Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Motivation is Coupled to Your Mood

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anxiety, depression, Exercise, Fall, Holidays, Monday, Mood, motivation, Sister, Sun Lights, Winter

This time of year it gets dark and stays dark. We have a lot of dark, rainy days in the fall, or dark snowy days. It’s just that time of year for Michiganders. Many people in my neck of the woods suffer from an ailment (I do not know the name), where the dark impacts their moods. My sister is one of them.

She and I are the exact opposite when it comes to this time of year. It is my favorite time. For her it is absolute torment. One solution she came up with was getting herself a light that she sits in for about an hour before doing anything else. It was the trick.

Do you have any fall challenges? Do the darker months impact you? You may want to look into a light like my sister did. Perhaps you have other challenges with the fall and winter months. Maybe you do not like to be cooped up. Learn some winter sports like cross-country skiing, hiking, or even just walking. There are a lot of things to do if you look for them.

Motivation and mood are tied to one another. It is hard to be motivated if you are pissed off or depressed. Find the root cause of these things; get some help if you need it. It is really hard to be motivated if you don’t feel well, or are suffering from depression.

Another thing you may look into is exercise. Exercise for me is like going to a psychologist. I just feel so good when I go to the gym, get in some exercise, and sweat a little. It is something about the body moving, the endorphins that are released when we exert ourselves, and the boost to the self esteem that comes when you do something that is hard to do.

Well, that’s it for today, folks. Enjoy the changing colors of the leaves, the snow that will come soon, if it is not here already where you live, and the great food and family time that accompanies this time of year. It’s great to be alive, isn’t it?

Have a great Monday, folks.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – I’m back…

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Brother, Evaluating, family, Fun, Good times, Laughter, Monday, motivation, Planning, Scheduling, Sister

I’m back, after a great week with my brother and his girlfriend, We all had a great time, and we all got to celebrate my Mother’s 78th birthday. My sister came down, so all of the siblings were here, along with the gal.

How do you get back on track, after a long vacation? For me, it’s my to-do app, set up with recurring tasks. All my daily to-dos are recurring, so my to-do list literally tells me what I need to do. It’s great!

While my brother was here, I was surprised with an early birthday gift (My birthday is in October). The birthday gift was a 2TB storage drive for my Xbox. After installing it, which took about a minute, I now have 1.7TB of storage remaining. What a treat! I’ve also started playing Call of Duty, Mobile. It is Call of Duty’s way of allowing folks to play their game, who cannot afford an XBOX. I have to say it is quite a good game. I play it on my iPad, and use an Apple-specific controller. It’s great fun. I’ve also decided, since I enjoy so many games, that I’ll stick with Call of Duty Mon-Friday, and then play some new games on the weekend.

Today, I’m knocking out the cobwebs and getting back on track. I recently received an inner prompting to take stock of my life, look at what I am doing every day, and make some adjustments. I get this prompting from time-to-time, and it is a great way to evaluate, consolidate, and reorganize. A friend of mine recently retired and asked for some advice. I told her, find a hobby, list out the things she has always wanted to do, but never had time, and put together a list of daily things she could do to start getting all these things moving. She asked, “Why?” I replied, “Because, binge watching Netflix will get old real quick.”

The point I’m making here is that when you have a lot of time, it is easy to waste it. Retirement does not mean you quit life. It means you enjoy it more fully. If you have recently retired, take a look at your life. What works? What doesn’t work? Then, make a list of all the things you want to focus on for the rest of your life. It could be writing a book, going back to school, learning a musical instrument, taking up drawing, creating a reading list, or even join a book club. The possibilities are endless, and you’ll have fun deciding what you want to do with yourself.

For me, my focus is on learning, reading, writing, spirituality, staying in shape, and gaming. Gaming is my hobby, so I don’t do any gaming, until I’ve knocked out my daily tasks. Life is not without some form of self-discipline. My exercise habits waned during the pandemic, so this is something I will be revisiting for sure. The older I get, the more quickly I get out of shape. Whew!

I’m also doing something different this year. My religious path, follows a different calendar than a traditional one. Our New Year starts on the 23rd of October each year. So, November will now be my January. So, plan on my yearly goals, aspirations, and plans in October instead of December. I’ll get this out to all of you, after I’ve done some thinking, planning, and scheduling.

Well, that’s it for now. We had a great time with family over the last week. It was so much fun, having family meals, playing board games, talking about our memories, and just laughing and laughing. Here’s to family.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Sisters

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enjoy, family, Fun, Games, Good Food, Good times, Movies, Relax, Sister

My sister just left for home. It was a nice 5 days. We watched movies, got take out, hung out in the living room and chatted, and she even watched me play some Call of Duty with my brother. It was a great visit! She likes coming down and hanging out with Dad because we don’t know how much longer Dad will be with us. Last night, they watched some Star Trek movies (Dad loves those).

It’s terrific to have family visit. The folks get a kick out of it, and it’s always fun to catch up. When I have a family member visit, you’ve probably noticed a little inconsistency with my postings. I put everything I am doing on hold when family comes to maximize my time with them.

Anyway, I’m grateful for the time we had together. It was great fun!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Update – Sister Visit

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Dad, Dad-Daughter time, family, Movies, Schedule, Shows, Sister, Television, time, Translation

Hi folks!

For those of you who follow my blog consistently, you’ll notice I missed yesterday’s posting and today’s is not a video from Ted Talks or TedEd. My sister is visiting. When she comes my schedule goes out the window, to accommodate her and her visit. We always have a great time when she comes over. So this is what I wanted to pass along.

Her schedule is pretty open, so I don’t know if she’ll be staying much longer or hitting the road today. Either way, my schedule of postings will be interrupted for a bit, while she’s here, so I can maximize my time with her. She lives a few hours away, and we talk over the phone and stuff, but it’s not the same as her being here. For those of you with family scattered all over, you know what I’m talking about. I always maximize my time with my sister and brother when they visit, because it isn’t often.

Right now, her and Dad are downstairs watching Star Trek on Amazon. Dad loves television shows and movies, and she and dad always get in one day of watching shows when she visits. It’s their time, and I squeak away to get some of my things done when she does this with dad. Dad has been deteriorating lately. He doesn’t eat as much, sleeps most of his day away, and that’s just what happens when people get close to passing. It’s like God prepares them for the next step on their journey by keeping them in the dream worlds more and more as they approach the end.

I realize this may sound a little melodramatic, but I noticed this type of behavior in our dog Goldie when she was getting close to passing. The elderly just sleep. When the passing time comes, we call it translation in Eckankar; the individual is well-prepared for it. This is what I see with Dad. So when Deb comes over, I let her maximize her time with Dad. I am with him every day, and I don’t need the time she doesn’t get while she is away.

Well, that’s it for today, folks. I hope you all are having a great Tuesday!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Funny Friday – Sister Update

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Disney+, family, Friday, Good Conversation, Good Food, John Wick, Siblings, Sister, Talking, Video Games

Well, folks, my sister is leaving today. We had a great time. We played video games (Call of Duty Black Ops – Zombies), watched some movies (John Wick), and had some late night talks. She brought some green pea and Thai chicken soup she made, and that made some nice dinners for a few days.

It’s always nice when my siblings visit. My sister lives a few hours away and my brother is in Arizona. It’s nice to connect with them and hang out with them while they are here.

Have a great Friday, folks. Daily Ramblings will be back to its normal schedule of postings and topics next week. Have a great weekend!!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Ted Talk Tuesday – Update

Tags

family, Family Time, Good Food, Have Fun, Movies, Relax, Sister, Talking

My sister is visiting and I’ve been spending some time with her the last few days. I’ll be back on schedule with my blog once she heads home. I hope all of you are having a great week!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursdays – Sister

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family, Friends, Fun, Grateful, Humor, Sister, Thankful, Thankful Thursday

My sister just changed jobs and decided to move back home to get herself set up for the new position. It has been a great time so far. We hang out, we talk, we watch shows on TV, and we get to hang out more then when she was living a couple hours away.

It’s nice to have her home. I missed most of her life, while I was in the service, and living in different states after I retired. I know her, but really don’t. Now’s the time to get reacquainted and get to know her as an adult woman.

So today, I am grateful for my sister. She’s got a great sense of humor, works hard, and always contributing to the family. I couldn’t be happier that she is home. It’s a great thing.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursdays – Grateful for Sis

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Enjoyable, family, Fun, Grateful, Movies, Shows, Sister, Talking, Thankful

My Dad had a hernia surgery this week and is recovering nicely. In light of this, my sister wanted to come up and stay with the family to help out when and where needed. Since she, like most folks, is working remotely for her company, it didn’t matter whether she was here or at her place.

My sister is always bringing some humor to the place. She likes to laugh and enjoys watching good movies, hanging out with the family and friends, and talking with friends on the phone. One of her endearing qualities is being so excited to watch a movie together and then falling asleep partway through. This happened when she was over, as we watched Joker for the first time.

So today, I’m grateful for my sister. She’s a good soul who loves life, loves to have fun, and loves to talk. Thanks for coming over, sis. It was a great few days together.

Have a great Thursday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Grateful for Siblings

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Appreciative, Brother, close, family, Grateful, Sister, Thankful, tight

Today, I’m grateful for my brother and sister. My brother lives in Arizona, and my sister lives in Michigan, about 2 hours away. My brother is a Network Manager for Fender Guitars and my sister is a Program Manager for GM/Chrysler.

Both have a unique sense of humor, always attuned to the Gardner clan. I stay in touch with my brother via phone and playing coop video games together. He also likes to find funny memes and send them to me and my sister. My sister is closer. She visited this last weekend to hangout for Mother’s day and get out of the house and see something else for a change. When she comes over, we have long conversations into the wee hours.

I know some families that don’t get along so well. Not mine. My brother, sister, and I are like peas in a pod. Yeah, we have our own interests and my brother is a long way away, but all of us stay connected one way or another. I’m thankful for that.

It’s great to know you have two people, roughly the same age that have your back. It’s a comfort knowing that we will stick together through thick and thin. When I needed help, my brother and sister pitched in to help. When they need help, I hope I did the same. I always try to help out my family whenever I can. For me, it’s the only way to live.

Well, that’s it for today, folks. I hope you find something to be thankful for each day. It is a great practice. If you have a few minutes, start keeping a gratitude journal and write down three things you are grateful for everyday. It is a great practice and one that will keep your spirits up.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Dad

Tags

Appreciative, Brother, Dad, family, Grateful, Lucky, Mom, Privilege, Sister, Thankful

Yesterday, we celebrated Dad’s 81st birthday. We gave him some birthday cards; I got him a book, because he loves to read, and Mom got him some new sneakers for the gym. We got him going a few weeks back because the Doc says he has to move more. We also went out to dinner last night so Dad could get a Ribeye, his favorite steak.

Dad at the gym…

I’m thankful for Dad. When I was young, like most boys, Dad was a superman. Now that I’m back home helping the family because of his diagnosis of Dementia, our relationship is different. Dad likes to reminisce about the times he could go to the local movie theater and watch a few short films, a feature film, get a popcorn, and a drink for 15 cents. Dad is more human. Dad and I are friends now. Yeah, I can’t have deep conversations with him, but we watch TV shows together, we read together in the living room, and we enjoy pizza from time-to-time.

Dad worked his tail off when I was growing up. He worked for the Detroit Edison as a power plant operator. He worked shift work, yet still had the energy to come home and work on the house, around the yard, and did stuff with us kids (mostly TV).

What did Dad teach me? He taught me how to treat a woman. He taught me how to work hard and enjoy it. One of his sayings that comes to mind was: “If you know you have to do a job, there are two ways to look at the job. You can like doing the job and the time tends to go quickly and enjoyably, or you can dislike the job and time crawls and your miserable the entire time.” This advice helped me well during my 20 years in the Army.

He taught me about music. Dad loved to play the guitar and I, who wanted to be like Dad, learned to play a few instruments because I wanted to play something with Dad.

He taught me to read. He didn’t teach the mechanics of reading, but taught me the habit of reading. Like music, I wanted to be like Dad. So, I developed a reading habit at a young age. It has stayed with me to this day and helped me in the Army and in College.

Me and Dad at his Physical Therapy.

There are so many things Dad has taught me. I am grateful for these things. Now that he is in his senior years, it feels good to be home and help him out—to repay a life of sacrifice and hard work so I could live a better life than he did. That’s the way it’s supposed to work, right? Anyway, it’s a treat and privilege to be home and help out the folks. Even today, we can get on each other’s nerves, but mostly, it’s great to hang out and pitch in when they need help with technical things or need me to read something they get in the mail they don’t understand.

So I’m grateful for Dad. He helped me become the man I am today and gave me, my brother, sister, and Mom a better life.

Until next time…

Dave