Saturday Morning Kindness

With a lack of motivation to write tonight, I was scrolling Facebook and found an interesting story a friend had posted. I thought it was worth sharing here.

I’m not 100% on the source, but from what I was able to find, the story was shared from someone named John Perricone. It seems that the story was shared on a website called Upworthy, which shares many positive stories. Here is the story:

Several years ago I invited a Buddhist monk to speak to my Senior elective class, and quite interestingly, as he entered the room, he didn’t say a word (that caught everyone’s attention). He just walked to the board and wrote this: “EVERYONE WANTS TO SAVE THE WORLD, BUT NO ONE WANTS TO HELP MOM DO THE DISHES.” We all laughed. But then he went on to say this to my students:

“Statistically, it’s highly unlikely that any of you will ever have the opportunity to run into a burning orphanage and rescue an infant. But, in the smallest gesture of kindness — a warm smile, holding the door for the person behind you, shoveling the driveway of the elderly person next door — you have committed an act of immeasurable profundity, because to each of us, our life is our universe.”

This is my hope for you for the New Year — that by your smallest acts of kindness, you will save an other’s world.

As we wrap up the first week of 2023, this is something we should all strive to do. I don’t have any New Year’s Resolutions this year, but I do hope to take advantage of the opportunity to be kind to others and perform more random acts of kindness.

You have no doubt heard it before, but it really is the perfect quote to end with ….

Inspired by Blogmas

A few blogs that I follow, started to talk about “Blogmas” a week or so ago. From what I can tell it is a list of 25-31 Blog post ideas. Sort of a daily writing prompt that are all Christmas related. I did a search for “Blogmas” and read through a few of them. The list seems to vary a bit, but mostly contains the same prompts. The idea is to blog about each of these prompts daily. Some of the lists stop at 25 (Christmas Day) and some end at day 31 (New Year’s Eve).

The ones I read yesterday were under the title “Christmas Tag.” In essence, you answer the 20 questions and then tag a blogger to answer the same. I won’t tag anyone at the end of this blog, since I am technically not officially committed to “Blogmas,” but I liked some of the questions on the list and thought they would make for good reading (even though I may have answered a question or two in more detail in past blogs). So here goes:

When do you start getting excited for Christmas? I would say that I probably start getting in the Christmas mood right after Halloween. Many radio stations begin playing Christmas music then. I could listen to Christmas music any time of the year, but hearing it on the radio starts to get me excited for the season.
Is Christmas your favorite holiday? I would say yes. I have so many wonderful memories of past Christmases. I love that people’s attitudes tend to be happier during the Christmas season. There just seems to be a lot more joy around Christmas.
Do you prefer to stay at home or travel for the holidays? I guess I prefer to stay home – or close to home – for the holidays. When I read the question, travel seems to insinuate going out of state or a lengthy trip. Most of my family is within a 60-90 minute drive, so that really doesn’t seem like travel to me.
Be honest: do you prefer giving or receiving gifts? Definitely giving. I love to see the look on a person’s face when they receive a gift from me. I wouldn’t consider myself the best gift giver (trying to buy anything for my wife is SO difficult). I like to have some sort of idea of what a person wants before I shop for them. As far as receiving gifts – I never really feel comfortable when someone buys me something.
Do you open any presents on Christmas Eve? I have every year since I was a kid. We always went to my grandma’s house for Christmas Eve and opened all our gifts. During my first marriage, we always let my sons open one gift on Christmas Eve (usually Christmas pajamas). Today, my sons come over the day before Christmas Eve and Christmas Eve morning is our “Christmas.” They spend Christmas morning with their mom. My daughter and my son will have some gifts to open Christmas Eve morning with their brothers and then more for Christmas morning.
Have you ever built a snowman? Yes. Quite a few actually. I remember loving when the snow was “good packing” and you could build snowmen and snow forts. Just recently, my daughter and I started a snowman, but she was so excited to play in the snow, he was never finished. Can’t wait for our next opportunity to build one.
Do you decorate the outside of your home for Christmas? Yes. Usually the front and side porches. It is by no means the best on the block, but I’m happy with it. One day I hope to be courageous enough to climb up on the roof and do more. For now, I’m happy with it.
Is your Christmas tree real or fake? Fake. In all my years, we’ve never had a real tree. I enjoy them when they are at someone else’s house, though. I enjoy the smell of the pine tree. I am not sure that if we ever got a real tree that I’d be comfortable with it. You know, fire hazzards, bugs or animals possibly still being in them, the fact that you have to water it each day, and stepping on pine needles for months after….
Most memorable holiday moment? How does one even begin to answer this question?! I have so many from childhood, and now even more with each of my children. I just couldn’t narrow it down to one.
What do you like to do over Christmas break? What break?! I have a couple days off and work the rest of the days in between. I wish that I could stockpile vacation time up so I could actually take more time off during the holidays so I could spend it with family.
Which holiday traditions are you most looking forward to this year? One thing that I have come to really look forward to is driving through the Holiday lights display at Crossroads Village on Christmas Eve night. It doesn’t change too much every year, but I always love going through and seeing the lights.
Best Christmas gift you’ve ever received? Urgh – again, very difficult to chose one. Maybe it was the Atari 2600. It also could be the cribbage board my grandpa gave me. Or it could be the gold trumpet charm from my mom. Stretch Armstrong? I just can’t narrow it down.
What is your all-time favorite holiday treat? Toss up between Pignolata (loved when my grandma made this!) or cannoli. Both were staples at Christmas time (along with many many Christmas cookies).
Your favorite Christmas movie? I would say A Christmas Story or any version of A Christmas Carol. (Christmas Vacation could easily be in there, too!)
Your favorite Christmas song? Man, all of these “favorite” questions are just to difficult! Dean Martin’s Marshmallow World is a definite favorite! Santa Claus is Back in Town from Elvis, Mel Torme’ The Christmas Song, Doc Severinsen’s Jingle Bells, the list goes on and on!
What makes the holidays special for you? Family! Spending time with my family is all that matters! Sharing those special moments with them is everything!
What would be your dream place to visit for the holiday season? I’ve never really been away for the holidays, but I know some places go all out. Disney, Branson, and so many other places really have some amazing things going on. Maybe one day we’ll be able to check them out.
Do you make New Year’s resolutions? Do you stick to them? I used to. I don’t really any more. I shouldn’t need a new year to want to make changes in my life. For many years, I would make them and would fail miserably at them.
You have been granted one Christmas wish, what will it be? I would wish to make a difference. Included in the wish, I would wish to be a role model for my children, a good friend, a good husband, and a man whose faith helped lead others to the Lord.
Who’s “it?” At this point on the list you are supposed to pick someone to answer the same questions. If you are so inclined, you may do so. If not, I hope you enjoyed my answers.

Resolutions or Goals?

I subscribe to some daily writing prompts that will occasionally wind up as a good blog idea. I’d say I use about less than 5% of them, as most of them don’t really strike a chord with me. Every single one of these prompts said to write about my New Year’s Resolutions or Goals for the New Year. My buddy believes that resolutions and goals are the same, but they really are not.

A “resolution” is a firm decision by a person to do or not do something. A “goal” is the object of a person’s ambitions or effort; an aim or desired result. See, a goal is the final product, if you will. With a goal, you prepare, you plan, you set forth your intentions to achieve this final result (the goal) by taking specific actions. A resolution is a “promise” to yourself to do something, while a goal has a specific target.

Do I have resolutions? I guess so. They are probably the same resolutions that many people have: eat more veggies, drink more water, lose weight, be more active, etc. I just need to not do what I do every year and fall of the wagon on these.

I want to make some specific resolutions regarding my role as a husband:

I will say “I love you” every day.
I will spend more time together – monthly date night.
I will pray together.
Show more appreciation for all she does.
Listen more.

I also have some specific resolutions regarding my role as a father:

More one on one time with each of my children.
More play time
Be more mindful of the words I speak.
Read more books and the Bible together.
More outside time – walks, catch, etc.
Be an example!

There is one thing that I would like to accomplish that I am ashamed to admit I have never done. I have never actually read the bible in it’s entirety in a year’s time. In one of my classes, the teacher actually said that as students, we should strive to read it through at least once or twice a year. It always seemed like a very big task.

Recently, a Facebook friend posted a plan with specific passages to read every day, and by doing it, you’d read through the entire Bible in one year. I printed out the “plan” and I intend to do just that. I know with the classes, I’m going to have to make some extra time, but it needs to be done! My goal is to have each week’s worth of passages with me and to read whenever I get the chance.

Do you set goals for yourself in the new year? Do you make resolutions? What things help you to keep on track?

New Year’s Resolutions

It’s that time again …

Every year around this time I have a joke that I recycle when I am on the radio. Basically, I say that I am going to make some New Years Resolutions I can actually keep. I then proceed to list how I am (1) going to gain 20-30 pounds (2) live paycheck to paycheck (3) procrastinate more and (4) personally bring back Disco. The last one usually changes from year to year, but disco is what I used on the air this year.

In all seriousness, a recent study shows that most New Year’s Resolutions are broken by January 12th. Wow, only 12 days! I guess I can see that, especially if the resolutions are biggies. I have learned that it is important to keep resolutions easy and attainable. While I would love to lose about 100 pounds, I’ll be happy if I lose 20.

I do have some resolutions that I am planning to put in place for the new year and I think that many of them are reasonably attainable. Some say that you should only make a few resolutions, but I have made a list of many. I figure with a lot of them, if I achieve a couple, that’s a win!

I Resolve

Make More Lists. Hey, look at that! I am already starting on my resolutions and it’s not even 2019! I have found that I am forgetting things. I used to make fun of people who made lists, but I now realize that those lists can help.
Walk More. I am not sure why I don’t do this more. Maybe it’s because I work midnights and am tired all the time. I don’t know. I love to walk. I just need to do it more. Time to make time.
Exercise/Be Active. Ok, technically, this goes with “walk more”. I’m hoping that walking more will lead me to this one. We’ve been debating getting a gym membership for a long time. Perhaps we just need to make it happen.
Make More Coffee at Home. I probably spend way too much on coffee from Tim Horton’s. We recently bought some awesome cups that keep coffee hot for hours. Making coffee is really a no brainer. It saves money and it’s always made right (nothing worse that ordering coffee from a drive thru and it is burnt or lukewarm). My sons bought me two bags of my favorite coffee from Coffee Beanery, so I should be set for a bit.
Make More Meals at Home. This goes hand in hand with the above resolution. We recently got one of those Instant Pots. So far, we love it! We made some amazing Potato Soup and chicken and dumplings in it already. I see this as being extremely helpful in making foods for us to bring to work for lunch/dinner. Again, it will also help us save money. It will also help cut out fast food.
Date Nights With My Wife. My wife is pretty damn amazing. I love spending time with her and I resolve for more date nights. Many date nights can consist of dinner or going out, but we have also enjoyed home cooked meals and time together on the couch watching movies. I am going to make it a point of pampering her regularly in the new year.
More Family Time. This kind of goes with the last item, except this is more geared toward my sons, my dad, and my brother. I have been meaning to take my sons out to learn how to golf. My dad did that with me, and I think they might enjoy it. I also want to throw the ball around more with them. My dad lives an hour away, and I am resolving to do more visits to see him, whether it is just my wife and I, or with the boys. I am also hoping to make a jaunt down to see my brother, who lives in that state with the very bland landscape – Ohio.
Drink More Water. Ok, I am not stupid. I know how drinking water helps with weight loss, blood pressure, and healthy living in general. I, however, always seem to drink coffee…because I work midnights! Well, I am making it a point in the new year to drink more water. Along with that, I will plan on more visits to the bathroom to pee.
Read a Book a Month. I absolutely LOVE to read! I read a variety of genres. I love biographies, mysteries, and historical stuff. I have a stack of books at home that I have been meaning to read, and I am hoping to read all of them before the year is up. This is one resolution I hope to over shoot. I would love to read two or three books a month, if I can. My wife and my boys got me some great books for Christmas that will probably jump to the top of the “to read” stack.
Give a Compliment a Day. I know I am always glad when someone offers me a compliment. Recently, I did a bit about Stan Lee on the radio. My boss texted me and said how much he liked it. The next day, one of the other jocks from another station in the building said that she had heard another bit I did on the air and said how much she was impressed by it. Getting a compliment makes you feel good – so why not give them out often? I plan on being generous with compliments in the new year.
Book a Trip. My wife and I will be celebrating one year of marriage in March. We’re not sure where we’re going yet, but have some destinations in mind. An anniversary trip will be booked soon!
Say “No” More. Very often we are pulled in many directions. We often feel that it is necessary to agree to something, even though we really don’t want to do it. We commit to things to make others happy and by doing so we sacrifice things that are important to us. It’s ok to say “no”, and I plan on doing it a bit more this year.
Get More Sleep. This, in itself, is a huge challenge. With the time off over the holidays, my body has been very happy to get a decent amount of sleep. I am really hoping to keep up that momentum and continue to get at least 6 hours every night. This is not always easy, but I know all too well the importance of a good night’s sleep. I work as a sleep technologist and we are forever telling patients the importance of sleep. Time to practice what I preach.
Listen More/Complain Less. Not really sure why I bunched these two together, but I did. As I stated in a previous blog, we often don’t really listen to what people are saying to us because we are already formulating our response while they are still talking. I am really going to try my best to listen more. I am also very quick to complain about certain things. Rather than complain, I am going to find the positives and focus on them.
Get Organized. You know what is sad? I actually think I am organized…..until I need to find something. My wife will often make fun of me because I tend to sort things in “piles”. The “to do pile”, the “to call” pile, the “not sure what to do with” pile, and so on. I’m not sure how to do this….but I hope to figure it out within the next 12 months and am open to suggestions.
Expand My Vocabulary. My friend, Johnny, gets an email with a “word of the day”. I know there are also calendars with a “new word everyday” you can buy. I might have to look for one. Learning new words is just one of the things I miss about elementary school. I always enjoyed getting a list of words and learning them. I used to “show off” by using those new words in front of relatives! I still try to use the word “kibitz” at least once a week!
Limit Phone Time. Let’s face it, we are glued to our cell phones! I need to remind myself that there is more to life than Memes on Facebook. When I am home with my wife or with my kids, I am really going to try to put the phone down so that I can enjoy time with them.
Show My Gratitude. “Thank You” are two words that cannot be said enough. Sadly, there are many who neglect to say them when they should. I resolve to express my gratitude to those who help me, those who do something for me, or those who just offer a compliment or advice. A friend of mine has what she calls a “gratitude journal”. Every night, she writes something she is thankful for. She then reviews it at the end of each month. What a cool idea! Might be interesting to actually see all the things in your life that you are grateful for on a regular basis.
Make “Me” Time. A few years ago, I realized that I could not improve the other things in my life, until I started to improve “me”. How can you make others happy when you yourself are not happy? Finding time for yourself is such an important and overlooked thing! Maybe that “me” time is reading a book, watching cat videos on YouTube, or cutting the grass. Whatever it is, finding some moments for yourself is beneficial for everyone. I will be sure to set aside “me” time often in the new year.
“Making a Decision on School”. My wife basically gave me an ultimatum recently. I have been going back and forth as to whether or not to go back to school. This is probably the most daunting thing on my “to do” list. It is such a big question mark! There are so many things to consider. I need to figure this out….and I will.
“Write More”. Through the encouragement of others, I have found writing to be one of my favorite things. My brother got me a book with creative writing topics, some of which will be future blogs. While many blogs I write are personal, I also like to write about movies, music, and other things. I have a feeling much of the “me” time I will have, will be spent writing.

So there they are. That’s some list, huh? Maybe I’ll be able to accomplish more than one of these things in 2019. Maybe you will find something on my list to add to your list of resolutions? I hope so.

Now, if you can do me a favor and every once in a while ask how I am doing on my list … I’d appreciate it!

Wishing you much success and all the best in 2019!

Keith