Dan’s Comments (group member since Jan 12, 2019)

Dan’s comments from the By Your Boot Straps group.

Because of my spine pain, I am restricted in how much I can do. So, while I started this group, I am rarely active. My apologies. You are definitely on to something, though: Tracking and accountability are crucial in hitting goals set. Best to you!

I get that about abbreviating Christmas, sure. But in the modern environment that is so deleterious to things Christian, X-mas has definitely become offensive to Christians. Where once it lacked that intent - and you also clearly had no negative intent - the modern anti-Christian environment has made Christians see that as I mentioned. Besides, Wikipedia is a major Leftist influence (in certain topics) in and of itself. Just advising and wishing you success!

Dear Ansumen: Thanks for posting quite appropriate info at my humble group. Congratulations on your book, too! May I offer a small bit of constructive criticism? It's ob ious that you were considerate of readers by making your post brief. But economy of words sometimes makes a post difficult to interpret. Also, while your promo is quite welcome here, there is a very large number of GoodReads participants who (wrongly) only take offense at promotional messages, some even go out of their way to administer discipline by writing snide or even dishonest reviews. I've experienced that and caution you about this other type of anti-commercial wokeness.

Also, at tge other end of the spectrum, many take offense at abbreviating Christmas, seeing it as taking Christ out of the name of that holy day.

Again, thanks; best to you for contributing to the body of knowledge available to readers!

Sorry I've been away so long. Back issues. I read a fine book recently that, though a fiction, offers ideas for recovery from the blues and personal loss. Try GUS BUSBI by Jim Sano. Best to y'all!

This Lent, please consider two powerful resources for rejuvenating the soul, perhaps even your situation in life: May I suggest that all here honor and invoke aid from the patron saint of writers, Saint Frances de Sales? Here is a link to a novena and some of his prayers: https://daily-prayers.org/novenas/st-... . St. Joseph is known to intercede, also, and his novenas are easy to search in your favorite search engine. Finally, I strongly recommend, for after the nine days of these special prayers, Merton's The Seven Storey Mountain as an inspiring rejuvenation -- no, rebirth -- account from which many lessons may be taken. May God bless you all on your journeys!

Hal Runkel's Choose Your Own Adulthood is funny and insightful. He doesn't expect people to do everything right all at once, but to start choosing more of a good thing, and less of a not-so-good thing. This easy-to-read book looks at real-life situations and encourages you to slow down and think before making choices. Really worthwhile for anyone who wants to successfully navigate adulthood, whether he/she is a teen or an adult.

Although I promo my own book by mentioning it here, SSFP is helpful to many. This is genuinely helpful because there is no client acquisition agenda (author recently retired & no longer licensed). This book does enable one to DIY or to ask the right questions of financial planners. It can help build or rebuild one's finances. Have a peek and enjoy: 20% of the text is devoted to thirty dramatic nonfiction accounts of client "tragedies and triumphs". It also provides more extensive budget and crisis budget materials (within and via website noted in book) than any financial planning book that the editor or I could find during research. Same for estate planning. It's not about wealth maximization, but about proper goal attainment. Let it help your family or recovery.

Ty, and thanks especially for telling friends & being patient as we build content.

Celia, you are the first to join me in this new group! Thanks. I have the same problem and want to get away from meds such as Acetaminophen. I have invited a second moderator (her assistant will likely do postings) who is an expert in this area: Sandy Weston. You can learn a bit more from her site, westonfit.com, but her assistant will shortly join and respond. As for spiritual, I have a third incoming moderator. He can recommend reading that can help, as can my wife, Laura. I'll try to move them along in this new role as well. In the meantime, from experience, I advise humble prayer with reconciliation (as may or may not be eating at you), the mystical side of yoga but the physical side and humor daily. I can recommend one or more useful book for the spiritual aches & pains, but I'd need to know the nature of the problem to be anywhere near on-target (losing or returning to faith, deciding on which faith to investigate, or any of a number of other specific needs. Keeping you in my own prayers!

Neuroscientist Kelly Lambert, PhD. found, many years ago, that people who have a high & frequent demand upon them for hand-eye coordination tasks are the only people who are nearly immune to depression and anxiety disorders. The degree off this effect varies directly with the degree of demand and frequency. She discovered other techniques that help, as well, all while investigating why drugs and therapy has failed two-thirds of those who use such prescriptions. Her book, LIFTING DEPRESSION: A Neuroscientist's Hands-on Approach to Activating Your Brain's Healing Power explains these. In summary, the more fine motor-skill-activating activities one has, the more the brain produces modulating chemicals that outperform anxiety drugs and therapy. This is not about creativity, so painting with broad strokes, for example, is less effective than fine detail in drawing; basketball helps as would watch repair. ISBN 978-0-465-01814-7. She's likely updated this, but I wanted to share this. What fantastic implications for high-strung teens and others dealing with depressive and anxiety affects!Lifting Depression: A Neuroscientist's Hands-On Approach to Activating Your Brain's Healing Power