Day 2981: Come experience the difference

Come experience the difference as I get my hair cut, eat inside at a restaurant for the first time in almost a year, and hang out on Twitter and in other familiar places, completely vaccinated.

Apparently I’m not going viral, AGAIN, because I was not dead when I posted that tweet last night:

I wrote that when I was experiencing the difference of being a vaccinated woman out at our local supermarket.

Come experience the difference of my song “Vaccinated Women” after I had some time to practice it.

Come experience the difference of posting a new comment, below, and the difference of a new expression of gratitude from me to YOU.

Day 2980: Viral

I think about going viral, so here’s a viral definition:

Why would I want to go viral, especially during these viral times? Maybe it’s a natural human yearning to be heard, appreciated, and connected with others.

Here and now, I’m good with not going viral and happy to connect with others as best as I can.

Is there anything viral in today’s images?

I think our cat Harley and Michael’s cooking are more likely to go viral than I am.

I doubt that my new song “Vaccinated Women” (to the tune of “Fascinating Rhythm”) will go viral, but I’m still looking forward to performing it this Friday at an Open Mic.

I wouldn’t want that recording to go viral since (1) I just figured out the ukulele chords and (2) neither my voice nor my looks are at their best this early in the morning.

What are your thoughts and feelings about this “Viral” post?

Thanks to all who help me create this non-viral blog every day, including YOU!

Day 2979: Cheer the F*ck Up

In last night’s Coping and Healing group, as people discussed how to cheer the f*ck up during this f*cking pandemic, somebody shared this coloring book:

How do you cheer the f*ck up these days? People in my groups cheer the f*ck up by

• practicing mindfulness,
• venting,
• setting healthy boundaries,
• swearing,
• crying,
• laughing
• accepting all feelings, and
• realizing they are not alone.

Do any of today’s photos help you cheer the f*ck up?

After a long working day, I cheer the f*ck up with Michael’s cooking.

I find this when I search YouTube for “Cheer the f*ck up” …

… and this:

Gratitude helps me cheer the f*ck up, so thanks to all who help me create this daily blog, including YOU.

Day 2978: I can’t get enough of …

I can’t get enough of conversations with my husband Michael, including our recent one about breakfast cereals, in which I told him that my favorite cereal jingle was “I can’t get enough of that Sugar Crisp” as sung by the cool and crooning Sugar Bear.

Because I used to work in advertising, I can’t get enough of those vintage commercials and how they reflect societal norms, priorities, assumptions, and technology.

I can’t get enough of my son Aaron and I can’t get enough of this incredible creation his cousin Victoria made for Aaron’s birthday:

I can’t get enough of anything that promotes self inoculation against the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, including walks by the water, celebrating small victories and progress, education, Michael’s cooking, the Daily Bitch Calendar, fun conversations on Twitter, and cats.

I can’t get enough of your comments, so consider leaving one about what YOU can’t get enough of.

I can’t get enough of gratitude, so thanks to all who help me create these daily posts, including you!

Day 2977: Self inoculation

Two days ago, my post was self-destructive. Today, I’m writing about self inoculation, which is effectively preparing yourself for troubles ahead.

Yesterday, in a therapy session when we were talking about self-hatred, people committed to each other that the next time they did, felt, or thought something that triggered self-hatred, they would take a deep breath and love (or at least LIKE) themselves instead. In essence, people were self inoculating against a known destructive response.

This morning, before I got on the scale, I self inoculated by saying this to myself: “No matter what that number is, I am going to welcome it. That number is not going to affect my self worth.”

Blogging, for me, is another example of self inoculation. With each daily post, I am preparing myself for troubles ahead — refreshing my resilience. That’s why blogging has been such a priority for me over the past eight years.

Do you see any examples of self inoculation in today’s images?

As The Daily Bitch shows us, sometimes the way we self inoculate might cause trouble for other people.

Many of us will need to be inoculated with a coronavirus vaccine before we attend a concert like this — Huey Lewis and the News performing “I Want a New Drug” (which sounds like self-inoculation to me).

If expressing your thoughts and feelings is self inoculation for you, please leave a comment below.

Ready for some self inoculation of gratitude?

Day 2976: What do you see?

What do you see, here and now?

Do you see how what you see is affected by your

• mood,
• formative experiences,
• assumptions,
• habits,
• perspective,
• fears,
• hopes, and
• awareness about what other people might see?

What do you see in today’s images?

What do you see in that photo of last night’s dinner? What you DON’T see are the little pin-bones Michael could not remove from the sablefish before cooking it.

What do you see in this old video created by my son Aaron, who turns 23 today?

What will I see in the comments section, below? Perhaps comments about what you see.

What do you see at the end of every blog post from me? Gratitude.

Day 2975: Self-destructive

When people in therapy tell me they are self-destructive, I think:

• that is how they are telling the story about themselves for now,
• it might be a helpful insight,
• it might lead to hopelessness,
• it might be a self-fulfilling prophecy,
• it’s not destructive that they are in therapy,
• there are other things they are doing that are not self-destructive, and
• they are not destroyed.

I don’t think it’s self-destructive to share the inspiration for today’s blog title:

Is it self-destructive to share all of my recent images?

Is anybody being self-destructive in today’s video, a compilation of home news bloopers?

It would not be self-destructive to leave your thoughts and feelings about this “Self-destructive” post in the comments section, below. It’s also not self-destructive to express gratitude, so thanks to all who help me create these daily blogs, including YOU.

Day 2974: Neighborhoods

I inhabit several neighborhoods — real, virtual, and imaginary, as you can see.

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Even though I’m ambiviralent, I hope my new lyrics to “Fascinating Rhythm” help me go viral in the social media neighborhoods.

Vaccinated Women

by Ann Koplow

Vaccinated women, we’re shopping at stores.

Vaccinated women, we’re all a-quiver.

We are celebrating, the neighbors want to know

How we managed rating when they’re chopped liver.

Each morning we get up with the sun

And have no cares getting all our chores done.

Vaccinated women, you see us on the go

Vaccinated women, you might be asking.

How can you be certain which ones of us are

Vaccinated women, since we’re still masking.

Just look closely into our eyes and then you’ll see

Vaccinated women, happy and safe like me!

Vaccinated women, we don’t want to boast

Lord it over others, or make them jealous.

Vaccinated women, what would please us most

Is vaccine distribution to all gals and fellas.

We hope that everyone over the world will join us soon

Vaccinated people, out, safe, and over the moon!

© Ann Koplow, 2021

In my imaginary neighborhood, Jacob Collier lives nearby, so here‘s Jacob’s arrangement and performance of the Gershwins’ “Fascinating Rhythm.”

I’m grateful to my neighbors in all my neighborhoods, including YOU!

Day 2973: I forgot

Yesterday, at the end of our session, my therapist asked me what my first memory about money was. I don’t forget why she asked me — I told her I wanted to work on my shame and fear related to money and taxes.

When I had trouble accessing early memories about money, she asked me to work on that before our next session.

I forgot my first memories about money, but I believe my shame, fear, and forgetting might be related to the fact that my family was Jewish. I realized when I was young that some non-Jews believed that Jews only cared about money and seemed to hate them for that. My parents didn’t want me or others to forget the Holocaust — the worst result of those beliefs. I wanted to forget because the Holocaust seemed too big and scary for me to understand.

I forgot to take many photos yesterday because I was focusing on giving and getting therapy and staying safe from the cold and the snow.

I forgot what I recently wrote on Twitter, so I’ll see what’s there.

Here’s “I Forgot” by Steve Martin, which is about money and taxes!

If you don’t leave a comment below, you can borrow this excuse from Steve Martin: “I forgot.”

In all the years I’ve been blogging, I never forgot to say thank you to my readers.

Day 2972: What we have in common

What we have in common, I believe, includes a wish to know what day it is and, perhaps, an appreciation of the Daily Bitch.

Actually, I’m not sure if I have much in common with people who think they have nothing in common with others. I believe that all of us have these in common:

• old wounds,
• pain,
• sadness,
• hope,
• joy,
• disappointment,
• regret,
• anger,
• fear,
• anxiety,
• worry,
• vulnerability,
• mistakes,
• resilience,
• laughter,
• tears, and
• exhaustion with the pandemic.

I assume that we also have this in common: a favorite comfort food.

I believe we have in common the need for comfort, wherever we can find it.

When I search YouTube for “all we have in common” I find this ad for a Denmark TV station:

… and “Little Things We Have in Common” by George Carlin:

What do you think we have in common?

Something else we have in common is gratitude, so thanks to all who help me create these daily blog posts, including YOU!