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 – 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 – 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 – Thankful Thursdays – Thanks for Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Curiosity Stream, and Vudu.

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Amazon Prime, Appreciative, Curiosity Stream, Entertainment, Grateful, Netflix, Staying Busy, Thankful, Vudu

Well, we’re at home. We’re working from home and staying at home when we’re done working from home. If we get out, it’s because we need food or we have a doctor’s appointment, or we are just driving around to look at something different than our living room.

It’s time like these that you have to be thankful for the many streaming services that provide us entertainment. I enjoy Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Curiosity Stream, and Vudu. As I mentioned in my previous posting, I don’t watch a lot of news. Most of it is opinionated, slanted one way or another politically, and rarely carry anything of import. Most of it is designed to stress you out, and during these troubled times, I’d prefer not to add to the stress that is already there.

What do I like? Well, I love West Wing (I’m watching it right now). There is also season 2 of Altered Carbon, Locke & Key, and a bunch of other content available. On Amazon Prime, there are all kinds of great series and movies for cheap. I watched a James Cagney film last week, and it was terrific. I’ve got White Heat, another Cagney film on my watch list. It rents for $2.99 US.

If streaming videos don’t work, I’ve got Spotify for all of my podcasts and music, and my Xbox for gaming. Plenty of entertainment that I will never get through in a lifetime.

Since my gym has closed, I also enjoy using my exercise bands to stay in shape. If these aren’t your forte, there are plenty of free video home workouts on YouTube. All this technology, and all available for a minimal cost. Thank God!

There are a lot of things available to us to keep us entertained during any lockdowns we may experience. Take advantage of them. They are great entertainment, and they are reasonably priced. I pay $15.99 for my Netflix service and this allows all of my family to watch different things on four separate screens. It’s a great service.

Well, that’s it for today. During troubled times like these, it’s better to look at the bright side of things rather than wallow in self-pity and fear. You won’t change anything, but you will make yourself more miserable. Keep yourself busy. Do some chores around the house, workout, read a great book you’ve been putting off, or enjoy some entertainment on one of the many services I’ve listed. I forgot to mention Disney+, which I get for free because I’m a Verizon customer. This is a great service if you have kids!

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

 

 

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Mistakes

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Grateful, Mistakes, Perfectionism, Peter Drucker, Procrastination, Productivity, Thankful

People who don’t take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year. People who do take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year.

Peter Drucker

Do you procrastinate? If so, one of the reasons may be that you are a perfectionist. A perfectionist wants everything to be perfect. They want their work areas to be perfectly set up, their project plans perfectly in place, their final product perfect. Guess what? These are all unattainable. Perfection will never happen–ever.

I used to be a perfectionist. It is a bad way to be. When I realized this, I began to look at how to get things done and not worry about the end result. There will always be something else you can do. There will always be another opportunity to improve. So give yourself a break. Get to work, make your mistakes, fix them, and get the job done.

When I stopped praying to the perfectionism gods, my life got a lot easier. I no longer worry about making mistakes. When I discover I made one, I fix it and move on. If the mistake is something I can avoid in the future, I note it, develop a mechanism to prevent it in the future, and get back to work.

If you are a perfectionist and want to escape the perfectionist-procrastination cycle you might want to check out this article by Web Standards Sherpa. I’ve read it and it’s pretty good. You’ll be amazed how freeing it is to just get to work and deal with the mistakes as they come.

Today, I’m thankful for leaving perfectionism behind.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – The School of Hard Knocks

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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

 

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursdays – Kind Words and Friendship

Tags

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 Thursdays – Ah, Holidays!

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Christmas, Coffee, family, Friends, Good Conversation, Good Food, Good times, Grateful, Holidays, Movies, Snow, Thankful, TV

Today, I’m thankful for the holiday season. I don’t really care about the gifts and such, but I enjoy relatives visiting, the Christmas lights, the tree, the snow, and all the food that comes this time of year.

This year my brother and sister are coming to town and it’ll be great. We’ll watch movies, talk as a family in the living room, eat out a few times, and maybe even catch a movie at our local movie theater. Then there’s the Christmas dinner, which will be Mom’s recipe for roasted duck! Yummy!!

Obviously, the gifts are fun, but I get a kick out of people opening my gifts, not so much the gifts I get. It’s nice to get people something you think they’ll like. It’s also fun to just enjoy the vibe of the family being together, reminiscing about times past.

I realize we should all be giving to one another all-year long, but because this time only comes once a year, it is special; you know?

I realize for some this is a traumatic time of year. It brings back memories of family members who have passed and the gaping hole they have left in the family. This is just tough and my heart goes out to all of you who are experiencing this. That being said, I would recommend throwing yourself into a charity or volunteering. I’ve always found that when I give of myself, my problems fade a bit. I know this is probably a simplistic solution to your problem, but I wanted to throw that out there, in case you have never tried it. It works. At least it does for me.

Well, that’s it for today. I hope all of you have a great Thursday!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Grateful = Happy

Tags

Content, Fulfilled, Grateful, Gratitude, Happy, Joyful, Thankful

Gratitude is the topic each Thursday on this blog, because I believe it is important to express thanks for what we have. According to HealthBeat (2019), a product of the Harvard Medical School, Gratitude will make you happier.

If you look at most folks, they are always pursuing more. We can lay credit for this at the feet of the advertisers and marketers who blast our email boxes, fill up our social media, and bombard us with advertisement after advertisement while we watch our favorite sports team. Subsequently, we work harder, to make more money, to buy more stuff, which cause us to go into debt, and work harder, and so on. They tell us we don’t have a big enough home, a newer car, nicer clothes, expensive trips, and a cooler phone. They don’t do this directly. They show us a family enjoying themselves in front of a large-screen TV or walk out of their home to see two brand new cars sitting in the driveway with big ribbons on them. You see how this works?

Gratitude counters this social pressure, but acknowledging we have all we need. We have a roof over our head, food to eat, and a reliable piece of transportation to get us where we need to go. This allows us to preserve our capital because we aren’t spending ourselves into oblivion.

As we approach the holiday season, cultivate your gratitude for all you have, not what you do not have. It is a great way to live life. Here are a few ways you can grow your sense of gratitude in the upcoming months. To start out, just pick one

• Write a thank-you note to one person each month
• Thank someone mentally if you lack the time to write
• Keep a gratitude journal expressing your thanks and appreciation for other people in your life or something you enjoy
• Count your blessings
• Pray (if you are religious)
• Meditate

I dedicate a day each week to discuss gratitude. How to build it, how I do things to build my gratitude state, or express my gratitude for the things in my life.

If you’d like to read more, the article I used for this posting is below.

Thanks for your attention. If you use another technique or if there’s something you are particularly grateful for, feel free to drop me a note in the comments.

Until next time…

Dave

Reference

Healthbeat. (2019). Giving thanks can make you happier. Retrieved from: https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/giving-thanks-can-make-you-happier