Back In The Saddle!

EXCUSES BEGONE!

I was in the grocery store early this morning and in my reflection of the hectic days gone by and the busy day to come, I was struck with the awareness that I have been neglecting my spiritual diet.  Even as I write this now I chuckle at the irony that I did not see in that moment – that while I was busy planning and purchasing the food for my own physical nourishment, I had not made any recent trips to the storehouse to pick up food my own emotional and spiritual nourishment.  I didn’t make a big to do of it or anything at the time.  I am long since divorced of the guilt I once associated with these epiphanies!  But what happened a little while later is rather…amazing.

I returned home and began unpacking the groceries, and decided to turn on the TV to accompany me in the quiet of an early morning kitchen.  I was greeted by the comforting, now familiar voice of Dr. Wayne Dyer.  I was first introduced to Dr. Dyer about 2 years ago, much in the same manner that I stumbled across him this particular morning.  The family and I gathered together around the TV in our living at the time and soaked up the wisdom.  He has been a favorite teacher ever since.  And so this morning, after being given that loving insight about receiving fresh teaching, tuning in to Dr. Dyer was as though God himself was winking at me and reminding me that He’s got my back.  I was only able to catch the last few moments of his teaching, but it was all I needed (and probably all that I could have handled) this morning.

I’m looking forward to hearing the entire teaching of Excuses Begone from Dr. Dyer.  It will be airing all through the month of June as part of his yearly fundraiser for public television.  I searched for a snippet to share with you so you could get a sense of what you’d be in store for.  Check your local listings and try to tune into the program in your area.  For now here’s a short preview….Enjoy!

Honey, Let’s Eat Out Tonight!

I can remember when growing up as a child how exciting it was whenever we were preparing to go out to eat.  As I have grown older and fallen in love with my own culinary experimentations, the anticipation of a meal outside of the home just doesn’t bring the same joy it once did.  Ok, ok…let me stop lying!  I love to go out to eat….with my wife.   I love to try new restaurants, feel new vibes and experiment with new tastes.

The truth is that with 5 kids in tow any meal outside of the privacy of our humble abode is a feat in precision management.  And why do all 5 of my kids eat like grown folks anyway?  Feeding this bunch on a budget is even more of a challenge than I really stand to tackle!  But I must admit, our kids are a well mannered crew, so we actually get to enjoy each other’s company when we do go out.  As a parent I love being able to treat my children to the same feelings of anticipation and excitement I experienced growing up.

So when I stumbled across this article listing 50 places where kids could eat for free or very cheap, I knew all my fellow parents would also appreciate it.  I found this over at frugalliving.tv, and they describe the list this way:

While the majority of the listings are places where kids eat free some of the restaurants charge a small amount - in most occasions $.99 so they are not actually “free” but a very good deal nonetheless. You will also find that some of the restaurants where kids eat free have certain restrictions whether it be limited hours on a certain day, the number of kids eating free per purchasing adult or age restrictions.

You can find the complete list on their site here.  I hope you and the kids enjoy a great night out!!

 

This Moment

I stopped by to visit my spot today, and was saddened by my own absence. I put a lot of work into creating a space that felt just like me. But you know how it is - sometimes life gets in the way of.......nothing. You know what that's a crazy statement, and we use it so often! How does life get in the way of anything? Life is for living. And living each moment calls for us to address those things that creation has put in our path. Like in this moment - this post was put in my path, and so here I am....living....writing.....blogging! Wow, this feels good!

Thank you Mrs. Charles for helping me to appreciate this moment!

Dear IRS, I Will Not Be Able To Pay My Taxes…

As seen on the Times Record News by Ed Barnett.  I just had to share!

Dear IRS,

I am sorry to inform you that I will not be able to pay taxes owed April 15, but all is not lost.

I have paid these taxes: accounts receivable tax, building permit tax, CDL tax, cigarette tax, corporate income tax, dog license tax, federal income tax, unemployment tax, gasoline tax, hunting license tax, fishing license tax, waterfowl stamp tax, inheritance tax, inventory tax, liquor tax, luxury tax, Medicare tax, city, school and county property tax (up 33 percent last 4 years), real estate tax, social security tax, road usage tax, toll road tax, state and city sales tax, recreational vehicle tax, state franchise tax, state unemployment tax, telephone federal excise tax, telephone federal state and local surcharge tax, telephone minimum usage surcharge tax, telephone state and local tax, utility tax, vehicle license registration tax, capitol gains tax, lease severance tax, oil and gas assessment tax, Colorado property tax, Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, Oklahoma and New Mexico sales tax, and many more that I can’t recall but I have run out of space and money.

When you do not receive my check April 15, just know that it is an honest mistake. Please treat me the same way you treated Congressmen Charles Rangle, Chris Dodd, Barney Frank and ex-Congressman Tom Dashelle and, of course, your boss Timothy Geithner. No penalties and no interest.

P.S. I will make at least a partial payment as soon as I get my stimulus check.

Breaking News: New Blog Construction Is On The Rise!

After more than a year on hiatus, I am plunging back into this blog!  What was previously known as What A Man’s Gotta Do, is now David D. Speaks (as you can probably already tell).  I haven’t been totally gone though, Lisa’s been keeping me busy working on her incredible blog, LisaCWrites.com.  Many of the recent posts you see here are reposts of articles that were guest authored on her blog during the past year.  I’m really excited to be getting back into the swing of things, and I’m totally amazed at how much blogging has taken off in recent years.  Through Lisa, I’ve met numerous bloggers who are earning a significant income from their daily rants, and that never ceases to amaze me.  In fact today, I browsed through Blog Talk Radio for the first time, and was totally flabbergasted at how easy it has become for anyone to begin their own radio program.  Yeah, look out for David D. and Lisa C, on a Blog Talk Radio station coming to an internet connection near you real soon, LOL!!

No, seriously though, the Charles family will be taking on blogging in a serious way this year.  (I was told by a friend that according to my Bagua character map, this would be a good year for communication for me – so I’m psyched about it!)  In addition to Lisa C Writes, and David D. Speaks, we’ll be launching a relationship site for all you single, dating, and married folks who want a heads up on how to build strong, successful relationships and family units.  Also in the works, is another project I’m working on called I’m A Business, Man where I share the daily challenges, and victories of running our home-based business.  And probably most exciting of all, on the horizon is a blog for our Adult friends and readers.  This a special treat from Lisa C that will help the ladies to find and bring their sexy back.  And the fellas……well, let’s just say she’s got some really special treats in store just for you!

Stay tuned!  We’ve got a lot of good stuff coming at you in the next few weeks and months.  Looking forward to making lots of new friends along the way….and I hope you’re one of them!

Tantric Sex In Atlanta - A Gentleman's Perspective

If you have not yet read Lisa’s previous post STOP right now go there and read it first – you’ll be glad you did. And this will make much more sense to you. So as you know Lisa and I attended an incredible Tantric event in Atlanta hosted by our new friends Kenya K and Rakhem Seku. To say our experience was incredible would be a major understatement! Lisa asked me to share my perspective on the event and our experience, and well…how could I say no?

Let me start with a little background first. For years Lisa has wanted us to look into the art of Tantra, insisting that we would benefit from what we might learn. I however was resistant to the idea. Something about Tantra sounded more weird than I could bear. Not to mention, my strict Christian upbringing (even though I don't consider myself one any longer) just wouldn’t allow me to entertain such questionable practices. I don’t know what I thought was so questionable to be honest, but it just didn’t seem kosher. Needless to say, I’ve come a long way in a short time and I was as eager as Lisa to attend this event on Saturday.

So on to the night’s proceedings. The night begins with Kenya asking all of the men to find a lady to partner with that we did not know. Talk about jumping into the fire. Honestly, considering that we were at a Tantric Sex event, I was a bit nervous about what her next instruction might have been ....continue reading on Lisa C Writes