35 Great Hacks in 30 minutes

Below are two links. The first is 14 great tool hacks.  The second is 21 great hacks.

I have to tell you I was rather blown away here.  There was so much in the first link!

You will find something you can use.  Over the years, I would have saved a bunch of time, effort, pain, and money if I had memorized these hacks.  Check them out.  I think you will agree they are something else.  Youtube, I gotta love you!

And here’s the second link:

 

Just so you can have a bit of fun (I try to do that), here are about 6-7 minutes of “Hacks” that you should “not try at home”:

 

Namaste,

Scott

 

Robin’s Gone, Now is the Time to Scream…

Source: Google Image Search (with license for reuse). Click on pic for page.

Okay, here are two things I know:

1)  Today I am supposed to do my Five Sentence Fiction entry for the week.  I will do it tomorrow.

2)  Everywhere people are talking about 2 things:  Robin Williams’ death and Depression.  I will make one more.

Seriously, I imagine there are dozens (or more) of posts on depression and Robin Williams made in the last few days.  I was not going to add to them, but then I saw this:

http://www.upworthy.com/in-response-to-robin-williams-death-the-most-powerful-description-of-depression-ive-ever-heard?c=upw1

Now, see?  This one got me going.  Why?  Because I, too, have been there.  I have sat in a hospital on a bed in a place where the doctor comes in, asks you a bunch of questions, then decides what happens to you.  I have never tried suicide, but I understand it.  My contention is that suicide is a very permanent solution to a temporary problem.  That’s what I told the doc.  Then I told him that there are just times I wish I had never been.  He said, “Close enough.” and into the stress center I went.  Two weeks to begin to solve a lifetime problem.

I prayed.  I prayed and I tried so many things.  However, for me, it took a stroke.  When I awoke from my stroke, I was no longer depressed.  I am anxious (nothing new), but not depressed.  I don’t worry much about dying anymore (I have had that experience).  I realize that life is great and that I truly need to focus on enjoying life and making it count.

Recently, I published a book on Kindle.  I have also published in actual paper books 4 times and another time online.  That makes me a published author.  That’s a big one on my bucket list.  Am I rich?  Not with money, no.  But, that’s not what I asked for (that was a separate thing!).  I wanted to be published; I am.

The thing is:  you truly don’t understand depression unless you have been there; that’s no joke.  I had a lot of people and family say, “Let it go.”  “Smile.”  and “Just get over it.”  None of those work.  I saw a psychologist for years; I was on strong medication for years.  Having the depression gone now just feels like such a load off of me.

So, I won’t tell all of you out there who are depressed to “get over it.”  What I will say is “don’t stop trying.  Don’t give up. See a professional.”  You worried about the money?  There are cheap and/or free places to go.  Also, curing yourself or learning to deeply deal with it is so very important.  Don’t be afraid to spend the money on yourself to get better.  You can!  Need someone to talk to?  I am here.

Namaste,

Scott

Happy, Happy, Happy!

Okay, as you can see by the title, I am happy!

What has me that way is not any big change in  life, but the addition of some things.

Those things are followers and readers for my blog!  In the last couple of weeks I have had quite a few people read my posts, both followers and readers.  They have made comments and/or liked the post.  This had allowed me to track them.  I want to thank them for their participation in my life.  And, I think I have figured out how to do that pretty well:

1)  I am going to produce a list of people who I don’t normally notice on my blog who have either commented and/or liked the last few posts.  I will, if possible, link their names back to their blogs (some may not have one).

2)  I would love it if you would click on 1 or 2 of them instead of reading my usual post today.  If you do, please be so kind as to mention that I got you there, so they know I am thanking them.

3) Have a great day.

List:

Cayman Thorn – Thanks to 4am writer for the post info

Nitin Vaghela

Jonathan Hilton    not his first visit

tazeinmirzasaad  has been around a bit

zookyworld  graphic artist – shirts and such on blog, too!

the imaginator

EagleAye

JackieP

Okay, that’s the last several posts.  It doesn’t show me all the likes so, if I missed you and you are new, I apologize.  Tell you what – mention that in a comment and give yourself a link!  It’s not tooting your own horn if I ask!

I also did stop at 8.  You have choices, but limited.

Enjoy.  Namaste,

Scott

A Little Bit of Encouragement

I had a student once, sent to me because of different difficulties.He worked in my class (not always something that was done) and tried very hard. When grades came out, he approached my desk.

“Mr. V? I wanted to thank you for the A+.”

I looked at him. “Don’t thank me. You earned it.”

He smiled, but still looked shook. “No one’s ever given me an A+.” And out he walked, out of my special needs classroom, back to the regular school, and I never saw him again.

He was “fixed”. He made it. That one little A+ was all he had needed to boost his confidence high enough to handle what life was throwing him. I truly didn’t give it to him; he earned it. I suppose it may have been the way I looked at his work. I always tended to try to think like the student when I graded papers, especially subjective ones.

I know there are teachers and administrators who disagreed and still do with that approach. Theirs is a “they must fight for everything; don’t give an inch” approach to grades. Somehow, we’ve  lost, I think, our ability to see past our noses and notice what the person really needs in order to succeed.

Snow White did not need someone to tell her to face up to the Wicked Stepmother and fight tooth and nail for what she stood for. What she really needed was a good friend (and she had seven), who merely loved her and helped when things got really tough. But did they fight and yell? No, they simply cared about their friend and because of their care, they put her in a glass casket and the prince found her.

Just think what it would have been like if the dwarves had simply dug a hole under a tree, dropped her in a wooden coffin, and buried it.

I think we really have to look at what a person needs (pray about it, if that works for you) and do that for them instead of giving them a hard way to go all the time.

Love is, truly, the answer.
Namaste,
Scott

Wow! Certainly not me…

Don’t worry, I won’t do two blog posts in one day often.

The entire reason for today is that, in all the excitement of beginning my blog, I didn’t really come forth with what you can get out of this. It certainly isn’t me!

I am not doing anything here but, hopefully, opening up an opportunity for you to speak through this blog to the rest of the world. I don’t want to do all the talking.

I can and will continue to post, but I think it more important that you all be heard, no matter what you have to say. All I ask is this:

Please don’t judge and don’t criticize. I don’t mean you can’t state your opinion even if it disagrees with the person who just posted a comment. I love discussion; I love it when there are more than one side to things. What I do mean is to treat each other here with love.

Sometimes, that can be a scary thing, treating others with love. You fear what may happen if you over-step, or if you come across wrong. Well, what I want to say is “Don’t feel that way!” Share with me; share with us; let us know about you and about the life you are living.

Our job (especially my job) is to sift through parts of it and help us all see that we can love, live, and grow even (perhaps, especially) with the differences we have. We are all spiritual beings, even if we don’t think so. This makes us loved by God by definition.

I don’t care how you picture God. In fact, it’s even your own business if you picture God in the first place. However you look at it, we are here and we are all connected. That should make it easier to love; easier to care; and easier to accept. If it truly doesn’t then, after you have given it a good, solid try, then go somewhere else to seek what it is you are seeking.

Just know this: I love you all and what I would choose most in the world is for everyone to love everyone else and themselves.
Namaste,
Scott