THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING TO BE THANKFUL FOR, POST #10

Today I'm thankful for my life. I've had good days and bad days, and I'm thankful for every one of them. This is probably my last post in this series. May peace, happiness, health, and gratitude be with you today and every day. Thank you.


Now go take on the day.

Peace, out.

Check out Duane's Youtube channel.

MY CHRISTMAS WISH FOR YOU

Merry Christmas to all my wonderful readers. 

I enjoy writing, sharing, teaching, and motivating. I hope you have found some useful nuggets on these pages this year. I will be back after Christmas. I have many more great posts in mind for you.

My Christmas wish for you-
May you and your loved ones stay happy and healthy. 
May you live joyfully and purposely. 
May you find brilliant solutions to all life's challenges.
May you enjoy and appreciate the abundance around you.
May you boldly move forward with the wisdom of a lifetime.
May you know you are loved and appreciated.
P E A C E  TO  Y O U  A L W A Y S

Duane

21 LIFE LESSONS

(borrowed image from Sobernation.com)

I make these lists from time to time, both to share with others and also to remind myself of some valuable lessons I've learned on my journey. Feel free to save, copy, paste, share, whatever. Take what you like and toss what doesn't suit you. Enjoy.

-Be kind to children, animals, and everybody else.
-Drink lots of water.
-Eat fruits and veggies every day.
-Don’t take financial advice from people with no money.
-Stop buying things you don’t need.
-Save 10% of your take-home pay and never spend it.
-Find a job you love and do it as well as you can.
-Relationship advice: Find someone who is good to you and spend every day making each other happy.
-Cash makes an excellent gift.
-Read at least 3 books per year.
-Don’t judge people because you don’t know what they are going through.
-Help others when you can, the world needs more of that.
-Money is important but it’s not the most important thing.
-You don’t need a $50,000 truck or a huge house.
-Don’t take life so seriously.
-Laugh, play, and be thankful every day.
-Don’t take things that don’t belong to you.
-Don’t stay at a job you hate.
-Never leave home without a knife and a small flashlight.
-Be generous with your time, or your money, or both.
-If you think you have problems, volunteer at a homeless shelter. It will be an eye-opener.

I'm thankful to all my readers for your time and attention. You are my inspiration.

Now go take on the day!

Peace, out.



Check out Duane's Youtube Channel.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE HUMAN RACE?

(borrowed from Bing Images)

I recently watched a movie that took place in the 1980’s. It was fascinating to watch because there were no cell phones, no tablets, no computers! People weren't distracted, staring at a screen.

I found myself thinking, these are people without any electronic distractions in their lives. This is how life used to be. I barely remember when nobody had a cell phone. When people were around other people, they actually talked to each other!  And when somebody was all alone, sitting at a bus stop, or whatever, they were thinking! What a novel idea! 

I know some of you are thinking, big deal! But to me, it was an Ah-Ha moment! Its not my place to say if life is better or worse now, but it's definitely something to think about.

Now go take on the day!

Peace, out.

UPDATE

I’ve been jobless for more than 10 months. Thanks to the US Unemployment Insurance program, which I have paid into since I was 15 (36 years!), I have been receiving weekly paychecks this whole time. It’s a good thing, because jobs are hard to find. Never-the-less, I have faith I will find a good job before the money runs out. That’s my goal and as you know, setting and reaching goals is kind of “my thing”.

So what have I been up to since my last blog post?

I feel a little guilty because I haven’t written in six months. There are two reasons for my absence. First, I strive to keep my posts interesting, intriguing, positive, and thought-provoking. If I don’t have something to say that meets all those requirements I will usually say nothing. Second, I have been spending a lot of time outside and less time on my computer.

I read somewhere, years ago, that you should spend at least an hour every day outside. Something about nutrients you get from the sun and spiritual health that comes from the earth. I dunno about all that, but it does feel good to spend time outside, especially when the weather is nice.

Bicycling is still my favorite hobby. So far this year, I bought a used mountain bike on Craigslist, cleaned it, tuned it, adjusted it, and made several upgrades with new parts. Fun and easy stuff if you have any mechanical interest and a good assortment of metric tools. 

I rode this bike for about 3 months, then I donated it to a friend who wanted to buy her son a bike for his birthday but was having trouble finding a good used bike. It felt wonderful to help others and to know the bike I had cared for would be loved and ridden and enjoyed. Time to acquire another bike from Craigslist. I found a Schwinn I really liked at a good price and brought it home. I will probably keep this one forever. It just feels perfect for me.

At the beginning of this year, I couldn’t imagine riding my bike 10+ miles in one day. I mapped out some routes of 1 mile, 2 miles, and 4 miles. I really thought riding 4 miles one direction then back home would be the farthest I would travel on a bicycle. Wrong. As summer came and the weather warmed up, I found myself staying out longer and going farther and father on my bike.

To date, I have ridden more than 20 miles in a single trip and I now feel that 10 miles is a SHORT RIDE. Isn’t that interesting? Is there a lesson here? You tell me.

Now go take on the day!

Peace, out.

　
Check out Duane’s YouTube Channel　

RE-DISCOVERING A FAVORITE HOBBY

JOBLESS, 122 DAYS

I’ve had a lot of time to think and do what I want to do without the pressure of working at a job for 4 solid months. I have to tell you, I am loving the freedom I have now!

In the past, I have fantasized about how wonderful it would be to retire from my job and spend my time doing what I want to do. This first taste of what retirement will be like is as wonderful as I had imagined. I still get up early, 6am at the latest. But it is because I want to, because I love mornings. The world is quiet and the coffee tastes best first thing in the morning.

How about a hobby?
I got my first bike when I was 10 years old. The drawing above is from memory of that bike, drawn in 2008. My bike was my transportation, my freedom, and my independence. I rode it all over town. I rode every chance I got. I loved my bike more than all my other toys combined. Once I started working, I bought a car and sadly, my bike was forgotten and eventually given away. Now that I have no job and lots of free time, guess what? I bought a new bike! :)

I have re-discovered my love of bicycling. I am not a pro-bicycler. I don’t wear the Spandex bike clothing and I don’t push myself to the point of exhaustion. I wear comfortable clothes and I ride at my own pace. I usually take a snack and a bottle of water with me. I stop and take frequent breaks in beautiful city parks. It is the most fun I’ve had in years!

Bottom line:
At this point in my life, my time is my own and I’m enjoying every minute.

Now go take on the day.

Peace, out.


Check out Duane’s YouTube Channel

EXERCISE, WHAT A RUSH!

Factoid:
Exercise is good for the body and mind. There are hundreds of studies that show physical activity reduces stress, depression, and makes you feel more energized and confident throughout the day. Exercise helps stimulate the production of serotonin in the brain. The effect of this mood elevating chemical makes you feel good for hours afterward.
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I’ve been unemployed for 33 days. The job search is going about as expected. No interviews yet. Of course my recent experience in a research laboratory is not a high demand field. In fact, the field is shrinking. If you can score such a job, it’s great. Otherwise, you feel the curse of being far too specialized.

So what else have I been doing to keep myself busy? One thing I am committed to is keeping active. I have implemented an exercise routine that is easy, fun, and free. I know myself, and if it weren’t easy, fun, and free there is no way I would stick to it. So here it is:

Every day I will do one or more of the following--
INSIDE--
Stretching, at least 3 minutes
Push-ups, at least 10
Work out with nunchucks, at least 3 minutes
OUTSIDE--
Walk at least 1 mile
Bicycle at least 2 miles

So far in the last 33 days, I’ve only skipped 3 days. Not 100% but better than I have ever done with any exercise routine, ever! That’s a win in my book! I know it’s not much of a workout to do only one thing on the list. But I usually do more than the “required minimum”. Besides, even the minimum is much better than doing none at all.

This is the starting point of my do-it-yourself home fitness program. I would love to hear about your exercise/fitness success stories. What do you do for exercise and what do you do to stay motivated?

Your comments are always welcome!

No go take on the day!

Peace, out.


Check out Duane’s YouTube Channel

MY MRI TEST RESULTS

I met with my doctor today to go over my MRI test results. What did they find? Well, first let me tell you what they did not find--

BRAIN SCAN:
There is no sign of brain tumors, aneurisms, bleeding, water on the brain, or brain swelling.

SPINE SCAN:
There was no sign of misalignment, bone marrow changes, disk abnormalities, bone lesions, or pressure on the spinal cord.

So what did they find?

BRAIN: Tiny bit of white matter, potentially related to migraine headaches.
SPINE: Tiny central disk protrusion, which could compromise nerve roots.

I thought it was interesting (and funny, and a relief) that both of these findings were described as TINY. That's a good thing. Maybe one or both of these are causing my headaches. Or maybe it's stress or tension. Or maybe it's an allergy to wheat or dairy or applesauce or pollen or dandelions... You get the idea.

In a nutshell, I'm glad I did the MRI because now I know for certain that I don't have any serious brain or spinal problems. Thank God!

But am I any closer to finding a cure for my headaches?  No.

OK, I won't bore you with any more of this headache stuff, unless I find a cure, then I will definitely share it with everybody who will listen. :)

Now go take on the day!

Peace, out.


Check out Duane’s YouTube Channel

My First MRI

Today was my first MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). Why am I getting an MRI? My goal is to find out why I get headaches and then find the cure for them. I believe nobody should have frequent headaches. I had 89 headaches in 2010. If you have pain anywhere in your body that often, something is definitely wrong!

Anyway, I want to tell you about my experience with the MRI machine. Since I’ve never been subjected to this type of test before, it was a memorable experience.

First, let me tell you what the MRI machine does--
Your body is mostly made up of water. Water is made up of hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen atoms respond to a magnet. The MRI machine uses a very powerful magnet to line up the hydrogen atoms in your body in a straight line. About half of the atoms point toward your head and about half point toward your feet, but there are always a few unmatched atoms. Then a radio frequency pulse is added which causes the unmatched atoms to spin the other way. When the pulse is turned off, the unmatched atoms return to their normal position and emit energy. This energy sends a signal to a computer, which converts it into an image.

I felt honored that they were going to use this sterile, spaceship-looking mega-machine on me. I did some research before my appointment and learned that just the machine itself costs more than $3 Million. And that’s not including the highly trained staff that runs it. Impressive.

They had me lie on a narrow table, which is designed to slide your body into the machine. The table was surprisingly comfortable. They added a pillow under my legs to keep my back as flat as possible. Then they added pads under my arms (for comfort, I guess). I also got foam earplugs and headphones, which played music and allowed the technicians to talk to me while the machine was running. Last but not least, I got an emergency squeeze bulb attached to a cord. "If anything happens(!?!), just squeeze this and we will get you out of there." That was both worrisome and comforting at the same time. LOL I never had to squeeze it.

One of the technicians said my job was to hold still. In my head, I told myself, "Hold still, think positive thoughts, and smile". It may not help, but it sure can’t hurt! :)

They slid me in and went behind a glass wall. I wondered if the glass was explosion-proof. They turned on the music and started the machine. I was expecting a loud windy sound. Nope, what I heard was very loud pulses of varying frequencies and degrees. Sometimes it sounded like the bass beat of rock music. Sometimes it was just noise.

A lot of thoughts went through my head as the huge magnets and pulsing frequencies did their work. I remembered when I was a little boy, hiding in my toy box, which seemed oddly similar to where I was now. I also wondered if the lights in the rest of the hospital dimmed when they turned the MRI machine on. That led to thoughts of spinning electric meters, and people running the power plant having to turn a few dials to compensate for the increased power draw at Kadlec Hospital in Richland, Washington… Just for me…

I briefly wondered if this giant hydrogen sucking magnet would cause me to have a headache for the rest of the day. How ironic would that be? I tried to keep my thoughts positive. Feeling good, pushing back any negative thoughts, and smiling. I wondered if the MRI techs could see what I was thinking on their computer screen. His name was Don, he was nice. There was a woman, too, but she didn’t tell me her name. She talked to me through the headphones while I was in the machine. She asked me if I was ok, and gave me periodic updates of how much time was left.

They did two separate scans, one of my brain and one of my neck. Each took 20 minutes. There was about a 2 minute break in between. I can’t say it went fast or slow. I was very much aware of the time as it passed. I knew it was almost done before I heard her voice in my headphones, "only 4 more minutes to go".

When it was over, I wasn’t dizzy or disoriented at all. I felt like I had taken a 40 minute nap but I know I didn’t sleep. And I was very hungry!

I won’t have the results for a few days, but I expect a clear picture with no sign of trouble. I suspect my headaches are caused by some type of allergy. I will get to the bottom of this mystery, because that is my goal. :)

Now go take on the day!

Peace, out.
　

Check out Duane’s YouTube Channel

Million Year Old Health Secret

Question: What is the most important nutrient for the human body?
Answer: Water
　
The human body is 2/3 water. Your blood is 83% water. Your brain is 90% water. It’s a fact that you can’t function properly if you don’t drink enough water. Water is necessary for every bodily function and for alertness, concentration, and thinking. It helps carry essential nutrients to all our cells, aids in circulation, digestion, metabolism, and waste removal. Throughout the day, we are constantly losing water through sweating, urination, and evaporation. That water must be replaced.

Drinking water may seem boring at first, but look at these AMAZING BENEFITS of drinking water--

Makes your skin look and feel better
Increases energy and endurance
Helps your brain think more clearly
Keeps your muscles and joints lubricated for better mobility and efficiency
Can cure headaches, muscle aches, hunger, and fatigue
Flushes disease causing toxins from your body
Makes you feel healthier and improves your mood

How much do we need to drink? The average-sized person requires 2 to 3 quarts of water a day. You can get some of your water through the foods you eat. For example, if you are eating 5-8 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables daily, then you are getting about one quart of water through your food.

Unfortunately, caffeinated drinks don’t count. In fact, for every cup of coffee and for every soda you drink, you need to drink an equal amount of water, just to compensate for the water lost due to the effects of caffeine. The same goes for caffeinated tea and alcohol.

Soda Facts: The amount of sugar in soda definitely packs on the pounds. If you are a regular soda drinker, you can replace your soda with water, and in one year, you will lose approximately 40-50 pounds! Also, did you know that diet soda has been proven to actually increase your appetite? All soda depletes calcium from your bones. 

Here’s my formula--
I drink a 12-ounce glass of water first thing in the morning when I get out of bed.
Then I have a cup of coffee.
I sip water throughout the day.
I have another cup of coffee about 9:00 am.
I drink water with lunch.
I fill my 24-ounce water bottle before I leave work and I finish it on my drive home.
I drink water, milk, or 100% fruit juice with dinner.
I continue to sip water until I go to bed.

I rarely drink soda, but sometimes I want something sweet so I will have a soda instead of candy.

I don’t buy bottled water. I have a Britta filter water picture and a stainless steel water bottle that always goes with me. When I’m at home, I sip water from a glass.

If water is just too boring for you, try adding a slice of lemon, lime, or cucumber to your water. It’s good! There are also flavored drink mix packets that you can add to a glass or bottle of water. I don’t use them, but they are becoming very popular.

Bottom line: Be smart, be healthy, drink water!

Peace, out.

Check out Duane’s YouTube Channel