Tag: meet people

The daily habits that improve my quality of life.

I have a variety of habits that seem to help me survive and improve my quality of life. Below are a few that come to mind. I wish I had more actually. I’m open to suggestions. Quality of life is something you really have to take seriously. There’s a lot of things in life that will drain you if you are not prepared. Living is not for the faint of heart!

  1. I drink expresso coffee several times a day.
  2. I read and do creative things like writing, etc.
  3. I educate myself on something every day.
  4. I take a variety of vitamins and supplements.
  5. I do a lot of walking every day.
  6. I rationalize things by talking them out.
  7. I tell myself that it isn’t over yet.
  8. I remind myself this is not my fault.
  9. I go out and socialize periodically.
  10. I spend time in prayer every night.

Do you use any of these? Have any suggestions for me? Let me know in the comments, and please remember to like, share, and subscribe!

What I love about where I live.

I live in fairly large city, but it doesn’t feel like one sometimes. It’s been described as a big city, with a small-town vibe. I think this is because the people here are pretty friendly, and the community feels relatively safe. This allows you to get to know quite a lot of the locals. There’s still plenty of new people to meet every day, but some faces become familiar after a while. Below are few things I like about where I live.

22 things I like about where I live.

  1. There are a lot of things to do within walking distance.
  2. It feels relatively safe in the downtown area.
  3. People who live here are usually very friendly.
  4. My job is few minutes away and I can walk there if I want.
  5. The neighborhood looks very clean and well kept.
  6. There are a lot of luxury apartments in the area.
  7. I can cheaply rideshare to any place in the city.
  8. The downtown area has a thriving nightlife.
  9. There are tons of restaurants, bars, and fast-food places.
  10. I like my balcony view from the third floor, very peaceful.
  11. There is a nice community room with a pool table.
  12. The apartment residents are fairly quiet.
  13. There is a nice workout center I hardly use.
  14. There is a community pool that I never use.
  15. My vehicle is always protected in the parking garage.
  16. I can get just about anything delivered to me.
  17. I don’t have to drive far for groceries.
  18. There are shopping malls not too far away.
  19. The city has a large zoo and botanical garden.
  20. The city has a library and several art galleries.
  21. There is a movie theater and two comedy clubs downtown.
  22. There is a large symphony hall in walking distance.

What it looked like today from my balcony.

Balcony view from my apartment on the third floor.

Some photos I took of my neighborhood.

Please share your thoughts in the comments, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe!

My favorite state of mind.

Today I was thinking about something to write about. I do have tons more things to say, but I sometimes think, no, I don’t want to write that one today, I’m just not feeling it. It might be long winded, or emotional and change my mood, or maybe it just doesn’t feel like the right time. I know I’ll get around to it sooner or later, so don’t worry, there’s a lot more to come.

Confused by too many competing ideas to write about colliding in my brain and vying for my attention, I decided, I’m going to take a little nap to clear my head. You’ve heard me talk about sleep before and how much I love it, and that I also like to take naps. This is really one of the main reasons I do it. My mind becomes a tangled mess and I have to let it unknot itself. The nap resets me to clearheadedness while reducing some of my tiredness. I also think it greatly adds to your health, happiness, longevity, and wellbeing. Sleep is great!

That said, sleep isn’t really my favorite state of mind. Sleep is mostly unmemorable except for the dreams, but it does aid in recovery, growth, and healing. Dreams can be nice, because they take place somewhere that isn’t quite bound by all the rules of this reality, but they do seem to follow some rules, so I feel like it’s just another kind of reality that I can’t totally control half the time. Some dreams are also way more memorable and meaningful (see Dream Messages), as I have found out over the years, and I love them, but the dream state also isn’t my favorite, especially if I’m having a nightmare, which almost never happens these days.

I should mention the waking state also. It’s good in many ways, but definitely not my favorite. It has a very strict set of rules, mostly seems to be following a linear track, and is pretty darn inflexible. The good thing is that it is pretty solid and keeps its form, so I can usually figure out where I left my car keys, or what road to take to get home. There are also tons of amazing things to see and do in it, but it’s also home to pain, exhaustion, loss, sickness, death, poverty, and every imaginable plague and misfortune. It’s by far the most difficult one to control and can be quite uncomfortable some days.

I wasn’t sure what to call my favorite state of mind. It is not really sleep, not really dream, and not really awake. It’s a state that lies somewhere between these realities. If you know about this state, or can find it, I think you will realize it can greatly empower you, especially if you are a creative type. It can also be a very calm and rejuvenating state of mind, or at least it is for me. I decided to call it the Middle Realm, but the technical names are Hypnagogia and Hypnopompia. Feel free to pronounce those words instead if you like.

To get there, you just take a nap, or find it right before you go to sleep at night, or when you wake up in the morning, though an alarm clock really destroys this precious state, which is another reason to hate alarm clocks. It is in this state that I am my real self, but it can be scary sometimes. The material world and the dream world are overlapping somewhat during this state. Because immaterial and material are mingled, you might actually see or sense something that isn’t actually present. I don’t worry too much though. I just see it as part of a dream.

Now I get to the part where I tell you what was on my mind during that state after my nap. It was a thought, not overly profound, but definitely meaningful, and it kind of hit me in the face. It was a phrase, and I woke up and tweeted it (or Xed it?).

You don’t deserve the people in your life if you’re always wanting someone better.

The phrase was, you don’t deserve the people in your life if you’re always wanting someone better. It slapped me in the face because I’m the type of person who is always looking for new friends and acquaintances. It was a reminder that I need to remember other relationships and old friends. This is the wisdom that came from the Middle Realm today. I may post about other experiences in Middle Realm at a later date, stay tuned!

Possible discussion ideas

  1. What’s your favorite state of mind?
  2. Do you get inspired to write at bedtime?
  3. Do you have excellent thoughts when you first wake up?
  4. Does sleep or a nap untangle your thoughts?
  5. Do you remember a lot of your dreams?
  6. Do you have nightmares often?
  7. What do you think wisdom is and is it worldly?
  8. What are your experiences in the Middle Realm?

Thanks for reading! Looking forward to hearing from you in the comments! Please remember to like, share, and subscribe!

How I would describe myself.

Physically, I’m a tall and relatively lean looking person, at 6’2″ and around 180 lbs. I have blue eyes and brown hair. My skin favors the color of Northern Europeans, as I am mostly of Scottish and Irish decent, with a little German and Dutch blended in. I wouldn’t classify myself as being special in any way, just an average looking person.

If you saw me in a bar, I’d probably just be chilling and scrolling through my phone or something. I’ve been told I’m really good a just chillin. I think this is because I have a calm demeanor and I’m generally very coolheaded, even under pressure. If I’m not chillin, I’m probably chatting with the bartender. I definitely know a lot of the bartenders downtown, and most of them are great conversationalists.

I think that’s really part of the draw to bartending. I had one bartender friend tell me they loved their job because they basically got paid to socialize. It’s probably a dream job if you like to talk to people. If you go to a bar long enough, you really start to feel like you are a part of their lives. The bartenders and regulars form an odd sort of family. It’s really the best part of bars in my opinion.

I think I would also be considered good at conversation, especially with the right person. I can talk for hours if the subject is interesting. I’m also not someone who would come across as arrogant in conversation. There’s a girl I used to talk to at the bar. She was always complaining about her dates sounding arrogant in conversation. She seemed to have no problem talking to me for hours. I’m a good listener also.

I’m also a pretty empathic person. I think this is picked up by some people. They can tell I’m sincere and actually interested in them. I remember one girl described me by saying, Ken, you are a very genuine person. I thought it was a nice compliment. You are not always aware of how others perceive you, so it’s definitely interesting when someone points something out. This girl taught me a lot about myself.

How would you describe yourself? What’s your personality like? What would other people say about you? Let me know below and please like, share, and subscribe!