Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday

Tags

Aesop, Appreciation, Conversations, followers, Gratitude, Learning, Reading, Thankful, Thanks

“Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.”—Aesop

Thank you for following Daily Ramblings. I am honored, humbled, and blessed by all of you. I hope your week is going well.

This week has been terrific, so far. We had friends over yesterday. It was nice to catch up and hang out over coffee in our living room, watching the rain on the first day of Spring. Have I mentioned how much I enjoy snow and rain? It is so comforting to hear the rain pitter patter on the window and roof as I enjoy a warm cup of coffee and my new slippers.

On Saturday we are heading to Flint to hang out with another family friend. He enjoys Thai food, so we always meet with him at his favorite restaurant and hang out for a few hours catching up and enjoying our conversation with a great Thai meal. They have the best homemade ice cream.

I really enjoy reading. I put my kindle through is paces. I enjoy reading multiple books at once and strive to continue this throughout the year. I find reading to be informative, relaxing, and joyful. When I read, I am transported to a new world, learn new things, and revisit past battlegrounds and places.

I also enjoy reading because I can see how an author uses the language to describe scenes, dialogue between characters, and move these characters through their plot. I learned last week that an author should read books within their genre. This allows them to see how their fellow authors put together stories and learn about the various ways they build their fantasy worlds, crime stories, or outer space adventures.

I enjoy learning and grateful for the many resources that are available today. Websites like Hillsdale.edu, Coursera.com, and others provide access to schools like Harvard, Yale, and the University of Michigan. It is a terrific, free resource that is beneficial. I also enjoy a website called Codecademy, which I am using to learn HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Thank God for these programming sites so guys like me can pursue my 3^rd career.

I’m also thankful for some folks that interacted with me this week. I really enjoy comments on my postings and interacting with others in the blogosphere. I look for new blogger sites and comment on Sundays. It is a lot of fun to read the posts of people worldwide.

Well, that’s all I got today folks. Thank you to all my new followers this week. I appreciate your patronage.

Until next time…

Dave

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Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Contentment

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Content, Contentment, Grateful, satisfaction, Satisfied, Thankful, Thanks

When was the last time you looked at your life and said, “I’m satisfied?”

It is so easy to complain about our lives or compare it with the lives of others. Complaining focuses us on the lack in our lives—some deficiency that needs filled—something we need or some place we need to go. If only we had this or that we would finally be happy.

We all need ambition and need to survive, but endless worry and concern about what is missing in our lives is unhealthy. Instead, we should look for the things we are thankful for—the things that satisfy. When you combine ambition with the thought “I have enough”, life takes on a whole new meaning.

 

Earlier in life I found myself in a predicament. Disappointment and discontent overtook my life. I wanted more. I didn’t like my job; I didn’t like my living conditions, and I didn’t enjoy being single. I contemplated my life for a few days. Then the answer came. The answer was gratitude.

Gratitude gave me the opportunity to appreciate my job, my home, my life. It gave me the opportunity to be thankful for the little things. Little things like a sunny day, a warm breeze, a cup of coffee with a good book. When you can appreciate what you have, life is more satisfying. You can still have goals. You can still have aspirations. You can still have a desire for things you want. Your desire, however, changes. It evolves to a desire disconnected from feelings of discontent, jealousy, or unfairness. Your desire to achieve is more about the challenge, not what you will receive at the end of the race. Do you see the difference?

We could always live in a better place, drive a better car, have a better job, or lose weight. Set goals and aspire to these things. Do not let your current lot in life prevent your happiness. Look for things in your life that make you happy. Happiness is not out there, it is inside of you. It is so much easier to accomplish goals from a place that is happy rather than sad and deprived. When you have enough, anything that comes into your life is a bonus.

As always, thank you for following Daily Ramblings. We’ve added 24 followers over the last month. I appreciate your patronage. Don’t be a stranger. If you like something I’ve written or disagree with a posting, I’m all ears. Comment below.

Until next time…

Dave

 

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Journals and Rituals

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Grateful, Gratitude, habits, journaling, Journals, Learning, Reading, rituals, Thanks, Writing

A big thank you to all the new followers this week. I finally hit my 500-follower goal and now I am off to hit 1000. I appreciate all my readers and hope you find my daily inputs to your day fruitful and interesting. Today, I’ll be revisiting an important aspect of my day—gratitude journaling.

I work with three journals currently. One is my daily journal where I do a daily mind dump of all my thoughts first thing in the morning. Second is my dream journal, which I write in as soon as I awake. Finally, I add to my gratitude and affirmations journal.

My gratitude journal starts with my daily affirmations. As you all know, I am working monthly to build my character in the same way Benjamin Franklin did during his day. Each month I add one more character trait and these in turn are part of my daily affirmations. Following this I write about all the things I am grateful for.

My gratitude extends to my family and friends, my learning, my pets, and the many aspects of my life. I like taking the time to consider all the great things I have in my life, along with the wondrous experiences I am grateful for. This morning journaling sets a terrific tone for the rest of my day.

Over time you would think that this exercise would get boring, trivial, or lose its meaning. Surprisingly, it does not. It took me a while to build the habit but performing the act daily has made this a well-earned ritual I perform religiously.

Speaking of rituals, I tend to keep like habits with like habits. I do most of my writing in the morning in and around my journaling. Next, I move to reading. After my daily reading is completed, I move to my learning habits, running through the online courses I am enrolled in, my coding exercises, and the YouTube lectures I am working through. Then I do my religious studies, getting in a meditation session and reading my religious discourses for the month. Exercise comes later in the day after my first meal, which is around 4 PM. I eat late because I do intermittent fasting daily. My schedule is from 12 midnight to 4 PM daily. The only thing I consume is water, coffee, tea, or a pre-workout drink. Some say drinking the pre-workout during the fasting period breaks the fast, but I don’t care. It is healthy and is a great start to my day.

These daily rituals formed all by themselves. Over time it just made sense to move through my daily habits in an organized fashion so I could stay within certain contexts that would provide more efficiency to my day. Rituals are the best description for this behavior because they literally guide each action, within the confines of the context they fall under.

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

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursdays – Gratitude Journals

Tags

Attitude, Contentment, Grateful, Gratitude Journaling, Gratitutde, Joy, Music, Thanks

“Gratitude is riches. Complaint is poverty.” – Doris Day

Read more at: Brainy Quotes

Thanks for all the new followers this week! I really appreciate it. I hope all of you new comers enjoy my daily quips of this and that. I strive to motivate, teach, inspire, and engage my audience daily. Am I always successful? No, but I do try my best.

When I first began my blog a few years ago, I had no idea how important this practice is. A blog to me is nothing more than a way to communicate my unique experience of this life. Some use their blogs to offer recipes, document their travels, discuss the news of the day, or even discuss the painful ailments they are suffering from. All these blogs become part of the tapestry that we all enjoy for one reason or another.

It is cold here in Michigan. It is not as cold in other states, like North Dakota or Minnesota but it is cold. We were asked yesterday to reduce our thermostats down to 65 degrees to conserve energy. I am grateful for my warm home and the warm cup of coffee I am enjoying right now. I hope those folks who are homeless have found a warm place to stay.

I purposely use a gratitude journal every morning. In it I express my thanks for all I have, my family, my friends, and whatever else comes to mind. When I began my gratitude journal a few years ago I did not realize how life-changing these few minutes in the morning have become. I think the primary benefit is the practice of focusing on what we are thankful for. It is the focus that counts. The more we are focused on what is right in our lives, the better our lives become. If you catch yourself complaining about things in your life, try to change this around by purposely focusing on what you are grateful for. It could be as simple as being grateful for your warm bed, a family member, or even the benefits you accrue from a job you have. There are so many things to be grateful for. Give gratitude journaling a try. It doesn’t take that long. Start out with writing down 2 or 3 things you are grateful for every morning. Over time you will begin to realize how important this practice is.

I normally accompany my journaling with calming music. I pay for a streaming service called Spotify. I really enjoy this service because it gives me access to so many musicians. Music is a great thing to have in your life. I use different types of music throughout the day. When I journal, I tend to stick with nature sounds and other pleasant instrumentals. When I am programming, I tend to gravitate toward trance or techno. When I read or study, I enjoy classical. When I exercise, heavy metal is my genre of choice. Each type of music feeds the activities I pursue. I tend to shy away from any vocal’s music, especially when I am reading or writing. This type of music tends to disrupt my thinking more than other types. If you have not tried to augment your daily routines with music, I highly recommend it. This is one life hack that has proven beneficial.

I am blessed. I had the ability to retire early and pursue the things I wanted to pursue. I have also been given the privilege of spending time with my folks in their senior years. My Dad has Dementia and at times, it is a sad time, particularly when you truly grasp that the Dad you knew is no longer the Dad you have now. Regardless, my circumstances have granted me the opportunity to enjoy my folks as they wind down their lives on this Earth. It is a great opportunity that I am grateful for every day.

I am also grateful for my Brother and Sister. They are both very different. My brother loves to travel and is my best friend. He and I have a lot of fun together and enjoy pretty much the same things. My sister is also my best friend. She has different interests from mine but brings a lot of things into my life that I would never have experienced had I not returned home. I am also grateful for my wife and stepdaughters. My wife is in Arizona teaching and my stepdaughters are pursuing their lives on their own (finally). My wife knew I had to come home to help my folks and she has been a great team player. Is it tough being away from your loved ones? Sure, but our relationship is strong, and we love each other very much.

Well, this is it for today. I appreciate you taking the time to read this and hope you can find all of those things in your life that you are grateful for. Looking at the world through grateful eyes is so much better than seeking out all the things that aren’t going so well. I send good thoughts to all my readers today and hope your life is the adventure mine is.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursdays

Tags

Challenges, Experience, Gratitude, improvement, Learning, Opposites, Paradox, Thanks, Travis Barker

“Thank you for life, and all the little ups and downs that make it worth living.” – Travis Barker

Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/travis_barker_468582?src=t_thankful

I am grateful for this life. A life filled with adventure, love, learning, and interacting with others. I am grateful for the problems, challenges, sorrows, and mistakes. I am grateful for the teachers and mentors I have benefited from. I am grateful for everything this life has provided to me. Without the challenges, life would be boring.

Think about your life for a moment. How can you be happy without the ability to be sad? How can you be healthy without the ability to be sick? How can you be bored without the ability to be engaged?

We live in a world that is composed of opposites and paradoxes. These opposites are necessary for our existence. Without the valleys there would be no mountains. Without heat there would not be cold. Without problems there would be no solutions.

I am grateful for change. Without change life would be static. There would be no growth, no learning, no experiences worth our while. The changes that come in our lives make life interesting. They keep us on our toes. They spurn learning, particularly when life tosses us an unpleasant surprise.

Think about the last time you were sick. When you get better you cherish the health that returns. Think about the last time you lost a loved one. When you find a new partner, pet, or friend you cherish that relationship more because you have felt loneliness, emptiness, and sorrow.

Think about when you learned the most. It is likely a time of stress, peril, and uncertainty. Without the opposites that are ever-present in our lives, we would have nothing to compare the good times with. They would all just be. This would cause problems because our minds could not grasp good or bad, up or down, light or dark. We need change. We need the opposites. We need the ups and downs of life.

Each year around this time, I contemplate my life. I look at past mistakes. I look at past victories. I look at my experiences. Some of these experiences have been unpleasant. Some of these experiences have been wonderful. Some of these experiences have been horrible. Some of these experiences have been healing. With each experience we go through we come out of them stronger, wiser, and more loving.

Why is the world set up this way? Why are we here? We are here to learn how to give love and receive love. We are here to become stronger spiritually. We are here to contribute to one another and participate in life. Your life is about learning, teaching, communicating, and contributing. Right now, you are the strongest and best you have ever been.

I invite you to do the same thing I am doing. Contemplate your life. Find those time periods where you had great success. Find the times your life was turned inside out. Look for patterns. You’ll be amazed when you see how each problem or challenge you faced made you stronger and put you in a situation that was better than the situation you were in previously.

Once you have completed this exercise, write down the things you have learned. Write down the things you have done. Write down the things you would like to do. Then get around to doing them. Live a life of meaning, purpose, and achievement. What else do you have to do?

I hope you are having a great time this year. I hope you have some goals you are committed to. I hope you are laying the plans for a great 2019. I wish all of you well on your journey this year.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thank you!

Tags

Grateful, Gratitude, Happy, Thank you, Thanks

It’s been a great week for Daily Ramblings! Any week I add a new follower is a great week in my book. Thank you to all of you who have begun following Daily Ramblings. I really appreciate it.

I’ve been a little off this week because of a cold I contracted a day after New Years. I have been able to keep up my reading, writing, and learning, but the exercise routine has taken a hit. When I get sick, my workouts are the first thing I put on hold because they tend to drag sickness out. I think by tomorrow I’ll be over this thing.

I’m currently at 484 followers. I need 16 more to hit my 2018 goal of 500 followers. This year I am setting a goal of 1000 followers. I’ll be reaching out to a lot more folks this year to achieve that goal.

For those of you who are new, here’s my posting schedule:

• Motivation Monday
• Ted Talk Tuesday
• Wisdom Wednesday
• Thankful Thursday (changed this year from Thinking Thursday)
• Funny Friday
• Spiritual Saturday
• Series Sunday (My Thank you day as well)

If you know of anyone in your blogging sphere that you think will benefit from my words, send them my way. Thanks again, everyone for following me!

Until next time…

Dave

 

Daily Ramblings – Thinking Thursday

Tags

Bible, Goals, God, Gratitude, Life, Love, Thanks, Travis Barker

“Thank you for life, and all the little ups and downs that make it worth living.” – Travis Barker

Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/travis_barker_468582?src=t_thankful

Life is a grand adventure! We learn, love, and laugh. We travel, we try new things, and we meet new people. When our cycle ends, others take up the mantle. Life continues.

I enjoy thinking about my life. The ups and downs, loves and heartbreaks. The scary and the serene. All these experiences weave themselves into a quilt with little facsimiles scattered about.

I look at all the technological changes that provide us access to so much information, music, and other forms of entertainment. I look at the technologies that provides us the ability to create a document, create a movie, create music, or even create a program of our own making.

Here’s what I’m up to:

Physical

I came down with a flu or cold a few days ago so the workout routine is out until I beat this bug.

Mental

I’m reading 4 books. I’m reading The One Thing, 2136, Shariyat-Ki-Sugmad, and Beyond Good and Evil. All these books are engaging. I’m goaled to read 12 books by the end of March.

I’m running through a JavaScript Project currently, employing the use of Objects, which is exciting. I had no idea that JavaScript was an Object-Oriented Language, but sure enough, it is.

I am still working on a section a day for my book and it is coming along nicely. By the end of next week, I’ll have my initial rough draft. I’m a little over schedule because I wanted to be finished by the end of 2018, but with my vacation visit to Phoenix, I over estimated how much I would get done while I was there (I had too much fun!).

Spiritual

I’m working through my bible and am on the 12^th discourse of my spiritual study for the year. I’ll be starting a new course in the next month or so.

I’m looking for ways to interact with more people. Last year I got a lot done but was a hermit for most of the year focusing on the important work of book writing and the rest. I am going to look at some different venues this year to work on my book writing, so I can continue to get my work done but interact socially with other people.

My book discussion is set for the 14^th of this month. I look forward to that.

Social

I’m still scanning my area for something fun to do this quarter.

Well, that’s it for today folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thank you!

Tags

Arizona, family, Friends, New Followers, Niece's Wedding, Phoenix, Thank you, Thanks

Thanks for following Daily Ramblings! I appreciate all of the new followers this week. I hope all of you continue to enjoy the content that drew you to the site in the first place.

Announcement!

I am heading to Phoenix, AZ on Wednesday, the 28th. I’ll be there until the 13th of December. My family and I are going to my niece’s wedding. It will be great fun!

I’ll do my best to keep up my schedule but wanted to forewarn you that I may miss a day or two hanging out with my friends and family in Phoenix.

Have a great Sunday all!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thank you!

Tags

New Followers, Thank you, Thanks, Weekly Schedule

Well, it’s the end of another week! I hope all of you had a great weekend and are getting ready for the upcoming week. Life is an adventure, isn’t it?

I wanted to thank all of the new readers for following Daily Ramblings this week. As mentioned in other postings on my blog, I am shooting for 500 followers by the end of this year. If you know of anyone who would benefit from this blog, please pass this along. I’d really like to hit my goal!

I would also like any of you who would like to see different topics or discussions to make suggestions. I’ll entertain all of them. Simply leave a comment and I’ll give you word personally whether I’ll use that or not.

For those of you who are new, my weekly writing schedule is as follows:

Motivation Monday

Ted Talk Tuesday

Wisdom Wednesday

Thinking Thursday

Funny Friday

Spiritual Saturday

Thank you Sunday and Series Sunday

Well, that’s it! Have a great rest of your weekend!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thank you!

Tags

Grateful, Honored, New Followers, Thank you, Thanks, Word is Spreading

Here’s a heartfelt thank you for my new followers this week. I hope each of you enjoys the content I provide. I am also honored that you are giving your time each week to take a look at my postings.

For those of you that are new, here’s my weekly schedule:

• Motivation Monday
• Ted Talk Tuesday
• Wisdom Wednesday
• Thinking Thursday
• Funny Friday
• Spiritual Saturday
• Series/Bonus Sunday

Thanks again for your followership. It is greatly appreciated.

Until next time…

Dave