Day 2616: Fear and Caution

Yesterday, I was thinking about fear as I took these photos:

I was also thinking that there is a huge difference between fear and caution.

Do you see any fear and/or caution in my other photos from yesterday?

When I’m blogging, there’s always a ten minute window when everything feels OK.

When I

• travel,
• do something new, or
• look at the news …

… I usually feel  fear.  Since I’m traveling  to New York City tomorrow for a week-long group therapy conference where I’ll be participating in and facilitating groups with many people from all around the world, I’m trying to transform unhelpful fear into helpful caution.

A doctor I know gave me this advice before I left  work yesterday:

Wash your hands frequently, use lots of hand sanitizer, and don’t touch anything above your neck.

Don’t touch anything above my neck!  How am going to put in my contact lenses?

I guess I can always wear my glasses.

Here’s “Caution vs Fear” by Stefanos Sifandos …

… and “Caution vs Fear” by Wayne D. Lewis.

Here‘s “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” by Robert Cray:

I’m afraid I’ll be missing a local appearance by the Robert Cray band because of my trip to NYC.

I look forward to expressions of fear, caution, or anything else in your comments below.

Thanks to all who help me create this blog with caution, every day, including YOU!

 

Day 2615: Something terrible is probably about to happen

Everyday I look around, wondering if something terrible is about to happen.

Here’s what today’s Daily Bitch Calendar has to say about that:

Something terrible might include floods …

or  technology disasters.

How do we enjoy the good times if something terrible is probably about to happen? Is it possible that knowing that something terrible (like injustice, pain, sickness, and death) is probably about to happen might HELP us enjoy the good times?

In both of my Coping and Healing groups yesterday, people talked about good times AND somethings terrible, which I wrote up on The Board of Importance.

Somebody who had been away from the group for a long time shared that  listening to this song on YouTube had helped them get through something terrible:

Good times!

Feel free to share good times, something terrible, or anything else in the comments section, below.

Something thankful is probably about to happen.

 

Day 2614: Everyday Bravery

Yesterday, in an act of everyday bravery, an esteemed colleague sent me this “for your blog.”

I’m going to have the everyday bravery of suggesting more everyday bravery pins:

FORGAVE MYSELF

MAINTAINED HEALTHY BOUNDARIES

ASKED FOR HELP

SAID “NO”

PUBLICLY SHOWED EMOTION

SPOKE MY TRUTH

GAVE SOMEBODY CREDIT

CHANGED MY OPINION

DIDN’T WORRY

What everyday bravery pins might you wear today?

Do you see everyday bravery in the photos I took yesterday?

There’s another everyday bravery pin: “GOT OUT OF BED.”

The everyday brave David Byrne tells us that “Everyday is A Miracle.”

If you have the everyday bravery to make a comment, below, I’ll have the everyday bravery to respond.

Finally, here’s some everyday gratitude from me to YOU.

Day 2613: Don’t worry about it

Yesterday, when I was worried, I consulted something I have posted on my door at work.

Someone has an opinion about you?  Don’t worry about it.

Do you have trouble deciding what’s best, as suggested in the lower left corner of that flowchart? Don’t worry about it.

Do I have other photos to share today?  Don’t worry about it.

Here‘s Madcon‘s “Don’t Worry” feat. Ray Dalton:

Never heard of Madcon before? Don’t worry about it.  That video has over 134 million views on YouTube.

Not sure what to say in a comment?  Don’t worry about it.

Wondering if I have new ways to thank all of you?  Don’t worry about it.

Day 2612: All I Care About

All I care about, at this point, is getting through 2020 doing as little harm as possible to others and to myself.

All I care about is explaining that “doing as little harm as possible to others and myself” includes:

• kindness,
• compassion,
• authenticity,
• acceptance,
• openness,
• forgiveness,
• learning, and
• balancing care for others with care for self.

All I care about is sharing my photos from yesterday.

Here’s “All I Care About” from the musical Chicago:

All I care about is what you care about, so please comment, below.

All I care about, in the end, is gratitude.

Day 2611: LIVE TODAY LIKE

 

Live today like you’re getting fried tomorrow (or like you’re getting stir fry today).

Here’s Tim McGraw, live, telling us to live today like you’re getting fried tomorrow with “Live Like You Were Dying.”

 

Live today with gratitude that, most likely, you (and Harley) are not getting fried tomorrow.

Day 2610: Welcome to My Happy Place

Welcome ….

… to my happy place.

Every day, this blog is my happy place, because I choose to focus on

• kindness,
• love,
• gratitude,
• humor,
• music,
• cooperation,
• connection,
• hope,  and
• what helps,

rather than

• cruelty,
• hatred,
• fear,
• divisiveness, and
• what doesn’t help.

Sometimes, I get bored with humans who focus on those other things.

.

I look for photos and stories to make this my happy place.

While that dog doesn’t look happy, I saw that at somebody else’s happy place.

Here‘s “My Happy Place” by Odds.

 

What’s your happy place?

Thanks to all who make this my happy place, including YOU.

Day 2609: No Filter

Do you know people who have no filter — who say whatever comes to mind?

I thought about people with no filter when I captured this image yesterday:

As I wrote here recently, when  I facilitate therapy groups, I filter my comments through the question of “Who is it for?”

As I’ve shared many times starting here, I do my best to filter my behavior through these three things:

1. Show up.
2. Be gentle.
3. Tell the truth.

Here are my mostly unfiltered photos from yesterday:

 

 

In my groups, I have no filter when I encourage people to be selfish (i.e., practice self-care) and to be in the moment.

Here‘s “No Filter” by Fifth Harmony:

No filter needed for your comments!

No filter for the gratitude I have towards all those who help me create this daily blog, including YOU.

 

Day 2608: Fun with Phobias, Part 5

I have no phobias about sharing these links for my previous “Fun with Phobias” posts:

Day 416: Fun with Phobias

Day 417: Fun with Phobias Part II

Day 496: Fun with Phobias (Part III*)

Day 1594: Fun with Phobias, Part 4

Yesterday, somebody expressed surprise about other people’s fears and phobias being different from theirs.  Because I don’t have Googlephobia, I searched for a list of phobias and took this photo:

Because I don’t have Facetime-o-phobia, later in the day I communicated with somebody who had Trypanophobia when he was young:

It’s a good thing that my son Aaron doesn’t have Kosmemophobia (fear of jewelry) because his mother’s earrings are HUGE.

I  don’t have pun-o-phobia, as you can see in this subsequent communication between Aaron and me:

Do you see any phobias in my other photos from yesterday?

 

When I was a kid, I had a fear of the dark.  My Phone, which keeps taking pictures like that last one,  seems to have no Achluphobia, Nyctophobia, or whatever you want to call it.

Even though Politocophobia is a real thing,  here’s a limerick about one of the  2020 Democratic candidates for President:

My choice at this moment is Pete
And it’s not only because he is neat.
At Harvard, the Navy, South Bend
He had many an appreciative friend,
Plus his deep thoughts won’t fit in a tweet.

Here’s “The Phobia Song” by Pushing Daisy.

Fear of comments is a thing,  but consider leaving one anyway.

Do you have fear of gratitude?  I hope not.

 

 

Day 2607: Life is short …

I wrote a short post titled “Life is short” about 1,160 days ago. (My calculations may be imperfect, but — hey! — life is short.)  But … is that the end of the story?

Apparently not.

Life is short …

… stop and smell the roses.

Life is short …

… eat mindfully.

Life is short …

… try to get your act together.

Life is short …

… accept that people will disappoint each other.

Life is short …

… learn the important differences.

Life is short …

… expect the unexpected (like those three photos on my iPhone).  Also accept the light AND the dark.

If life is so short…

… share what’s important to you (like music, travel, and love).

Life is short and your comments can be, too!

Life is short …

… thanks!