Day 3711: Guilty

When people in therapy talk about how guilty they feel, I often encourage them to throw guilt away in my “magic waste paper basket.” I don’t feel guilty about having a magic water paper basket nor about suggesting that people throw guilt away. My experience is that toxic perpetrators do not feel guilty at all while well-meaning and essentially good people do feel guilty about minor infractions and imperfections.

Here’s my magic waste paper basket …

… and don’t feel guilty about throwing away guilt in any receptacle you choose.

I am guilty of gathering all the images for today’s blog post and I don’t feel guilty about sharing any of them with you.

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My guilty pleasures include chocolate soufflé and the Daily Bitch calendar.

Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “guilty.”

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Thanks to all who help me feel less guilty, including YOU!

Day 3710: People pleasing

Many people in my Coping and Healing groups aspire to do less people pleasing. I find it pleasing to encourage people to balance their needs with other people’s needs.

Let’s see what the Daily Bitch pleases to say about people pleasing.

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Do you see people pleasing in my other images for today?

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I didn’t know which list would be more pleasing to people, so it was a no brainer for me to share both.

Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “people pleasing.”

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It pleases me to present a video about people pleasing by The Crappy Childhood Fairy on the same day that I’m sharing my Twitter question about favorite fairy tales. If it pleases other people, that’s a bonus.

Thanks to all the pleasing people who helped me write this “people pleasing” post, including YOU!

Day 3709: Memorable Theatrical Experiences/“Goodbye Stress“

I couldn’t decide whether to title this blog “Memorable Theatrical Experiences” or “Goodbye Stress” and because I’m trying to escape either/or thinking and embrace the AND, why not use both?

Last night, my husband Michael and I went to see Frankenstein by Manual Cinema, who always deliver memorable theatrical experiences. From now on, I resolve to say “Goodbye stress” to decisions about tickets, food choices, the weather, traffic, parking, other people’s behaviors (e.g., showing up after the production has started), and anything else that might interfere with my enjoying and being totally present for memorable theatrical experiences.

Do you see memorable theatrical experiences and/or “goodbye stress” in my images for today?

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I don’t know if this counts as a memorable theatrical experience, but I seized the day on Carpe Diem Day and used the tub in the upstairs bathroom for the very first time (with Goodbye Stress aromatherapy bubble bath).

Here’s what I find when I search YouTube for “memorable theatrical experiences” …

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… and here’s what I find when I search for “goodbye stress.”

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Thanks to all who have helped me create memorable theatrical experiences and to say “goodbye stress,” including YOU!

Day 3708: Mythical creatures

For some reason, I’ve been thinking about mythical creatures lately.

When I was growing up, I spent a lot of time with mythical creatures. I loved reading the Andrew Lang fairy books, devoured stories about the Norse gods, and waited all year to watch Peter Pan on my TV.

Unfortunately, today’s mythical creatures seem to include

• people who answer phones at bureaucracies,
• politicians who can work together for the good of their constituents,
• human beings who are satisfied with fair shares, and
• cats who stay off the dining room table.

Do you see mythical creatures in my images for today?

One might argue that people who always eat right and stay quiet are mythical creatures.

Here’s what I find when I search for “mythical creatures” on YouTube:

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What are your thoughts and feelings about mythical creatures?

Thanks to all the wonderful mythical and non-mythical creatures who inhabit my life, including YOU!

Day 3707: Cause and effect

In the notes I write for my Coping and Healing groups, the topics often include “cause and effect.” What causes me to do that is that people often like to identify relationships between events, even when that relationship might not exist.

For example, when I noted yesterday that our ailing Bonsai tree was doing better, my usually very logical husband Michael replied that my saying that out loud was going to cause problems for the Bonsai tree. I don’t believe in that kind of cause and effect, so I’ll just keep speaking my mind whenever I choose.

Do you see cause and effect in my images for today?

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The fact that today is National Dance Day is going to cause me to effectively ask my husband to dance with me later.

A patient telling me she loves the group Bleachers is causing the effect of my choosing this song for our dance tonight:

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Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “cause and effect.”

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I wonder if my asking for comments about this cause-and-effect post will cause you to leave one, below?

There are many causes that contribute to the effect of my expressing gratitude to you, here and now.

Day 3706: Happy

I’m happy to wish a happy birthday to my son Aaron and to my cardiologist, Dr. Deeb Salem! 🎉🎉🎂🎂🎁🎁💕

Yesterday, I was happy about the results of my annual check up with Dr. Salem. He said he wants to see me again in six months because “seeing you makes me happy.” Tufts Medical Center is going to name a building after him soon and when they do, I’ll be happy to make a speech, as he has requested, at that celebration. I was happy to swap stories about our long relationship in front of two young doctors yesterday and I was happy to exclaim, “Don’t I look great for my age!” even though nobody could really tell because I was wearing a mask.

I’m happy that I have a wonderful son and that we decided it was safe enough for me to get pregnant in my 40s despite my congenital heart condition.

My husband Michael and I were happy to watch the Deadwood movie last night which gave some good closure to the series, especially because some of the characters were finally happy!

I’m happy that today is my longest and busiest working day of the week because I get to facilitate two Coping and Healing groups on Thursdays.

I’m happy with our new shower/bathroom remodel and with all the images I have to share with you today.

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I’m happy with the new tiles in the bathroom on National Tile Day and I’m very happy that today is World Understanding and Peace Day.

I’m happy that this is what I find when I search for “Happy” on YouTube.

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Finally, I’m happy to thank everyone who helped me create this happy post, including YOU!

Day 3705: Corrected

Here are some random thoughts about “corrected”:

• I have a very rare congenital heart condition — Congenitally Corrected Transposition of the Great Arteries — a name that is sometimes corrected to Levo Transposition of the Great Arteries.
• When my cardiologist Dr. Deeb Salem (whom I’m seeing today) discovered in 1980 that I had Congenitally Corrected Transposition of the Great Arteries, that finding corrected previous doctors’ assumptions that I just had a complete heart block which had been corrected with pacemakers starting when I was 10 years old.
• When we found out I had Congenitally Corrected Transposition, I corrected one of my mother’s favorite expressions — “Two wrongs don’t make a right” — because in Congenitally Corrected Transposition two wrongs DO make a right — all the blood ends up in the right place (phew!).
• For decades, I didn’t realize that Dr. Salem and my son Aaron were both born on February 23, an oversight that was corrected last year when my annual check-up with Dr. Salem was on that shared birthdate.
• I remember the late Steve Allen saying this on some late night show: “I stand corrected, because I’m wearing orthopedic shoes.”
• The extensive water damage in our upstairs shower/bathroom is almost complete corrected after almost two years of insurance claims and construction. Something that still needs to be corrected is a replacement toilet that was ordered in the wrong color.
• Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems like there is always something that needs to be corrected.

Do you see anything corrected in my images for today?

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World Thinking Day has me thinking about yesterday’s Coping and Healing group where people were thinking about ways to correct (or at least reduce) overthinking, including practicing mindfulness.

Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “corrected.”

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Just to let you know, when I try to type L-tga (the abbreviation for Levo Transposition of the Great Arteries), auto correct keeps changing it to “L-thanksgiving”.

Speaking of thanksgiving, thanks to all who help me publish corrected blog posts every day, including YOU!

Day 3704: Power moves

The Daily Bitch has got me thinking about power moves today.

Strangely enough, my power move is listening to what people say and letting them finish their thoughts. That’s why my Coping and Healing groups include a check-in where everyone says whatever they choose without interruption; I am often moved by how people use that power.

The news, as usual, is filled with power moves by world leaders and I wonder how these moves are going to affect the rest of us.

Do you see power moves in my other images for today?

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Here’s what I find when I search for “power moves” on YouTube:

Is it a power move for me to ask you to leave a comment, below?

One of my power moves is expressing gratitude, so thanks to all those who give me the power to create these daily blog posts, including YOU!

Day 3703: Only human

It’s only human to make mistakes and it’s only human to forgive ourselves when we do.

I’m the only human who is awake in my household right now and it’s only human for me to want to connect by sharing these images with you.

It’s only human that I might forget to share the Daily Holidays on Twitter every morning, but it’s only human to hope that I don’t forget to do that again.

Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “only human.”

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It’s only human that I’d like to hear from you about this “only human” blog post.

Thanks to all who are only human like me, including YOU!

Day 3702: World Problems

Decades ago, when I was considering changing careers, a well-renowned aptitude testing organization informed me that I had (1) messy closets and (2) the ability to solve world problems. While I haven’t solved any world problems yet, I’ve been wondering if that ability is related to my frequently waking up in the middle of the night trying to solve problems big and small.

Do you see any world problems in today’s blog post?

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When I search for “world problems” on YouTube, I find this…

… and this:

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Thanks to all who helped me create this “world problems” post, including YOU!

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