Robert D. Pickard Jr states in the "Foreword," he doesn't consider himself a guru or a counselor. Instead, he sees himself as "a person that has seen many things and lived through more." As a military man, I'm sure that statement is true. Robert D. Pickard Jr also discloses his passion for music, his success in co-writing music, and his degree in Information Technology. However, Robert didn't develop the book because of these milestones and achievements in his life. His inspiration for Today's Thoughts: Positive Thoughts for a Stressful Existence derived from the stories of hardships he heard during the pandemic. He wanted to bring positivity into the world and possibly stop violence against oneself or others. That's a noble and inspirational reason to write a book. 

There are 100 "Today's Thoughts" that envelop various topics. Some topics pertain to headlines in the news, such as unjustified attacks on black men, racism, police profiling, mental health crisis, hate crimes, and lack of privacy due to social media. While there were several serious headlines, There were thought headlines that made me smile. For example: "A Great Dad is like a Brownie. Tough on the outside but soft in the inside" and "Sometimes breath mints are very essential." Oh, my goodness, we all know someone is a close talker and could use one of those.

I agreed with so many points made under the thought headers. For instance, "A relationship just like an automobile must have constant maintenance because little by little it will break down if it's not taken care of." I want to go further with the car analogy and say you shouldn't trade in a model for something younger just because it has some mileage and signs of aging. 

Robert D. Pickard Jr's "thoughts" promote positivity, loving yourself, giving respect, being thankful, and cherishing your time on Earth. As he very elegantly said on #46, "We have a finite number of days on this planet and what you do with them matter." I couldn't agree more; don't live with regrets! 

Life won't always be easy. Life is most assuredly imperfect. We should always strive to be the best version of ourselves and not alter ourselves to fit in a perfect mold because there is no such thing as perfection. Like many other points in the book, I agree with #67, "Remove anyone or anything that keeps you from seeing or thinking clearly." Toxic relationships will only bring you down and have you moving backward instead of forward. 

I loved reading through each thought and viewpoint from the author. I also enjoyed many of the photos that preceded each number. As a fan of Karate Kid, I loved the nod to Danny Russo (portrayed by Ralph Macchio). 

We see darkness regularly: news and in our personal lives. I hope you read Today's Thoughts: Positive Thoughts for a Stressful Existence and spread positivity wherever you go and don't forget to be kind and love yourself.