Day 1765: Don’t Open It!!!!

If you saw or heard

Don’t Open It!!!

would you

• obey?
• rebel?
• be curious?
• be cautious?
• expect something scary (especially on Halloween)?

Would you assume that “it” meant

• a closed item?
• a sensitive subject?
• something belonging to somebody else?
• a Pandora’s box?
• a door?
• a package?
• a phishing email ?
• a suspicious website?
• something scary or disgusting?

I didn’t open it. But I did open my eyes to all these things yesterday:

Seven years ago today I met someone who loves me for who I am and literally cooks the best meals ever.

If you don’t want a Flintstones Happy Anniversary,  don’t open it!!!

This blog is now open for comments.

Open thanks to all who helped me create this post and to all who opened it, here and now.

Day 1764: Stranger

What’s stranger?

Reading a WordPress blog post or writing one?

This old blog post I wrote about strangers or this one?

Paying attention to the news or deliberately avoiding it?

Looking  forward to indictments from government investigations or dreading them?

Stranger Things or Strangers with Candy?

When a Stranger Calls   or When a Stranger Calls Back ?

This photo

or this one?

This photo

or this one?

This photo

or this one?

This photo

or this one?

This YouTube video

or this one?

 

Asking for comments for a blog post or not asking?

Thanking people who helped me create this post or thanking those who are reading it?

And which of these two ways of expressing thanks is stranger?

 

Day 1763: Worry

I’m sure I’ve written many blog posts about worry, but I’m not going to worry about that right now.

Last night, I saw this bumper sticker ….

… and I worried about what it meant.

Should we worry?  Does worry do any good? I say that worry doesn’t help but I hear people insist that worry helps them plan and act.

My recent worries have included remembering to take my medication,

 

making sure the cats don’t get out and get eaten by coyotes,

 

and the world’s most sensitive dining room table (refinished once already in its short life and showing signs of distress after yesterday’s retreat).

Here’s my solution to the worry about the world’s most sensitive dining room table. I’m going to use that table the way I used my old, less sensitive dining room table, letting go of any worry about what might happen. If every-day use affects the table, I’m going to celebrate those changes.  In other words, I’m looking at the table as a canvas — an ever-changing piece of art — that will record our enjoyment of it.

In the meantime, I’ll still

• remember to take my pills,
• try to prevent the cats from getting out, and
• enjoy the views along the way.

I don’t worry about reusing this Jacob Collier rendition of “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing”…

… or about getting comments on this post.

Thanks to all who helped me create this “Worry” post and — of course! — to you, no matter what your worries are.

Day 1762: Different parts

I talk to people, in therapy and elsewhere, about accepting all the different parts of themselves.  Sometimes, people use the healthiest, most loving parts of themselves to nurture and comfort the frightened and wounded parts of themselves.

Today, I’m meeting with many skilled and experienced group therapists during a day-long retreat at our new home. I’m sure we’ll be sharing different parts of ourselves. I hope all the different parts of  our home work well throughout the day.

What different parts do you see in today’s different photos?

 

 

Here is one of the different parts of jazz pianist Lyle Mays‘s Alaskan Suite.

All the different parts of Alaskan Suite are here, live, in Boston.

Feel free to express different parts of yourself in a comment, below.

Thanks to all who helped me create the different parts of this blog post and — of course! — to YOU.

 

Day 1761: Frustrating

When I type “frustrating” into WordPress to see if I’ve ever written about that topic before, the results are frustrating:

Day 153: Do I Dare to Tweet a Tweet?

Day 148: Dreams I Have Known

Day 108: Everything makes sense on some level(s)

Day 23: 8 Degrees of Safety

Why are those results frustrating?

• They’re all from my first year of blogging.
• None of them have photos or music, so my current readers may find them frustrating.
• None of them use the word “frustrating.”

In my therapy groups lately, “frustrating” keeps turning up.

That’s frustrating.   The word I wrote on my white board in group yesterday is actually “frustration.”

If I search WordPress for “frustration,” several of my old blog posts show up, including these (which include pictures, music, and the word “frustration”):

Day 1469: Rubatosis

Day 1486: You don’t want to do that

Day 1633: Tantrums

One of those posts was also very popular.

What’s frustrating for you, these days?

For me, the news is frustrating.

Is it frustrating that I have only two other photos to share today?

It’s frustrating that it takes a lot longer to take and upload photos since I updated my iPhone last week. However, if that’s my main problem these days, I am truly blessed.

Here‘s the first thing that comes up on YuTube for “frustrating.”

Is that the most frustrating video? How long could you take it?

It would be frustrating if I forgot to thank everyone who helps me create these posts and — of course! — YOU.

Day 1760: Popular

According to the popular and unpopular press this morning, the unpopular U.S. President is increasingly popular with a segment of the populace.

According to my “likes” on WordPress, I’m becoming less popular with the  blogging populace.

How important is popular?

Here’s a popular definition of “popular”:

pop·u·lar
ˈpäpyələr
adjective
1. liked, admired, or enjoyed by many people or by a particular person or group.
“she was one of the most popular girls in the school”
synonyms: well liked, favored, sought-after, in demand, desired, wanted;
2. (of cultural activities or products) intended for or suited to the taste, understanding, or means of the general public rather than specialists or intellectuals.
“the popular press”
synonyms: nonspecialist, nontechnical, amateur, lay person’s, general, middle-of-the-road

Which of my photos from yesterday will be most popular with my readers?

Our newly cleaned couch and  the refinished dining room table are very popular with the cats. I’m hoping  that tolerance (discussed in yesterday’s therapy group) becomes more popular with the populace.

Here and here are two songs about being popular (and unpopular).

 

Popular thanks to all who helped me create today’s post and — of course! — to YOU.

Day 1759: What do you like most about yourself?

What do you like most about yourself?

What I like most about myself is that  …

• I offer  therapy/support groups where people  bring in and answer excellent questions.

• I encourage people to think about and practice  personal medicine.

• I follow my own values and standards.

• I try my best to live righteously and love everyone.

• I appreciate and share great music.

 

• I express gratitude, including thanking all who help me create these daily blog posts and — of course! — YOU.

 

Day 1758: When do you feel sad?

Yesterday, when I was feeling sad, I noticed this:

When do you feel sad?

I feel sad when

• I’m missing people,
• I witness injustice,
• other people are sad,
• the days turn dark and cold, and
• I can’t remember things, like other times I feel sad.

When I  feel sad, I

• cry,
• share it,
• take photos to cheer myself up,

 

• listen to music I love,

• and express gratitude.

 

Day 1757: Don’t take it personally

Don’t take it personally, but I’m reusing a photo from two days ago to start off this blog post.

Don’t take it personally, but I’ve personally blogged about personalization — the cognitive distortion of taking things too personally — several times before (including here, here, and here).

Yesterday, my niece Laura

(on the left, next to her daughter Victoria) told me that people might take it personally when I recently blogged about a get-together at my place next weekend, because I hadn’t invited them.  I told Laura, “Don’t take it personally.  That’s a gathering for a professional organization of group therapists.”

I hope Laura and Victoria don’t take it personally that I didn’t take a better picture of them yesterday.

Don’t take it personally that I personally took all these photos yesterday and you’re not in any of them.

 

 

Actually, don’t take it personally that I said you weren’t in any of those photos and you are, because you’re my ex-sister-in-law Deborah (who appears in several portraits above and who designed and built another beautiful home for sale), Cher,  Audrey who works at Pet Life, or Harley the cat.

Don’t take it personally that I have to rush and finish this post before I go to work.

Don’t take it personally that I’m using Michael Brecker’s tune “Nothing Personal” again in this blog.

Please take it personally that I’m thanking everybody who helps me create these blog posts and — of course! — YOU.

 

 

Day 1756: Where is it?

Because I often misplace things (usually temporarily) and because we recently moved to a new home, I’m often asking

Where is it?

Here are recent examples of my asking today’s title question:

I just listened to my iPhone with my new pair of bluetooth earbuds.  Where is it?

I love wearing my mother’s long-sleeved denim shirt. Where is it?

I get so many compliments on my “Left the House before I Felt Ready” t-shirt.  Where is it?

I haven’t filled out that donation receipt from the MetroWest Humane Society.  Where is it?

There’s a control somewhere for the steam shower.  Where is it?

There’s got to be a market around here that has great produce.  Where is it?

I smell cat pee.  Where is it?

Where is it that I took these photos yesterday?

Where is it that I took all those photos? In and around Boston, Massachusetts.

There’s a performance on YouTube from the musical Fun Home, which I saw  yesterday in Boston with my fun friend Deb.  Where is it?

There’s a place to leave comments for this blog.  Where is it?  (It’s below the post.)

I always express gratitude at the end of my posts.  Where is it?