Hal and I went to lunch today at one of the bigger shopping areas around here. The only expense was lunch. We mainly went to watch people caught up in the shopping frenzy.
Not to sound superior, but many years ago we learned to be happy with what we already have. Little gifts are nice, but never necessary for us. A sweater or a robe is plenty for us.
Therefore, the holiday season is year-round for us because we focus on one another throughout the year. Every day feels special for us because our love dictates our actions.
Be kind to one another.
“Why in the world are we here
Surely not to live in pain and fear”
John Lennon “Instant Karma”
Monday started out very busy. I had to take the car in for a paint protection job this morning, and they gave me a rental, which I'm just not comfortable driving. Hal and I came home, and we'll wait for the dealer to call and then pick my car up late this afternoon.
We're not Xmas shopping this year, so there's no need to rush things here. The next day I'll need the car is Thursday for the trip to my next medical appointment.
Finding my groove is a daily exercise. I fit my writing in whenever I can throughout the day and hope for the best. Honestly, I don't put much thought into whether or not this or any other story goes viral. That isn't under my control. As long as I enjoy writing, everything else is gravy. Chasing stats and followers is a sure way to make myself miserable.
My days are happy. I learned to let go of the worries that plague so many people. When I see the world through the lens of Kindness, my perspective changes, and I feel at peace with the world.
Of course, I maintain my distance from the TV and the so-called news channels because they are only trying to make money and guide behavior. It was so liberating to break free of that cycle. I realized that if something wasn't significant enough to write about, it was designed to control behavior and manipulate emotions.
I find that I get tired earlier than I used to, I take this as a sign that I need more sleep, so I'm trying to stop my late-night habits and go to bed early.
I'm tired, so please remember to be kind to each other.
“Why in the world are we here
Surely not to live in pain and fear”
John Lennon “Instant Karma”
There is a major storm that is supposed to impact the East Coast, and our part of Virginia felt the storm most of the day on Sunday. While I'm sure this will impact lots of holiday shoppers, that won't affect Hal or myself.
Rainy Sundays mean ordering pizza and watching football without a care in the world. The comfort from a day at home is immeasurable and a real luxury.
Be kind to each other.
“Why in the world are we here
Surely not to live in pain and fear”
John Lennon “Instant Karma”
Every day, the situation gets worse and worse. People have become nothing more than loudspeakers for the hatred that is consuming our nation. The art of communication is vanishing right before our eyes, but we act like we're powerless to stop it. That sums up how I feel. I see the torrent of negativity on Medium, and I doubt that anything I might say will make the slightest bit of difference.
There are so few people who are genuinely interested in other people. Learning about new things now seems like a treasonous act in the eyes of so many people who want everything to be exactly the way they want all the time.
This phenomenon isn't uniquely American, but we do seem to be leading the way, unfortunately. The rest of the world is catching on to this disturbing trend, which only shows signs of growing stronger as time passes. Everyone is being trained to identify “others” who, because they are different, must automatically pose some kind of threat to the existing order.
Unfortunately, people now consider their own particular existing order to be the right and only one, excluding everything and everyone else. Therefore, there is no more exchange of ideas, just shouting matches that would embarrass a junior high debate team.
I'm tired. Everyone has to be right 100% of the time, so any variation of opinion is unacceptable to them. What is
the point of all of this? I wish I knew. I try to stay clear of the madness, but exposure to it wears me out. Why can't we be kind to one another? Why does everyone we meet have to pass some ideological purity litmus test?
I've reached the point where I don't care anymore. This isn't about me being right, it's about the intolerance that is poisoning our nation.
Be kind to one another.
“Why in the world are we here
Surely not to live in pain and fear”
John Lennon “Instant Karma”
I woke up early Friday morning and decided to focus my daily meditation on reflecting on my life right now. I have so much to be grateful for; it is a strange thing coming from a disabled, almost 60-year-old man, but it is still very accurate for me. I am not concerned about material things. I concentrate on the emotional and intangible things in life, like my love affair with Hal who is 24 years old and still going strong. I’m very happy with everything in my life that’s important to me. It would be very easy for me to be in the dumps because I’m disabled, but that wouldn’t do me any good, so I focus on the positive things.
“Why in the world are we here
Surely not to live in pain and fear”
John Lennon “Instant Karma”
Thursdays don’t hold the same appeal that they did when I was working when it signified that the weekend was in sight at last. Since I’m disabled, there are days when I have to stop and think about whether today was Thursday or not. Every day starts out the same way on endless repeat.
Today was eventful because there were so many things that we accomplished in what seemed like a short time. I’m grateful for finishing things and feeling relaxed and refreshed to start the day. Of course, Hal was with me and kept me from making stupid mistakes like I’m prone to do because I sometimes get so confused.
We even managed to have a nice early dinner before we got home just before dark. I felt so relieved and suddenly all the stress I thought I had successfully managed came flooding out of me.
I'm struggling to keep my eyes open and it isn't even 1900 yet. Hopefully, I'll sleep like a log tonight.
Wednesday’s adventure began with another, although hopefully the last, 100 mile round trip to see one of my doctors. My goal for 2024 is to find a new medical team closer to home now that my disability was approved.
Interstate 95 is no joke. It is never a pleasant or relaxing drive. The trucks are all over the road so traffic moves like an accordion, fast then slow, over and over again. Thankfully , I’m not an aggressive driver because there were more than enough of them on the road. I’ve learned to keep my cool while driving with the help of the meditation I do at home everyday.
We always leave extra early for the trip so if there was an accident, the delay won’t ruin my appointment. Of course, I do everything I can to make sure that we aren’t the ones in any accident. When we got to our destination, I stopped at a shopping center so Hal could go and look around while we waited to go to the doctor’s office. While he is shopping, I’m going ahead and starting this blog entry. I’m sitting in the car and actually dictating this using my voice as opposed to typing everything out.
Since we used to live in this area, we know where everything is at. This makes it easier for us when we have to come up here for any appointments. One can’t help but notice the difference in attitude in the town we used to live in. It is much more conservative and we’re glad that we don’t live here anymore.
I found out that the equipment the doctor planned to use malfunctioned, so we have to make one final trip next Thursday to get things done. I really hoped that today was the last trip, but fate intervened.
went to see my therapist this morning and I realized that there is a problem that I need to address. Every time I visit my therapist, she is late because some other appointment runs late, but she always makes sure that I’m out exactly on time.
I realize that therapy is a touchy subject, but I feel that I’m being treated as a second-class patient. After my visit with the new primary care physician yesterday, I’m wondering if it isn’t time for a new therapist as well.
After my appointment, I picked up Hal and we did some Xmas shopping. We tried to avoid the crowds although there was one idiot without a mask who was coughing and not covering his mouth at all. We stayed far away from him.
After that, we had lunch at TGI Fridays for a treat. We felt extra nice after we gifted a very large tip to our waiter. He really appreciated it.
We went home because it was time to relax and unwind since we’re traveling tomorrow for one of the last doctor visits before I find all new doctors here.
Not the most exciting day, but sometimes a quiet day is exactly what we need.
My CPAP and the adjustable bed are making it easier for me to sleep at night. I am finally getting almost 8 hours of sleep each night, and that hasn’t happened in years. I hope that this continues.
The weather today will be rainy and miserable around here. I placed a grocery delivery order from Kroger so we don’t have to go out. Grocery delivery is something we began using during the height of the pandemic, and honestly, the pandemic isn’t over by a long shot.
Perhaps tomorrow will be a more agreeable day weather wise. One advantage of being disabled is that we have weekdays to do whatever we like.
I’m experimenting with a new writing technique. I’m writing everyday things here in Day One, and I’ll keep my focused writing elsewhere. I’ve been inspired by a local author who I follow. I don’t know if he has a focus blog, but he does beautiful and interesting daily/weekly summaries. I’m coming back to this story over and over to add more detail as the day goes on.
Actually, I’m really enjoying this new writing experiment. I hope my enthusiasm isn’t just temporary, and I can keep this momentum going.
Since this is Sunday and the weather sucks, I suppose I’ll watch NFL RedZone all afternoon while Hal does his own thing with his VR friends. I don’t mind his interest in VR, but as I’ve told him, actual reality is more than enough for me.
Well, I’m stopping now, and I might add more later before posting this to my website and to Mastodon.
Speaking of sleep, I felt so tired this afternoon that I went to bed and slept for 4 hours. It’s amazing how relaxing helps with sleep. I should do that more often.
Anyway, that sums up Sunday around here, so be kind to one another.
All through 2023, I’ve managed to keep my story backlog under control. The number of incomplete stories, and idea sheets has stayed under twenty, which is a manageable amount. Now that we’re in December, it’s time to see how many backlog stories I can clear out. Naturally , this story just got added to the backlog until I publish it.
When 2023 started, I was solely focused on my Medium writing since I was new on that platform. I wanted to write as much as possible to make myself a better writer. I know that has happened, and I have made friends and discovered wonderful writers on As the year went on, I felt the need to expand my writing horizons. I started my own website at www.dreamersreadyroom.com and started publishing my work there as well. Recently, I found another publishing platform called www.write.as so I can get my work over to Mastodon as well.
All of this involves extra work, but I don’t mind. Eventually I will gain followers on those platforms, but I still write for myself more than anyone else.
And so, I’m trying to empty my story backlog before the end of the year. It will take some effort, but it will be worth it to start anew in 2024.
“Why in the world are we here
Surely not to live in pain and fear”
John Lennon “Instant Karma”
