you give, the more you get.

Think about a dog. Dogs are selfless lovers. When you walk in the door, they are so excited to see you. When you are watching TV or reading a book or whatever, that dog is always there. Right there with you. Can you imagine how much love that dog feels? They love without regrets, without demanding something in return. This is a perfect example of selfless love. The more love you give, the more you get.

Are you in a difficult relationship? Remember how wonderful it was when you first met? Over time, little things build up. Little slights. Little trespasses. You wake up one day and things aren’t right anymore. How do you get it back? You guessed it. Love your partner. Love them. Serve them. Expect nothing. Don’t fix them. Let them be who they are. The more love you give, the more you get.

The more love you give, the more you get.

Have a great Saturday, folks.

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 – Valentine’s Day

Tags

Cherish, Hearts, Intimacy, Love, Romance, Together Time, Valentine's Day

How did it happen that their lips came together? How does it happen that birds sing, that snow melts, that the rose unfolds, that the dawn whitens behind the stark shapes of trees on the quivering summit of the hill? A kiss, and all was said.

Victor Hugo

Today, show your partner how you feel with chocolates, cards, a surprise trip, bath bombs, a nice dinner, or a quiet time in front of the fireplace with your favorite beverage. Celebrate them. Show them your love. Make it special. Make it memorable.

Photo by Djurdjina ph.djiz on Pexels.com

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – The School of Hard Knocks

Tags

Experience, God, Hardship, Love, pain, Suffering, Teacher, Thankful, trouble

I review my life quite a bit. I wonder why I did this or that. I relish the experiences I’ve had. I like looking back at what I call a pinnacle moment. That moment when you make a decision that drastically changes your life. Sometimes a change comes because we want it. Other times, it comes because we have no other choice.

I’ve experienced bankruptcy, death, horror, fear, extreme boredom, and high adventure. I’ve experienced divorce, breakups, and the loss of dear friends. I’ve achieved some pretty terrific things and failed miserably at others.

What have I gathered so far in this life? Quite a bit of wisdom. I’ve learned what to avoid. I’ve learned about myself. My definition of love has changed. I’ve cultivated a gratitude for everything in my life.

I think about how I am today, compared to what I was. When I look back over the years, I didn’t like my earlier self too much. But you have to start somewhere. Over the years, hardship and problems have smoothed out the rough edges. I’ve become more accepting of other people and empathize more with people in tough positions. Perhaps this empathy developed because I have experienced some of these things myself or at least can measure another person’s troubles more accurately now that I have experienced some of the things others have.

Would I change anything? No. My life is the way it is today because of each bump, scratch, and tear. I like where I am today. There are many more things to learn, perhaps even more suffering, but each experience is a gift. One of my friends told me that many people are upset with life because of what life does to them. He told me that life doesn’t do anything to us—life does things for us. To rephrase, it’s not what is done to us, but what is done for us.

We are all here to learn through experience. God wants us to come home, but only when we have learned to serve others, to love others, and receive the love of others. When we achieve that state, we can then become Co-workers with God and carry out our mission for the good of all.

I hope each of you has a terrific Thursday.

Until next time…

Dave