Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Home

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cozy, Grateful, Gratitude, Happy, Home, Life, Nook, Thankful

Today, I’m grateful for a warm, comfortable home. It’s paid for, everything works, and it is just so cozy. I have my little nook in the living room by the front room window where I do my work, read, write, learn, etc. When I go to bed at night, I think about how grateful I am for this life. It didn’t turn out the way I thought it would, but the surprises in life along the way have been terrific.

Life is full of surprises, yet in the end, things always work out for the best—a “best” we could not have foreseen. I’ll leave it here for today. Take stock of what you are grateful for. I do this every day, and it is a treasured time to contemplate all the good in my life. We have so much control over how we react to the challenges, joys, and surprises in life. Look for the good and you’ll find it.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – A New Family Member

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Bella, Covid, family, Grateful, Gratitude, new dog, Shot, Thankful

Today, I’m grateful for our new doggie, Bella. Here’s a picture of her, as promised.

Her name is Bella. We lost our last dog, Goldie, in 2019, and it was time to get another one. A family friend gave her to us. She is a little timid still, but she’s a great addition to the family.

So today, I’m grateful to have a new dog. It’s great to have these little companions. They add so much to the family.

I hope you have a great day!

Oh! We got our 2nd COVID shot, and it’s not as bad as people told us it would be. We were all achy yesterday, but most of the effects have subsided. I’m glad I got the shot. I feel much more comfortable about getting back to the gym next week, now that I have had it. If my folks and I do get COVID, the shot will minimize our chances of getting the nastier effects from COVID.

Have a great Thursday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Funny Friday – A Note to My Readers

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Covid, Grateful, Happy, Relaxed, Thank you, Thankful, Virtual Learning, Weekend

Today is normally a day where I post something funny. Instead, I wanted to take a few moments to thank all of you – new and old – for following my blog. Everyone is so busy these days adjusting to life because of COVID, learning how to use ZOOM and all the rest that comes with working or living out of our homes without a lot of outside contact. When you think things are going back to normal, this nasty little bug does something else, and we find ourselves locked right down again.

My home state is seeing surges everywhere. This virus seems to be telling us, “You thought you were safe. Wait until you get a load of this!”

As I mentioned earlier, my parents and I got phase one of the COVID-19 shot. No side effects on the first shot. We get our final shot in mid-April. I’ll keep you posted. I want to go back to the gym again, but cannot put my folks at risk until we are all vaccinated. I qualified for an early shot because I am a caretaker. If you have elderly folks or folks in your family that have underlying conditions, I cannot recommend you do all you can to keep them safe. My Mom is asthmatic and my Dad has emphysema. They are in their late 70s and early 80s. Both are in the group of folks that this virus impacts the most. Once we have been vaccinated, we can still get COVID, but the vaccine minimizes the risk of getting the nastier side of COVID. Once we are all set, I’ll head back to the gym.

Advocates for students to return to school are spouting that the young spring back quickly from COVID. That may be true, but who are these kids carrying it back to? The elderly, people with underlying conditions, and everyone else in the family or who they come in contact with. I think virtual schooling, despite its current challenges, is something all of us need to consider.

I hope all of you stay safe, happy, and pursuing your dreams.

Have a great weekend, folks!

Until next time…

Davce

Daily Ramblings – Thankful/Thinking Thursday – New iPad

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2020, America, comfortable, Covid Vaccine, Grateful, Happy, iPad, Pandemic, Satisfied, Thankful

I’m getting an iPad today. I have been without one for a few years, but miss the ability to read on a bigger background than my phone. I also like watching movies and listening to music on it. It’s terrific!

It’s really nice to have the wherewithal to do what I need to do. My heart goes out to those who have suffered during the lockdowns. I constantly thought about that single Mom, working in a restaurant as a waitress, barely making it, and then watch her job disappear instantly. I am hopeful that most had family to depend on during that time.

It looks like a few countries are going back into lockdown. Boy, this thing won’t let up.

I am thankful for this country. Yeah, we had a hiccup early last year, but once the American people are motivated–we get things done.

I mentioned a day or so ago that my folks and I got our COVID-19 vaccine. My arm was a little stiff on the day of the shot, but after some exercise it loosened right up. No pain afterward. We have to get our second shot in April. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes. We got ours at our local pharmacy. It was important for Mom and Dad to get them, because they both have underlying conditions. Because I live here, it was appropriate for me to get one too. I’m grateful for the nurse at our local pharmacy who did such a great job. I never felt the needle go in.

So today, I’m grateful for my health, my family, this country, first responders, nurses and doctors, and my new iPad, which is on its way.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Happy Birthday, Dad!

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1939, 82, Birthday, Blessed, Dad, Dementia, Grateful, Thankful

Photo: Dad and I at one of his physical therapy sessions.

Today is my Dad’s birthday. He is 82 years old. My dad was born in 1939, the beginning of WWII in Europe. Dad has dementia. He has his good days where he is somewhat lucid, while other days he’s in a fog.

As I mentioned in earlier posts, I retired early to come home to help out as Dad deteriorates. Dementia has a nickname. It’s nickname is the “long goodbye”. This is definitely an accurate nickname. When I came home in 2016, Dad was functioning pretty well. Now, he doesn’t know how to turn on the television. From the outside, you would think this was a sad state of affairs, but it really isn’t. Dad has lived a good life. He has two sons and a daughter, built up a good retirement to make sure Mom was taken care of after he left, and he isn’t suffering.

We have some friends coming over today to celebrate his birthday, and we’ll be sending out for food from Cracker Barrel. Dad loves their chocolate coca cola cake, so that’s on the order as well. It’ll be a good day, today.

I love you, Dad! Have a great birthday today.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursdays – The Year of Thanksgiving

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Awareness, consciousness, Experience, family, Friends, Karma, spiritual growth, Thankful, Thanksgiving

My religion labels every year with a theme that runs in 12-year cycles. This year’s theme is The Year of Thanksgiving. We place special emphasis on being grateful for the gifts of God. These gifts are awareness, consciousness, and spiritual freedom.

My gratitude is boundless for the blessings of this life. The people I have met, those that took the time to teach me something, and especially for those that called me friend. I’m grateful for my family, friends, and every person who has given me some of their time.

I’m also grateful for every win and loss. They are both necessary for growth. We grow when we lose. We grow when we struggle. We grow when we have to search for answers to our problems.

I’m also grateful to be an ECKist. The spiritual insights I have gained have been wondrous. It’s hard to put these things in words. It is the knowingness that is most precious.

For these things I am grateful. Life is a gift. Life is precious. Life is a privilege.

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 Thursday – The Simple Things

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comfortable chairs, Creature comforts, Grateful, hot meals, hot showers, Simple Things, Thankful, warm beds

Today, I’m grateful for the simple things. A comfortable bed. A hot shower. A nice reclining rocker.

One benefit of military service is the ability to enjoy these creature comforts because when you’re in the field, sleep, warm food, a comfortable bed, even a shower, is rare. I have something to compare these simple comforts with.

I’ve been out of the Army for 15 years, but still remember waking up in sub-zero temperatures, dreading the moment I had to get out of my warm sleeping bag, put on my boots, get my layered clothing on, and waiting for my butane burner to warm my first cup of coffee.

When I was in the field, particularly at night when I laid down, I thought of my girlfriends. After I was married, I thought about my wife. I remembered how soft she was, how warm it she was when we were together in bed, and how she smelled. I reminisced about her laugh, her smile, and the things we would do together when I returned.

When we did return, the reunions were awesome. Even when I was gone for a few weeks, it felt like I was gone for a year. That first hot shower was pure ecstasy. That first kiss was absolute bliss. The first warm meal at a restaurant or at home was heaven.

I’ve lost those feelings somewhat now that I’m out of the military, but from time-to-time, I remember how great it was to sleep in a warm bed after sleeping on the cold ground. I remember that first great meal, after eating cold MREs (Meals Ready to Eat). I remember that first embrace when I returned. So today, I’m grateful for the simple things.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – DoorDash

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COVID-19, doordash, Food, food delivery, Grateful, Lockdown, services, Thankful, Thursday

Today, I’m grateful for a food delivery service called DoorDash. I delayed using the service for a few months once the lockdown hit, but when we began using it, I was absolutely blown away. We have a few restaurants that we enjoy and DoorDash works with all of them.

We get food from Cracker Barrel, Red Lobster, Applebees, and Denny’s. Honestly, I’m the only one that likes Denny’s, and ordered a family breakfast one day. It was awesome!

I always enjoy a good pizza too. Hungry Howie’s is the pizza place of choice. So here’s to food delivery. It saves time, isn’t that pricey, and it makes life easy, especially when the restaurants were all closed down. It made making a dinner easy for us and it helped local restaurants keep their heads above water. It was a win-win.

Thanks DoorDash for the great service.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – YouTube

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Education, Grateful, Harvard, information, MIT, Online Learning, Standford, Thankful, Yale, YouTube

I love learning new things. I like interesting ideas. YouTube provides so much access to so many interesting ideas.

Think about this. There are people paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for their university education. On YouTube, you can get access to these same colleges—for nothing.

You want to go to Harvard, Stanford, Yale, or Harvard?

Here you go:

https://www.youtube.com/user/MIT

https://www.youtube.com/user/YaleCourses

https://www.youtube.com/user/Harvard

https://www.youtube.com/user/StanfordUniversity

How about NASA?

https://www.youtube.com/user/NASAtelevision

On each one of these links there are hundreds of courses and educational videos available to you, if you want to take the time to watch and listen. I spend 2-3 hours a day learning to program, learning about history, learning about writing, learning about marketing, learning about anything and everything you could think of. Odds are—you’ll find someone on YouTube, willing to teach you.

Today, one of our blessings is access to information that can improve our lives. YouTube is one such source. So today, I am grateful for all the learning available to me on YouTube.

Have a great Thursday!

Until next time…

Dave