Day 1430: Welcome

Welcome to the one thousand, four hundred and thirtieth daily blog post here at The Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally.

Yesterday, when I returned to work after a two-month medical leave, I saw welcome.

Today, I’m looking forward to welcomes at the hospital where I work and also at the hospital where I get my medical care, as we try to adjust my cardiac pacemaker to make climbing stairs and other exercise a more welcoming experience.

I try to welcome every new day with hope. So tomorrow, I’ll do my best to welcome December. I hope there will be more to welcome in that month than there was in November.

Now it’s time to welcome all my other photos from yesterday!

I believe it helps to welcome every moment and all your feelings, no matter where you’re going.

Now, let’s welcome today’s song  choice!

 

Comments from my readers are always welcome. If you would welcome a suggestion about what to include in a comment, how about what helps you feel welcome?

Thanks to all who helped me create this “Welcome” post and to you — of course! — for welcoming my blog into your world.  And if you enjoyed being here, you’re welcome!

Day 1429: Peace

While I thought I might name today’s post “Pick Me Ups,”

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… or “Shadows,”

 

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… or “We’ve Got it All,”

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… I’ve decided, on this morning of my return to work after a two-month medical leave, to go with “Peace.”

 

 

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Peace be with all who helped me create today’s post and peace be with you, my dear readers.

Day 1428: Play Like an Animal

What does “Play Like an Animal” mean?  I wondered about that, yesterday, when I saw this at a local supermarket:

Apparently, playing like an animal involves finding your way.

Tomorrow, when I find my way back to my job after a two-month medical leave, it will be time for me to work like an animal. But what kind of animal will that be? Will it be a tired animal? A healthy animal? This animal will know more, soon.

Do any of my other photos from yesterday play like an animal?

 

Don’t be shy …. please play like an animal, here and now, by leaving a comment below.

Before I work out like an animal at cardiac rehab, I have time to share this play-like-an-animal music:

 

Playful thanks to all the animals who helped me create today’s post and to you — of course! — no matter how you’re playing or working today.

 

 

Day 1427: PTSD

Because I’ve experienced several traumatizing events in my life, starting when I was a child, I have been given the diagnosis of  PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder).

However,  I also have Psychological Training for Surviving Disasters AND  Pretty Thorough Skills for Durability.

When Practiced, Those Suffice Dependably.

I am now Prepared To Share Different PTSDs I’ve been experiencing recently:

• Post-Thoracotomy Stress Disorder
• Pacemaker Transplant Stress Disorder
• Pain Tolerating Stress Disorder
• Physical Tasks Stress Disorder
• Painfully Taking Stairs Disorder
• Political Talk Stress Disorder
• Post-Trump Stress Disorder
• Pre-Trump Stress Disorder
• Presidential Terror Stress Disorder

To relieve my various PTSDs, yesterday I Photographed These Scenes Deliberately:

 

 

 

 

Do you have Photographically Tired Stress Disorder or any other form of PTSD now, my Patient, Terrific, Stupendously Dear readers?

Here‘s a PTSD song by Joe Bachman:

 

Peace, Thanks, Sincerity, and Devotedness.

 

Day 1426: What’s important?

What’s important?

Is it important that I’m returning to work next week after a two-month medical leave?

Is it important who occupies the White House?

Is it important that I make my own t-shirts?

Is it important that Fidel Castro died?

Is it important that I blog everyday, unless I am incapable of doing so?

Is nature important?

Is television important?

Is kindness important?

Are cupcakes important?

Is communication important?

Are pets important?

Are holidays important?

Are possessions important?

Are celebrities important?

Are you important?

Am I important?

Are people who are different from you and me important?

Are any of my photos from yesterday important?

Is it important that I watched Carrie Fisher on Stephen Colbert‘s Late Show and then in The Empire Strikes Back yesterday?

Is it important what music I include in these posts?

 

What’s important to me is what’s important to you, here and now.

Important thanks to all the important ones who contributed to this post and to you — of course! — because you are important, no matter what you think or feel.

Day 1425: Family

Yesterday, I spent many hours with my boyfriend Michael’s family celebrating Thanksgiving.

Here’s  the family of photos I took at his sister’s home and his brother’s home.  Which ones say “family” to you?

Kayla, the daughter of  Michael’s brother John (a/k/a Moe) IS awesome and yesterday she and I had a conversation, surrounded by her family,  about the pros and cons of marriage.  If I did marry into that family, I’d certainly have lots of blogging material.

What family music would you include here?

Fantastic thanks to Michael’s family including his siblings Lydia, Steve, Martin, and John; to his niece Kayla and the rest of his extended family;  to friends of the Malone family;  to Sister Sledge; to everyone else who helped me create this family-valued post;  and to you — of course! — for being a member of my blogging family, here and now.

Day 1424: Fantastic Thanks and Where to Find Them

On Thanksgiving Day 2016, you can find fantastic thanks here for …

• our inner rock stars,

• good radio stations,

• signs beyond my understanding,
• Boston,

• great movies,

• the future,

• achieving the impossible,

• the universe,

• Wonder Women,

• Batman,
• the freedom to be myself,

• helpful directions,
• popcorn,
• butter,

• most people,
• fortunes,
• schools,

• my son Aaron,

• my boyfriend Michael,

• my sister Ellen,

• friends,

• cats,

• trust,

• my late parents,

• time,

• my very unusual heart,

• my medical team,

• delicious food,

• the New England Countryside,
• wonderful music, and

• YOU, my amazing readers!!!

Day 1423: Strange

During these strange times, is it strange that I

• wake up writing my next strange blog post in my strange head?
• am solving lots of strange jigsaw puzzles online?
• consult with  doctors every week to make sure my strange heart is doing its best to extend my strange life?
• work on letting go of strange feelings from lots of strange experiences I’ve had this fall?
• have some strange fear about the future?
• surround myself with strange but wonderful people?
• take comfort in seeing movies like Dr. Strange?

Here are recent strange photos I took with my increasingly strange iPhone:

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s what’s strange about that last photo: that “6 ft Santa Claus” was shorter than me, and I’m 5 ft 3 in.

Also, I could have sworn I took a screen shot of my phone yesterday when the time was 11:22 on 11/22, but apparently not.

What seems particularly strange to you, here and now?

Is it strange that I’m having trouble deciding which strange music to include now?   There are so many strange choices!

Here‘s my strange decision:

Is it strange for me to ask for a comment below?

Strange days, my friends.  But it would be a strange day indeed if I forgot to thank all who helped me create this strange blog post and you — of course! —  for helping my world seem less strange.

Day 1422: For the birds

My late father, seen in this photograph of my family which was taken the week before November 22, 1963 …

… used the expression “for the birds” to mean “bad, lousy, unfortunate.”

As my family posed for that picture, we were unaware of some bad, lousy, and unfortunate events that were looming in the future — the assassination of John F. Kennedy and my emergency heart surgery on November 22, 1963.

On this 53rd anniversary of that day, it occurs to me that:

• the U.S. is dealing with many things, right now, that my father would characterize as “for the birds,”
• I like birds, and
• I coincidentally took several photos of birds yesterday.

 

So we could  say that this blog post is for the birds.

Here‘s what I found on YouTube, for the birds:

 

Do you think “For the Birds” is relevant today?

Please leave a comment for the bird who created this blog post.

It would be for the birds, according to my father, if I did not express gratitude to all the birds and humans who helped me create this for-the-birds post and  to my wonderful flock of readers, including you!

Day 1421: What the world needs now

What do you think the world needs now, my dear readers?

Could the world need yet another blog post from me?

Last night, the amazing Michael McDonald told us what the word needs now by performing this Burt Bacharach/Hal David classic:

 

What I need now is to share my photos from yesterday, when I spent time with people I love.

 

 

 

What do you need now? If you express that in a comment, I’d love it.

Love sweet love to my talented sister Ellen, to Michael McDonald, to my friend Barbara, to everyone else who helped me create this post and to you — of course! — because the world needs you, now.