Day 3743: Bragging

Maybe it’s bragging to say that I’m good at finding things on the internet, including definitions of “bragging.”

It doesn’t surprise me that bragging is defined in a negative way. However, I think there’s something to be said for bragging, especially if you tend to squelch or disbelieve positive things about yourself.

Personally, I grew up in a family where saying anything positive about oneself — much less bragging — was discouraged. Whenever I said something that came close to bragging, I was told “don’t give a kanahari” because that would attract the evil eye.

As a result, I’ve always had some fear about promoting myself, naming my talents, owning my skills, and doing anything else that might attract the evil eye. This is so ingrained that last September, when I fearlessly shared one of my original songs with strangers and then had a mini-stroke the next day, this thought came into my head: “That’s what you get for bragging about yourself.”

Rationally, I know that’s not true. Also, I’ve witnessed the healing power of bragging when I’ve encouraged people in my therapy groups to say something positive about themselves. Last week, I said, “let’s hear some bragging” and witnessed people, who usually put themselves down, allowing themselves to acknowledge and own their positive attributes and accomplishments.

Let’s see if there’s any bragging in my images for today.

Is it bragging, on National Fun Day, to say that I’m really fun? Is it also bragging to say that I made many great decisions about our shower remodel, that I’m an excellent group therapist, or that I write good songs?

Here’s hoping something terrible doesn’t happen to me because of all that bragging.

Here’s the song I was bragging about in September:

Let’s see some bragging in those comments, below!

Is it bragging to say that I have the best readers for my blog, including you?