And if I had saved more money I would have more of these……..my wish for Day 19 of the countdown to Christmas.

Day 20 of the Christmas countdown. Who wouldn’t want money for Christmas? But no, today’s gift is not money. Today’s gift is financial literacy. GIVE someone a million dollars and they will surely spend it. TEACH someone how to earn a million dollars and they most likey will earn more. Let me share some simple money math: a full time job requires 2080 hours of work annually. $15 an hour would wield an annual salary of $31,200.00. The average person works for 40 years. 40 x 31,200 equals $1,248,000.00. Yep. You would earn over a million dollars making $30,000.00 a year and working to retirement. Imagine making $20, $30, $40 or $50 an hour. How much could you have for retirement? Wish I had learned this much earlier than I did. Hopefully my children can benefit from and appreciate this when they reach my age. If you do not know how to manage the money you earn find someone to teach you how.

Day 21 in the 2023 Christmas countdown. You know, the above guitar amplifier would be a GREAT gift for a beginner guitarist. Alas, being a beginner guitarist myself I would appreciate this gift for Christmas. But you know what? I received this amp from my sons as a birthday present and I’m thankful for it. Thankful is a good word. So why don’t we all give the gift of Thankfulness this Christmas Season. Starting today.

Hello all. The countdown continues. Full disclaimer: the subject matter pertaining to this gift may be somewhat unsettling. However, the purpose of today’s gift idea could be life altering for the recipient. For today’s gift I’d like as many of us as possible to donate to a pediatric charity of your choice Children deserve to have the healthiest lives they can live. Let’s do our best to provide the children and their families the best Holiday Season possible.

Today’s gift is simple. How about the gift of relaxation? Put on your favorite song and give your significant other a full body massage. Afterwards have them do the same for you. As a matter of fact you should do this EVERYDAY!

Okay. The countdown has begun. World peace, albeit an ambitious wish, is a good start to the Holiday Season. My wish for Day 24? Show some respect towards one a other. Be courtteous towards one a other. This is not that difficult people. If these are values that we instill in our children why can’t we adults be better examples? We can. Respect and courtesy are my wishes for Day 24.

My how time flies. The Holiday Season is upon us once again. And once again I have compiled a list of gifts that includes someone for everyone. Starting the countdown at day 25: I wish for World Peace. I pray for World Peace. Just once in my life I’d like to have one day without war, shooting, killing and people hurting people. Just one day is all I ask.

WARNING ⚠️: Please eliminate any forms of resistance in your life that keep you from realizing your true calling!

First you must recognize where or who the resistance is coming from. Once you do you have a decision to make: allow the the forces of resistance to hold you back or pull yourself out of the grip of it.

For example I am being “called” to own this Yamaha MT 09 SP. As you might imagine I am facing a good bit of resistance from some powerful forces. But no worries. I KNOW who I am. I must follow my calling. I’ll keep you posted.

Yes, marijuana IS everywhere. It seems like wherever I go whenever I go the smell of weed is not too far behind.

I started noticing this on July 4, 2022. My wife and I like to check out fireworks at either of the few local displays nearby. So on 4th of July 2022 we went to a popular watching spot. Got there about an hour early for the 9:15pm display. As we sat in the car watching the countless families gathering my wife says, “What is that smell?” Lol! I had a good laugh and said, “You grew up in the same era as me. YOU know what that is! It’s marijuana! She was shocked. “And people are just out here smoking out in the open like that?” Yep.

Man how times have changed. 2022. Here we are at a public park, families of all races with children all around, police patrolling the grounds, and the unmistakable scent of marijuana out in the open for all to share. And none of the parents seemed too concerned. I wonder why?

As a youngster growing up in my neighborhood it was forbidden for anyone under the age of 18 to be anywhere near the smell of marijuana. The OGs would tell the “hoppers” to go home or get away when it was time for them to party.

You know, ever since that July 4th I notice that public marijuana usage has become more prevalent. Lowe’s parking lot on a Friday night? I smell marijuana. Local shopping plaza on a Saturday afternoon? I smell marijuana. College football game at the local university? I smell marijuana. Driving on the interstate and local roads? I smell marijuana. Fourth of July 2023 at the same park for fireworks? Yep,you guessed it.

Now for the record I was not counted among considered as recreational users. I indulged twice in my lifetime. Once at age 13 and again at age 16. Both times influenced by the presence of desirable older women. Believe me at that age having attractive older women around got me high enough if you know what I mean. I’ll leave it at that.

Funny thing about smelling marijuana nowadays is it takes me back to the days of my youth, particularly my days in junior high school. Clear summer day, leisurely late afternoon, music from station V103 blaring out of stationary car stereos and boom boxes simultaneously. Groups of neighborhood kids gathered sparingly. Idle teenaged boys finding excuses to talk to idle teenaged girls. And youthful mischievous thoughts……

Yea. Smelling marijuana these days does not take me higher, it takes me back. You know what, I’m gettin’ hungry. Wonder what kind of snacks we have?

Most people prefer sunny days over rainy days. Save for maybe farmers and meteorologists most of us do not wish for rain unless it is “convenient” for us.

Likewise, most people prefer sunny days over cloudy days. Count me among those people. But……..I think cloudy days are underrated. I think overcast days are misunderstood.

In my generation most kids spent a good deal of time outside. Unlike the times of the most recent generations of adolescents there was more to do outside the confines of home. But ask any person of any age and most will speak fondly of fair weather fun outdoors.

My appreciation for cloudy or overcast days began in my childhood during the Fall season on a day similar to this one. I knocked on the doors of my neighborhood friends and none would or could come out to play because it was cloudy and “might rain”. So, I grabbed my football and remote controlled planes and went to “the field”. Kicked and threw the ball around, ran with the ball avoiding imaginary defenders. Flew my planes until they ran out of fuel. The peace and quiet of those solitary overcast days left a lifelong impression on me.

To this day I still enjoy being outside on a cloudy fall day. Time seems to slow down just bit. The air is crisp. Your senses are heightened. The background noise is subdued. Most other people are indoors. Try it for yourself. Do not take your phone. No texts. No email. No alerts. No notifications. No messages. No likes. No tweets. No calls. No FaceTime or Meets required.

Go out and take a walk amongst the clouds. Just listen to the silence and you will hear your true voice speaking to you. And don’t be surprised if you develop your own appreciation for life between the sun and the rain.