Day 3217: Empathic

Yesterday, when I was considering and experiencing the pros and cons of being empathic, I asked this question on Twitter:

Some people didn’t know the definition of empathy, so I shared this:

Some people wanted to know the difference between empathic and empathetic, so I shared this:

How empathic are you about my other images for today?

The Daily Bitch isn’t very empathic, but I still love her.

And for those of you are empathic about our kitty Joan in the cone, you are not alone. My good news is that the cone is probably coming off tomorrow!

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

Empathic thanks to all those who took the time to visit here today, including YOU.

Day 3216: Great gifts

Last night, after turning off the Red Sox game, I asked this question about great gifts on Twitter:

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According to the 5 Love Languages on-line quiz, gifts are not a great gift for me.

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Since I didn’t get the great gift of a Red Sox win last night, I guess words of affirmation would be a great gift for me, here and now.

Do you see any great gifts in my other images for today?

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I think it’s time for me to order myself the great gift of next year’s Daily Bitch Calendar.

I hope you appreciate the gift of the animated short “The Gift.”

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I look forward to the great gift of your comments and please accept the great gift of my gratitude for your visit to my blog, today.

Day 3215: What do you see?

What I see is very much influenced by

• my mood,
• how much sleep I’ve gotten,
• what I choose to look at,
• the thoughts that are running through my head,
• the people around me,
• the cats around me,
• the news,
• the weather,
• how the Red Sox are doing,
• how I’m balancing my needs with others’ needs,
• self care,
• acceptance,
• how I’m breathing,
• how open I am to new perspectives, and
• how much I am able to stay in the moment.

What do you see when you look at my images for today?

I wonder what the Daily Bitch sees when she looks at herself in the mirror.

What do you see when you watch Sting sing “Every Breath You Take”?

What will I see in the comments section, below?

What do you see when I end every blog post with gratitude for YOU?

Day 3214: What gives you hope?

Because hope is so important, I’ve written several posts about hope (see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here) since I started this Daily Blog in 2013.

Yesterday, I noticed hope at the Boston hospital where I work.

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And last night, I asked a question about hope on Twitter.

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Do my other images for today give you hope?

It gives me hope that the Daily Bitch and I have so much in common.

When I search for “what gives you hope?” on YouTube I find this,

… this,

… this,

… and this.

What gives you hope?

Kind people like you give me hope every day, so thanks for visiting my blog, here and now.

Day 3213: What would you expect?

What would you expect from a blog post with this title?

What would you expect from a blog post written by somebody who often says, “It’s never what you expect”?

What would you expect me to eat on National Pasta Day (yesterday)?

What would you expect me to do if our cat Joan showed up unexpectedly without her cone (which she’s been wearing for weeks because of a persistent skin problem)?

I don’t know if this is what you would expect, but I watched her like a hawk for four hours yesterday to make sure she didn’t lick the infected area.

What would you expect Joan to do and feel when we put the cone back on her?

Joan seems to expect that the cone is going to come back on and doesn’t fight it at all. I didn’t expect Harley (who hisses and growls at Joan quite frequently) to get so close to her yesterday!

What would you expect from my other images for today?

What would you expect me to do on National Chocolate Cupcake Day?

What would you expect me to find on YouTube if I searched for “what would you expect?”

What would you expect at the end of my blog posts?

Day 3212: Records

Last night, I asked this question about records on Twitter:

I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but people share the most amazing thoughts and experiences when they feel safe enough to do so. I also tweeted about these records:

I might also break a record for posting the most photos of places and creatures I love in a blog.

I love imagining breaking the record for most pasta eaten on National Pasta Day.

Here’s the first 45 record I can remember playing over and over again on our record player when I was kid:

If you were to make it into the Guinness Book of Records, what record would you be breaking? For the record, any comment below will do.

Maybe I’ll break the record for most consecutive thank you’s ever expressed in a blog with this post!

Day 3211: Trying to make sense of it all

If you are trying to make sense of today’s title, it’s all about the uncommon sense of the Daily Bitch Calendar.

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I keep trying to make sense of it all, which you might sense in my images for today.

If I’m trying to make sense of it all, Global Cat Day and National Sweetest Day seem like good starting points.

Here’s “Trying to Make Sense of It All” by Human Drama …

… “Trying to Make Sense of It All” by Chris Freund …

… and “We Try to Make Sense of it All” by Hammock, an ambient/post rock band from Nashville.

Are you trying to make sense of it all?

Gratitude helps me make sense of it all, so thanks to all who have the sense to visit this blog, including YOU!

Day 3210: What I learn from my cat

Because it’s Global Cat Day tomorrow, I am inspired by my worldly and composed shelter cat Joan to compose today’s post.

Here’s Joan …

… who teaches me

• That it’s nicer in the sun.
• Not to be discouraged by obstacles.
• To live in the moment.
• Life is a combination of comfort and discomfort.
• To ask for what I want, despite inevitable communication barriers.
• I can still be adorable when I’m having medical issues.
• People may assume what I’m feeling, based on their own experience.
• Resilience includes the ability to adapt to what is.
• Almost everything is fun to play with.
• Even when healing is slow, be patient.
• A refrigerator door opening is something to celebrate.
• So many different types of food (including our other cat Harley’s food) are delicious.
• Not to be discouraged if somebody hisses at me.
• If a door is closed, open it myself or get somebody else to open it for me.
• I may accidentally do damage some times, but people will forgive me.
• Try to achieve a good mix of running around and relaxing.
• Gratitude can be expressed in many different ways, including with a purr.
• Females rule!

What can we learn from my other images for today?

Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “what I learn from my cat”:

Here’s Cyndi Lauper with “Like a Cat”:

What have you learned from this post?

Thanks and purrs to all those who help me blog every day, including Joan and YOU!

Day 3209: What’s a perfect gift for you?

Last night, after a day of many gifts, I asked this question on Twitter.

My perfect gift of a friend and college roommate, Marcia, gave me those chocolates when she visited us with her daughter Ellen and her son-in-law, Tim.

My perfect gift of a husband, Michael, took those two photos. Spending time with wonderful people you cherish and love is always a perfect gift.

Earlier in the day, I received the gift of a text from our vet saying that Joan the cat’s skin problem was looking much better (but not perfect).

The vet suggested that we get this product …

… to spray on Joan to prevent her from licking herself there, so we could give her the perfect gift of removing her cone.

Joan thought the Bitter YUCK was perfectly tasty, so the perfect gift of throwing away that cone is going to have to wait.

Joan is the perfect gift, cone and all.

Do you see any perfect gifts in my other images for today?

Desserts and being free sound like perfect gifts to me.

Here’s “Gift of a Friend” by Demi Lovato, which I think is perfect for this blog post.

What’s the perfect gift for you?

Many thanks for the perfect gift of your visit here, today!

Day 3208: What’s stuck in your head?

Many things can get stuck in our heads, including

• songs,
• what people have said,
• what people have done,
• worst fears,
• negativity,
• beliefs, and
• hope.

What’s stuck in my head right now is that I asked several question on Twitter yesterday about things that can get stuck in our heads.

Some things that get stuck in our heads can keep us stuck. I hope we can let go of those things and move on.

Which of these other images might get stuck in your head?

It’s stuck in my head that it might take 42 cups of coffee to pay attention to all the things people are commemorating on October 13, 2021.

Here’s the song that was stuck in my head yesterday:

What’s stuck in your head, here and now?

I hope my gratitude for you sticks in your head today!