Day 1673: Are we there yet?

Are we there yet?  Are we there at a place where we can finally

• be accepting,
• feel safe enough,
• love ourselves,
• love others,
• be authentic, and
• relax?

I was there yesterday, for moments.

“Are We There Yet?” is a great tune by Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays.

We’re here yet so we better make the best of it, because who knows where we’ll be tomorrow.

Are we there, yet,  at the end of today’s blog? We are, so thanks to all who help me bring these posts here and — of course! — to you, for being there.

Day 1672: Unlimited Capacity

I seem to have an unlimited capacity to see potential blog topics all around me.

I also have an  unlimited capacity for

• irony,
• humor,
• taking things out of context,
• searching for meaning,
• appreciation,
• hope,
• reminiscing, and
• taking photos (even if my devices have limited capacity for storage).

What do you have an unlimited capacity for?

These days, I’m working on limiting my capacity for

• worry,
• guilt,
• shame,
• judgment,
• despair, and
• fear.

YouTube seems to have an unlimited capacity for storing videos about EVERYTHING ( including reminiscing).

I also have an unlimited capacity for gratitude, so thanks to all who helped me create this Unlimited Capacity post and — of course! — to YOU.

 

Day 1671: Rules of Living

As I was living my life yesterday, I took a picture of the 18 Rules of Living by the Dalai Lama, who rules:

Now I’m wondering if my other photos from yesterday relate to those rules.

The Rules of Living are here on YouTube:

What are your Rules of Living?

Despite Rule #10, please answer this post with a comment.

Paraphrasing Rule #12, a loving atmosphere in this blogging home (among others) is the foundation for my life.

One of my simple, best rules:

Express gratitude every day.

Thanks to the Dalai Lama, helpful rules, and YOU.

Day 1670: Which way peace?

I have a peaceful way of choosing my post titles: I look at my pictures from the day before.

Yesterday, I facilitated a therapy group, listened, talked, walked, observed, and  settled in to our new home.  As always, there were ways to peace in every moment.

 

 

Somebody in last night’s therapy group suggested that the way to peace was “forgiving self first.”

Which way is peace on YouTube?

Peace and thanks to all who helped me create today’s post and — of course! — to you, for finding your way here.

Day 1669: Concerns

Yesterday morning, people with concerns talked about them in a therapy group. There were concerns about

• themselves,
• each other,
• health,
• health care,
• the health care bill,
• money,
• housing,
• nature,
• the country,
• the world, and
• the future.

When those concerned people shared their concerns, we also discussed what we do when we’re concerned.

I’m concerned that list might be difficult to read, so here it is:

What do I do when I’m concerned?

Sit with the concern

Breathe

Think

Feel

Focus

Take a break

Move

Consider changes

Accept (in the terms of the Serenity Prayer)

Love

Be creative

Balance

Take what power I can

Seek and tell the truth

See the opportunities in problems

I see the opportunity, here and now, to ask what you do when you’re concerned.

Any concerns about my other photos from yesterday?

 

Here‘s some music about concerns  from Chris Andrews.

To whom it concerns: consider expressing your concerns in a comment.

Concerned thanks to all who helped me create today’s blog post and I am especially grateful concerning you.

Day 1668: Denial

“Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt,” wrote Mark Twain. Here are other undeniable quotes about denial:

It’s not denial.  I’m just selective about the reality I accept.  — Bill Watterson

In one way, I suppose, I have been “in denial” for some time, knowingly burning the candle at both ends and finding it often gives a lovely light. — Christopher Hitchens

I feel that as you’re long as you’re honest, you have the opportunity to grow. It’s when you shut down, go into denial, and try to start hiding things from yourself and others, that’s when you lock into certain behaviors and attitudes that keep you stuck. — Tracy McMillan

I have a very highly developed sense of denial.  — Gwyneth Paltrow

I have a very highly developed sense of denial, too — that’s why it’s taken me so long to write today’s post.  My iPhone camera, my laptop, and WordPress keep denying each other access and I’m almost in complete denial about that. I’ve had to restart my computer many times to load this photo about denial:

Since we’ve moved a week ago, I’ve been going in and out of denial about all the preparations needed to make this house a home. That reminds me of this quote from Melody Beattie:

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast …

… a house into a home,

… a stranger into a friend.

That’s Scott — one of many service people visiting our new home these days — taking a picture of Oscar to send to his girlfriend. There’s no denying that we’re all cat people around here.

Since gratitude unlocks the fullness of life, here’s undeniable gratitude to all who helped me create this post. And there’s no denying my gratitude to you, my readers.

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For those of you who think I’m in denial about including a relevant YouTube video, here‘s one for you:

 

Day 1667: Almost

I almost chose another title for this post, but I am most inspired by this image I almost missed yesterday:

Is that almost funny? Or just funny?  Is it funny to almost everybody? Or is it almost something else?

I almost wore slippers like those today, but I can’t find them.

As I’m almost half-way through this post, I’m almost

• settled in to our new home,
• unpacked,
• certain this was a great move for us,
• totally sleep-deprived,
• completely recovered from my open heart surgery,
• prepared for our annual trip in August to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and
• ready to go to work.

Are you almost ready for other photos from yesterday?

I was almost home last night when I took that last picture.

Here’s “Almost Home” by Moby.

I’m almost tempted to take a photo of a stuffed animal here and share it, but it’s almost time for me to finish this post.

I almost always end my posts with thanks to everybody who help me create them and — of course! —  to you, most of all.

Day 1666: What are you looking at?

In case you didn’t know, you’re looking at today’s blog post at “The Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally.”

What are you looking at in these photos from yesterday?

You’re looking at a few scenes from our new home AND many photos from yesterday’s trip to the extraordinary Shalin Liu Performance Center in beautiful Rockport, Massachusetts, where my ex-sister-in-law Deborah and I looked at Jim Messina and his band (which includes Craig Thomas, an old friend of my old friend Dave). During the concert, we looked at the band playing one of my favorite tunes about looking: “Angry Eyes” by Jim Messina.

If you look at that video, you’re looking at the same lineup we saw last night and you’re hearing a GREAT sax solo by Craig.

Thanks to all who helped me create this post you’re looking at and — of course! — to you, for looking here, now.

 

Day 1665: Good Deeds

Is it a good deed for me to share good quotes about good deeds?

Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.  — Buddha

The true nature of all wealth is temporary; those who have wealth must here and now do good deeds that will live for a long time.  — Thiruvalluvar

To be doing good deeds is man’s most glorious task.  — Sophocles

Let each man think of himself as an act of God, his mind a thought, his life a breath of God; And let each try, by great thoughts and good deeds, to show the most of heaven he hath in him. — Philip James Bailey

Time, which wears down and diminishes all things, augments and increases good deeds, because a good turn liberally offered to a reasonable man grows continually through noble thought and memory. —  Francois Rabelais

It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, but only one bad one to lose it. — Benjamin Franklin

Neither soldiers nor money can defend a king but only friends won by good deeds, merit, and honesty.  — Sallust

A man must be willing to die for justice. Death is an inescapable reality and men die daily, but good deeds live forever. — Jesse Jackson

All I ever seek from good deeds is a measure of respect. — Walter Annenberg

Some people feel good about helping others and they do so often. They do not realize that their good deeds have a second agenda. They want to be appreciated. — Gary Zukav

Big words seldom accompany good deeds. — Charlotte Whitton

Be prepared, and be careful not to do your good deeds when there’s no one watching you. — Tom Lehrer

Thinking good deeds is not enough, doing good deeds is not enough, seeing others follow your good examples is enough. — Doug Horton

 

Seeing others follow my good examples of good deed quotes would be good enough for me.

Do you see any good deeds in my photos from yesterday?

 

 

 

 

 

It’s a good deed to share music you love, including this good number from the musical Wicked.

 

Good thanks to everyone whose good deeds helped with my daily deed of blogging and to you — of course! — for all your good deeds, here and now.

Day 1664: Q words

Quick! It’s time for another quirky post from the quintessential blog about non-judgmental living.

In her quest to complete my yearly review, my manager recently quizzed a quota of qualified co-workers about me, the self-described Queen of group therapy. In response to that query,  a doctor quietly quipped that I was something that begins with the letter Q.

Question to all my qualified readers:  Is that Q word already quoted in this post or is it one of these?

quality

querulous

quipster

quizzical

quarrelsome

quixotic

I have no quarrel with the Q word that was quoted about me, especially since another doctor — who is definitely not a quack —  had no qualms calling me the same Q word quite a few years ago.

Do you see Q words in this quantity of yesterday’s pictures, snapped by a queasy blogger cleaning out her old home?

I saved a small quantity of LPs yesterday, including “Walking in Space” by Quincy Jones (also known as “Q”).

Before I quit, here‘s a quality cut from that album:

 

Un-qualified thanks to everyone who helped me quietly put together this Q-word post and un-questionable thanks to you, quite the reader!