I wonder if I’ll be able to make this post special.
I wonder if that’s especially necessary.
Yesterday morning, after I parked my special car directly across the street from special Fenway Park in Boston, I saw a woman with this bag:
I thought that bag was so special, I asked her if I could take a picture of it for my blog. She agreed especially quickly, saying: “This bag is so old!” (Deflecting compliments is a not-particularly-special thing that many special people do, around here.)
Then she said, “I’m special!” And I replied, “Of course.”
Here are some other special things I saw, after that special encounter:
Which ones seem especially special to you?
Here are three of my special associations with the word special, on this specially rainy Saturday morning:
- I am especially ambivalent about being treated like I’m special.
- We are all special.
- The ways we are not special can help us connect to others, in very special ways.
I am going to end this special post with a special song, before I get ready to see my special hair specialist, Mia, who is very special to me.
That’s the special Chrissie Hynde, singing “Brass in Pocket” (which I always thought had some title with the word “Special” in it, before this special day).
Do you think a comment from you needs to be special? No matter what you express here, I can specially and authentically say it’ll be special.
Special thanks to Chrissie Hynde, to the Pretenders, to all those who do not pretend, to the special stranger with the special bag, to all the special creatures I saw yesterday, and — of course! — especially special thanks to special you, for reading this “special” post.
The Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally 
They all look pretty special to me, but I just loved the bag!
You are a very special reader to me, Emilie!!
I didn’t know pay phones still existed!
Isn’t that special?
It IS!
So are YOU!
BIGGER!!!
Your posts are always special 🙂
It’s my special WordPress friend, Alex!
More excellent shots. My favourite is the road worker, because of its lighting. Unfortunately ‘special’ now has unfortunate connotations over here. In the search for politically acceptable terminology people who were once described as ‘mentally handicapped’, having gone through various other labels are now ‘people with special needs’. They are now termed ‘special’, usually with a tone far more offensive than any titles that have gone before.
Your compliments about my photography are especially special to me, Derrick, considering the beautiful and special photos you show on your blog. And those connotations of the word “special” are not special to the UK.
Thanks – and sad
Indeed, everyone is special and different. I like “Keep Calm and Carry on” mug.
Thank you for this special comment!
I SO love the way you combine things (images and words etc.) into something so creative and so beautiful.
I SO love special, creative, and beautiful YOU, Julie!
That was a special bag. And now, I want oysters. Grilled, with a little parmesan on top. ☺
I want those special oysters too, Van, now that you mention it.
I once had them prepared that way in a little tavern in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, if I close my eyes..I still remember that taste. Amazing. ☺
That bag is so special because I immediately saw a skunk and a hedgehog–two animals that are found on different continents. One of them must be there by special invitation since they’re both welcomed by the other animals. Hedgehogs always bring up a special memory of the time I was in Britain and lay on a lawn watching a hedgehog hunt for beetles. Later I’d lie on that same lawn and read Alice In Wonderland. It’s a special habit of mine to reread that book every year. The croquet game with hedgehogs as balls took on new significance, and became even more special after I played croquet on that same lawn. We used wooden balls. I could never hit a hedgehog.
I could never hit a hedgehog either, Christopher. Special thanks for being here today so specially, by special invitation.
You have a special eye for the camera lense, that for sure. Im sure those things exist everywhere around us…some just see them. Others just pass them by.
That’s a very special insight, Claudia! Thanks for being so special, every day.
No…YOU make every day special!
We both do!
I read a post this morning that mentioned a woman wearing a Where’s Waldo shirt, AND had a photo of her, Ann. And so now I think your photo of the car with the Waldo tag is quite special. I love coincidences like this, two blogs aligning.
I love aligning with the universe and with you, Special WordPresser Mark!
Is Mia giving you any extra special streaks of colour today, Ann? Blue? Purple? I await tomorrow’s special blog post to find out…
One of my kids fell off his bike yesterday and broke his arm at the shoulder. That’s how I learned that I’m especially good at re-engineering clothes so that they can be pulled on over an immobilized arm with one hand. I’m good with bandages, too, and also with finding solutions to the great one-hand-only dental floss dilemma. These are all talents I didn’t know that I had.
Hello, Mauren! I’m sorry to hear about your kid’s broken arm. I am especially not surprised to hear that you have many more previously unknown and special talents. You are also especially psychic — I’m wearing blue and purple in my hair, right now.
Blue and purple are your true colours, Ann.
The world is wonderful when everything becomes special to us.
What a special post today Ann, reminding me of how special you are, and we all are!
Thank you for these especially special thoughts, Val!
I believe in “special” as a whole. The moment we begin to compartmentalise “special” is when the problem begins. Of course our own family is going to feel more special to us, and that is true and normal; but in the end, everyone is going to be the same; “special” under one Creator (this goes to all religions), regardless of anything we can claim to be a difference. I like Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, but I never liked the phrase “A time to kill”; nevertheless it’s a scripture I sympathise with. Ecclesiastes is a book traditionally ascribed to King Solomon.
However, maybe I didn’t express myself well. The first image of the bag you took is very special. The bag looks special, distinctive, it could be handmade. So are major works of art in museums worldwide; they are special, distinctive. So maybe “special” can be used for objects in a much easier way than when referring to humans. I think this is something I needed to explain.
I love that song, Maria. Last year, I did a therapy group where we spent a lot of time talking about the words of “Turn Turn Turn.” And don’t worry about how you expressed yourself. As always, you conveyed many special thoughts.
Thanks Ann.
I think you are a special person who does special work to help people realize they are special. I especially liked the caution driver singing bumper sticker and Oscar looking so especially comfy where he was.
Those were my special favorites too, Lisa! Special thanks to you.