Rainy day, lazy day. My favorite activities on a day like this involve reading, snacking and sleeping. For a guy like me, that’s almost heaven on earth! I don’t watch anything on TV much anymore, or on a device, but will binge watch a program. My wife and step-daughter binge watch Friends or Downton Abbey. No thanks, not for me. I’d say reading is my favorite way to spend a lazy day. I enjoy reading and writing, but love reading the most. I mostly enjoy reading mysteries or detective novels. Occasionally, I break away and enjoy other genres as well. Currently, I’m reading As The Crow Flies by Craig Johnson, which is both a mystery and a western. Actually, it’s a contemporary western set in Wyoming. Its protagonist is an aging sheriff named Walt Longmire, a widower nearing retirement. I came across this series a few years ago and have completely fallen in love with it and Mr. Johnson’s writing style. I’m also working my way through a biography on the current Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints president, Russel M. Nelson. At other times, I just surf the net and read up on current affairs. I used to read a lot of political posts but have turned away from that in recent years. Instead, I just read enough to stay informed and avoid the rest of the strife and vitriol bleeding from the news today. I’d rather read something that would build me up and edify me. I do read the Bible, the Book of Mormon and various devotionals as well. It’s always good to feed the spirit in the morning, throughout the day, and in the evening. Reading brings me peace and joy unlike anything else. I’d like to encourage all of you to try reading on a lazy day. Find something you like and just enjoy it. Life’s way too short not to.

Three days into 2020 and it occurred to me I haven’t made any New Year’s resolutions. I may not be alone. So, giving it some thought and I keep asking myself….why bother? I never keep them. Again, I’m certain I am not alone in this matter. Nevertheless, I am going to try. I usually prefer to call them goals. Anyway, here they are:

1.) Find a better paying job.

2.) Pay off a few credit cards.

3.) Continue to stay sober one day at a time.

4.) Write more.

5.) Keep trying to be the best husband I can be to my lovely wife.

6.) Be ready to serve at church and help others, love others.

That’s it. I already lost weight towards the end of last year, so I’ll just keep that in maintenance. So far so good 3 days into the New Year. Hope the best to all of you keeping your New Years resolutions. Don’t worry if you mess up. I do. Just trust God and keep plugging away. Be blessed!

Well, it happens to all of us at one time or another. We get settled in our lives, settled in our ways, settled in routines. Eventually, boredom sets in. Next up, we feel like we’re stuck in a rut. I’m having one of those rut days now. It’s evening and as I wind down for the night, I think about many things. As it turns out, maybe I’m not in a rut After all. Work seems to be that way for me a lot. However, it wasn’t routine. I came early, worked hard and made a few people smile along the way. That’s always special. That’s a good kind of rut to stay in. I guess it boils down to the choices we make. I can choose to be happy or not. I can choose to be helpful to others or not. I often try to be helpful no matter what. That’s another good rut. The day was good. Not boring. Not routine. Life is the sum of our choices. Think I’ll choose to stay positive, do good, and make people smile. That’s a good way to enjoy the day…..and to stay in a good rut.

Happy New Year everybody! I can’t believe we’re starting a new decade already. The last one blew by so quickly for me. So much has happened to me during the last 10 years. I quit drinking and am 9 years sober. I divorced and remarried 2 years ago. Sold a townhome and bought a lovely 3 bedroom home out in the country on an acre of land. I lost weight, gained it back, and just recently lost it again….hopefully! I’m looking forward to 2020. It’s going to be an exciting year for all of us! A little about myself, I’m obviously new at blogging, but not at writing. I graduated from Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC in 1996 with a BA in Mass Communication/Journalism. After college, I spent a few years working locally on a few newspapers covering high school sports and writing feature articles, photography, and some hard news. I fell away from it and went into retail and restaurant managing for a few years. During this time, I never lost the itch to write. So, my wife, family and friends suggested I try blogging. Not a bad way to scratch that writing itch, eh? So, my goal this year is to write at least one blog a day….or two…..or 3. It’ll be on anything that’s, well…..on my mind. I don’t plan on writing about politics though. I think we have enough political discussions around already. However, I may chime in on a particular subject if I feel strongly about it. Otherwise, I’m sure I can find many other topics to write about besides whatever is going on in the ever shifting, ever polarizing political landscape. Until then, again, a Happy New Year to all. Make every day count towards helping one another out. Be blessed!

UPDATE: I just reread this post from January and got a big kick out of a statement I made that 2020 was going to be an exciting year. That was before the Covid-19 pandemic, etc. Yep, it’s been exciting alright! Just had no idea how exciting and crazy it was going to be. Looking forward to better times in 2021!

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.

— Oscar Wilde.

This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.