Fighting Back Against Negative Words

I was contemplating why in recent years it has been hard for me to do a post on my blog. Thinking it through I remembered even though I blamed my halting on my stress of doing my dissertation and home issues there was something deeper. Back when I was writing the blog in a regular fashion someone important to me keep saying that doing the blog was a waste of my time. No one really read it and it would never make any money. So the argument was why waste time writing it. I had forgotten all about those statements after I stopped writing in my blog. Recently remembering the comments reminded me how depressed I got at that time and figured the person was right. As I thought over the negative words I began to think at that time, that the words were right so I allowed those negative words to win and stopped writing. I rethought this all after receiving an email from another blogger who enjoys what he writes about. He doesn’t have a big following but has very good content and provides helpful thoughts on the spiritual sphere of life. I will be sharing about one of his books in the near future. His sharing about why he blogs made me think of how I caved into the negative thoughts on my “wasting time” blogging. It was true I did not have many people who read my blog but there were some who did. I even received some good comments along the way. As for money which is one negative set of words received I realized I wasn’t doing it for money. Instead it was for sharing my thoughts on books I had read. The hope was like my book, Living More Than OK, I would be able to share more resources of positive books so people could build their lives in a better way. My feeling back then was even if what I wrote helped even one person to have a better journey in their life, the time and effort was worth it. So I will fight back against the negativity and get back to regularly posting each week. I find it amazing how accepting negativity from others can alter things we enjoy. I enjoy reading and I enjoy sharing principles and ideas from books I find helpful. That is why in my book, Living More Than OK, as I looked at positive psychology and spiritual principles I included in each essay a number of helpful book resources for people to do further research on the various topics. So my blogging journey will continue forward with new renewed purpose. Reflection: Has negativity from others ever stopped you from following things you enjoy or a dream you had? What can you do to renew your pursuit of things you enjoy?

Summer Reading 2023

Since I decided to return to my blog, Living More Than OK, and with Summer here I wanted to check up on Summer reading programs. As I mentioned in my book, Living More Than OK, the local Summer reading program in my hometown library in Barberton, Ohio started my passion for reading. That was in second grade when my mom got me involved in the Summer reading program. I am so glad that libraries have kept the program alive over the years as reading is so important in life. I recently went over to my local New Braunfels, Texas public library and the parking lot was full and they had their reading program in full swing. I then checked out my hometown Barberton library website and noticed the theme for this Summer program is “All Together Now”. Each year there is a national theme. This theme captures in my mind how the program has expanded to all ages so it is trying to get the whole family and all people reading. I like that idea,as far as I am concerned, the more people reading is a good thing to aim for. Each Summer I remember and picture in my mind going up the second floor of my public library. Each week I would pick out a couple books for the program. I was also able to tell one of the children librarians about what I read. I believe that practice helped me to do better in school above and beyond just the reading which helped build vocabulary and understanding. Back then the program collected stickers for a certificate at the end of the Summer. In today’s world they provide physical prizes for the children reading programs. I think that is great as that can help build motivation for some children who may not be that into reading. Then through that positive reinforcement some of them may become lifelong readers. I have also been glad to see now the program is for all ages. Reading needs to be encouraged throughout the life span to help keep minds active. I believe in physical exercise but I also believe reading is important exercise for the mind and brain. Adults lives can become so busy so there is a need to slow down and one great slow down activity that engages the brain is reading. The reading programs also reminds me of those who influenced my reading in my life. My mom although she was not educated knew education was important so encouraged my involvement in the reading program. The children librarians were so nice and friendly so they encouraged my reading. Then as I mentioned in my book my third grade teacher, Mrs. Verna Clifford, promoted the importance of reading. Each week she would take time to read to the class a work of fiction. I hope as you read this you will think back to memories of reading in your past. Also be involved in reading this Summer 2023. Encourage those around you whether family or friends to be involved in reading programs. Reflection: Who made an impact in your life about reading? What is a favorite reading memory?

Books Can Change the Person and Society

Recently someone suggested I watch the movie, Idiocracy, to consider and reflect on the direction the world will be going. The movie was produced back in 2005. I found it interesting that it was filmed in the Austin, Texas area. I am not a big movie watching person but the title intrigued me so I watched it. The story line is of a U. S. Army Librarian, Joe, who is enlisted into a sleep hibernation program and the partner the government teamed him up with was a Prostitute, Rita. Problems occur so they wind up waking up 500 years later. The America 500 years into the future is a Dystopean junkyard. Trash is everywhere and the population has been dumbed down. Technology has advanced but the mentality of the people is low IQ, driven by base animal impulses and consumerism. Big corporations are puppet masters of a stupid president. Most of the problems are caused by the one big corporation that has destroyed agriculture. Everyone has a bar code to buy and sell which gets Joe in trouble as he has no bar code. Through a series of events he is brought to the President as tests have shown Joe’s IQ is so high above all others. He is given the task to solve the food problem. He eventually does that, all the while he is trying to find a time machine to get back to his home 500 years earlier and wanting to take Rita with him. At the end when he solves the problem Rita tells him she wants to stay. He though torn with the idea of going home, stays as well and they as a couple bring into the new future 3 smart high IQ children. Watching the movie I wondered to myself if we are not presently living in Idiocracy? Many of our present problems stem from puppet masters who have brain washed large swaths of the public to react emotionally to selfish tech consumerism. Many do not use critical thinking in their personal lives nor do they seek to build up the inner life to build a better future for themselves and their families. The movie was entertaining but the message related well to what we see in our present era and if not challenged our problems can only grow worse into the future. There was a small snippet in the movie that stood out to me. It was when Joe is speaking about his desire to go back in time and he was going to tell the people 500 years earlier to read more. He understood the power of working our minds and souls through reading. One way to keep the brain washing away is to keep working our minds with reading actively instead of passively responding to staring at mindless technology. The elites of the world want the masses to not think for themselves but to be compliant worker ants for the elites ease and pleasure. A good habit of reading books can help keep our minds growing. As we each grow in our thinking critically we can then encourage others to follow in the habit of reading. Hopefully others will understand the importance of building their minds in stronger and freer ways. By doing so there can be a positive effect on society; thus building a society where free thought can break away from the hold of the brain washing of the elitists. Reflection: What is a favorite life changing book you have read that you would recommend to someone else?

Time For A Restart

Recently I was reading an article about being ready for a fresh start and I thought about this blog I started writing some years ago. Before COVID when I was stressed with my PhD dissertation I had stopped writing it. Then other life issues came along and I stopped again. I kept thinking I should go back to it but kept putting it off. The fresh start article got me thinking about doing a restart of writing in the blog. The actual article focused more on starting new habits and new ideas. That is a good thing to do also in life but for me the fresh start was another calling me back to this blog. So at this point in time a fresh start for me will be going back to the writing here in my blog Living More Than OK. I have decided that the enjoyment of putting my thoughts from the various books I read is important. I love reading and I love writing so it is time to get back to it. I hope to do a post each week but I will not judge myself if I don’t do a post each week. I will probably be more steady at it if I keep the judgment voice away. We all can be our own worst enemies that way. I do hope what I write will encourage anyone who stops by here. Restart is a new beginning and a chance to break out of being stuck by the weight of self judgment. Part of the stuckness with this blog for me was as in the past wondering what impact can I have. With the restart I began to think don’t worry about that. Get the writings out there and let any reader who stops by to receive their own personal impact. Each person is their own person and they can decide what to learn for themselves what helps them on their personal journey. So today I am making a commitment to myself to go back to my writing here at Living More Than OK and share my thoughts on various books I read. Reflection: Is there something in your life where you need to do a restart? x

Importance of Nostalgia In Our Life Experience

One magazine that I recommend to counseling clients is Breathe. It is a magazine that is produced in the U.K. with articles that focus in on mindfulness and wellbeing. The writers often share research studies on anxiety, depression and wellbeing solutions from psychologists around the world. Their website is www.breathemagazine.com . You can find their magazine at bookstores such as Barnes & Noble, grocery stores and pharmacies. The most recent edition I purchased was on the topic of memory. There were a variety of articles related to aspects of memory. There were ideas on memory boosting, Dream work and memory, time, remembering friends and nostalgia. Probably due to my last post of reflecting on the life of my favorite teacher the article that stood out to me the most was one about nostalgia. The title of the article was “Look Back and Wonder”, by Ashley Lampard. Merriam Webster defines nostalgia as “a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition.” Last week as I shared about the death of my favorite teacher, Mrs. Clifford, There definitely was the feeling of looking at the interrelations of her friendship over the years and made me reflect on my elementary school years. There was sadness in the loss but joy in thinking back to all the good times in third grade and throughout the life journey in my relationship with her and her husband. These feelings related well to the part of the article that emphasized how nostalgia provides a “warmth from the past”. Thinking over the years since Mrs. Clifford was such a positive role model I was reminded of many positive aspects of her life and how that affected my growth and choices for the better. In the article there are ideas listed as to how to encourage Nostalgia. Some of the ideas listed were: Go through an old photo album, visit childhood hangouts, make a family recipe, reminisce with an old friend. Other ideas I thought of would be to write out a couple of your favorite memories in a journal entry. Listen to some of your favorite songs from that time period you are reflecting on . Make a gratitude list of what you are thankful for about your past. Obviously we don’t want to live in the past all the time yet when you take a nostalgic time travel in your mind back to the past it can be a positive experience. Times like that help you see how you have developed over the years and how you can continue to grow in your future. Reflection: Think over a favorite person in your past and write down how they affected you for the better. List a few of your favorite memories from the past. Why were they important to you?

Source of Inspiration For My Reading and Writing

Doing my blog was something I enjoyed over the past years but in 2020 as covid started up and I had finished my PhD I stopped. I am not fully certain what stopped me. I was exhausted after writing my dissertation. Then researching what was going on with covid was a time waster. Settling into work-life and family life after all my work on my dissertation took me off track as well. Underlying, was maybe thoughts of what good is the blog as I was not certain anyone was getting any good out of it. A life event happened a couple weeks ago that provided inspiration to get back to the blog. On May 14th, 2022 I received news that my favorite teacher, Mrs. Verna Clifford passed away. I have been trying to call her and felt something was wrong. It was sad news to hear for those of us who loved her but I knew she was joined now with her husband Parke in heaven. I joked with her friend who gave me the news that Parke on her arrival in heaven probably told her, “Verna, what took you so long". Mrs. Clifford had been my 3rd grade teacher at Woodford Elementary School in Barberton, Ohio. When my mom passed away in 1993 I kept in touch with her and Parke until Parke passed away in 2010. Each time I went back to Barberton to visit I would see them and later just her alone. After Parke passed away we took Mrs. Clifford on a cruise with us. That was an enjoyable time as she had never done a cruise and that is one thing she and Parke never got around to doing. What made her such an inspirational teacher? She was kind and caring. Those are two characteristi

cs that were her mainstays. Compared to other teachers I never remember seeing her get upset. On discipline in the classroom she would be firm with troublemakers but not lose her cool. She inspired a love of learning. Each week she read aloud books to the class and also encouraged reading of books that we students enjoyed. She also had us write stories in class. Her emphasis on reading and writing helped me improve in those areas. This was also the time period my love of reading took off. When I started my blog she would read it and enjoyed my book, Living More Than OK that came out of the blog. After my PhD was done she encouraged me to get back to blogging but I let life and the craziness of the COVID time period take me away from writing. Now that she is gone Mrs. Clifford’s voice is one reminding me to go back to something I enjoy which is writing this blog. So I will begin anew each week writing about Living More Than OK topics and books that I find inspiring.

I will never forget the inspiration on the love of reading, books and writing that Mrs. Verna Clifford built into my life as a teacher and then a friend later in life.

Worshiping During Vacation

I have been away from writing here due to the business of work-life and decompressing from my stress from finishing up my PhD dissertation. Thankfully I graduated with my PhD in Psychology with Capella University. So I need to get back to writing here. This new posting looks at vacations.

We all go on vacations for various reasons. The prime reason for many is to take a break from the daily grind of everyday life. A couple of weeks ago we took a short vacation trip to Redding, California with a primary reason of visiting a church, Bethel, that is known for its worship music. As a family we have always enjoyed their worship music so we wanted to experience worship there. We learned that many people travel to Redding to experience Worship at Bethel Church. Matter of fact, I was speaking with a local at an Indian restaurant and mentioning we were in town to visit Bethel he said, “That does not surprise me.” He shared many come to visit that church.

Of course, we also enjoyed the amazing nature of Redding and Sacramento while we were there. One of the most pleasant nature experiences was the Turtle Bay Exploration Park and the Sundial Bridge pictured above. The Sacramento River runs through it. Also in Sacramento near the hotel we stayed there was a wonderful park with a pond we walked around. We are not big into shopping so it is the nature sights that move us.

We went to Bethel Church and found they have a prayer chapel that we enjoyed going to each morning for personal prayer and devotion time in the mornings. We attended two services, one Friday evening was a live stream to their college center where we were; as the main church was having a retreat for church members only. We were a little disappointed, but not with the worship music and the teaching that night was by visiting Pastor Erwin McManus from Mosaic Church in Hollywood. He gave a powerful message encouraging how Christians should be the church in their daily life. He pointed out how Christians should be there best in life in their career and their best in interactions with others.
On Sunday we attended worship at the main church campus. The worship music was very inspiring and pointed to Christ. Then the sermon that day by Pastor Eric Johnson presented an important reminder that the Christian life is not seeking blessings but to follow Christ as a servant. He used the apostle Peter as an example of servanthood. Peter was not perfect and we are not perfect. God used Peter for great things and we can do great things.

With all the bad news of the Corona virus as we left for California, the nature of California and the worship and teaching at Bethel refreshed our spirits. This vacation gave us a new look at how to do a vacation. As we look across the country there are other vacations we are looking forward to visit and listen to pastors we want to hear as part of the vacation experience.

Reflection:
Some go on vacations for history, some go for fun, some go for cultural events, and our recent vacation was for visiting a church my wife and I wanted to visit. What are aspects of a vacation that you look for when you go on a vacation?