Day 2924: What counts

Yesterday, USA Thanksgiving 2020, I spent part of the day counting and recounting the numbers in my blog posts. As you probably know, I’ve been counting the days in my post titles for many years. Even though I am careful to count accurately (because accuracy and truth count), none of us can count on perfection.

As I was counting past blogging days, I found I had lost count on a day when I was focusing on the loss of my friend, Eleanor, who counted very much to me and on whom I could always count. Once I found that error in the count, I did a recount and now, I think, the count is accurate. However, I wouldn’t completely count on it.

Besides fixing the blogging count, I spent much of Thanksgiving day telling people who count (including YOU) how thankful I am for them.

What counts in my photos from yesterday ?

When I was recounting my posts, I found some words that counted a lot, including that Turkish proverb on Turkey Day. I know I am not alone in counting the days until the Axe is no longer President of the USA.

For those of you who count on puns, now it’s time for me to axe for comments, below.

Here‘s “Count’s Place” with Count Basie and The Kansas City 7.

I count on you every day and thanks for helping me make every day count!

Day 2923: Thankful

I am thankful for so much on this Thanksgiving Day.

I am thankful to be alive and in love with life and with so many living creatures.

I am thankful for my eyes and for what they see.

.

I am thankful for my ears. I’m thankful for what they hear.

What are you thankful for, in six words, less, or more?

On Thanksgiving and every other day, I am thankful for YOU!

Day 2922: Fairy Tales

When I was young, I read many fairy tales, including the ones in the Brown Fairy Tale Book, Green Fairy Tale Book, and the other colors of Fairy Tale Books illustrated by the amazing Arthur Rackham.

I wonder if that’s why I believe that life could be like a fairy tale with

• heroes,
• quests,
• suffering,
• surprises,
• learning,
• growth,
• love,
• rewards for kindness, and
• the triumph of good over evil.

I especially remember the Grimm brothers’ tale of The Fisherman and His Wife (found here) which I have been quoting to Michael with increasing frequency over the past four years. This is a story of escalating greed, selfishness, hubris, overreach, narcissism, and ultimate retribution, where somebody wishes for more and more absurd amounts of wealth and power, until they get what they deserve.

Because of all the tales I read as a kid, I’ve believed that narcissism and greed, while perhaps succeeding spectacularly for a while, ultimately would not win.

And I was right. At least for now.

Do you see fairy tales in today’s images?

Here’s the tale of The Fisherman and his Wife.

Here’s a video showing the art of Arthur Rackham:

Today, I am happily ever after thanking all who help me concoct the tales in this daily blog, including YOU!

Day 2921: Exhausting

It’s exhausting how exhausted everybody is from

• the news,
• the coronavirus,
• Donald Trump,
• perpetrators,
• enablers,
• liars,
• deniers,
• disappointment,
• loss,
• social injustice and inequalities,
• systemic racism, and
• hate.

Even though life is so exhausting today, we have to keep fighting together for a better life tomorrow. However, don’t forget to rest along the exhausting way ahead.

Thankfully, I don’t find blogging exhausting. It’s the opposite of exhausting to connect with you and to share images like these:

What’s been exhausting you? How are you taking care of yourself during these exhausting times?

Here’s Jai’Len Josey singing “Exhausting.”

Besides “Exhausting,” Jai’Len Josey also sang “My Mind” nine months ago, which she shared on my birthday.

When I first saw that today, I assumed she recorded it during this exhausting pandemic, but that was more than a month before we all started losing our minds together.

Expressing gratitude is also the opposite of exhausting, so thanks to all who help me get through these exhausting times, including YOU.

Day 2920: Identity

Last week, Human Resources at work sent me an email stating that if I had not filed for unemployment benefits (I had not), my identity had been stolen. Because I had heard previously that our work email system might have been hacked, I doubted the identity of the emailer and wrote back “Why should I believe YOU?” The HR person validated my concern and offered to prove her identity by calling me. In that phone call, we established that, indeed, my identity had been stolen.

As I looked into the theft of my identity, I discovered that it had been stolen TWO YEARS AGO. All this time, I’ve been blissfully ignorant of my identity theft, even though part of my identity has been preparing and protecting myself from trouble.

In the past, when I’ve heard that somebody’s identity had been stolen, I’ve reacted with worry, concern, and fear that this might someday happen to me. Now that my identity has been stolen, I am happy to identify that I am still me, doing what needs to be done, surviving it all, and remaining hopeful about the future.

As a matter of fact, my identity theft has seemed so insignificant to me — compared to the attempted theft of the identity of my country — I haven’t mentioned it here on my blog, until now.

Because part of my identity is to define my terms, here’s a definition of identity:

.

Do you see identity in any of my other recently captured images?

.

I can’t wait for the day when we stop obsessing about the identity of Donald Trump and focus on much more important identities.

Here‘s “How Artists Explore Identity” from The Museum of Modern Art, featuring Frida Kahlo, Glenn Ligon, and Andy Warhol.

Feel free to express your identity in a comment, below.

Thanks for all the identities that helped me create this identity post, including YOU!

Day 2919: Poop

If you want the poop/scoop on why I’ve chosen today’s title, here’s one reason why:

Here‘s the poop on “poop” from Merriam-Webster:

poop noun (1)
Definition of poop
1 informal : FECES, EXCREMENT
As a brand-new father, a new substance plays a big role in my life: poop.
— Scott Kramer
As the years go by, there’s trouble in paradise, and it isn’t just the ubiquitous goose poop.
— Katherine Lanpher
2 informal : the act of defecating
I have a complaint against dog owners that take their dogs for a walk but do not take a bag, then let their dog stop by people’s mailboxes and take a poop.
— Billie Johnston

poop
intransitive verb

slang : to become exhausted
poop out

poop
slang
: INFORMATION, SCOOP

If you check the definition of “poop” at Merriam-Webster, you’ll see that I left out some poop there. These days, there’s only so much poop I can take.

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

I wonder how much poop we’ll have to deal with in 2021?!

Today is November 22, a day which usually makes me feel like poop (and you can get the poop on that here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here). I guess I’ve gotten my poop together over the years, because I feel like the opposite of poop today.

What IS the opposite of poop? According to wordhippo.com, the opposite of poop includes

• calm
• delight
• cheer
• help
• cure
• being
• philosopher
• genius
• sage
• learned woman
• wise woman
• old soul.

Here’s “Whose Poop is It?” by JunyTony:

Here’s the poop about all the poop songs I found on YouTube: all have comments turned off. However, comments for this poop post are NOT turned off, so — if you’re not too pooped — please share your thoughts and feelings, below.

Thanks to all who help me share the latest poop in this daily blog, including YOU!

Day 2918: Wait for it.

Wait for it.

Joe Biden has been declared the next President of the United States. Again.

Wait for it.

I sang “The Impossible Wait” at a remote Open Mic last night.

Wait for it.

I had to wait until everybody else had performed first.

Wait for it.

My ex-husband wrote me this: “That was worth waiting for. I hope it was recorded. If it gets posted online it could make you a star.”

Wait for it.

Wait for the photos I took yesterday.

Wait for it.

It takes steadiness, character, and commitment to wait for it.

For those who are waiting for my 3000th blog post, I’ll be publishing that on a very special day.

Wait for it.

Unless I’ve miscounted,* that special day is the long-awaited inauguration of Joe Biden as President and Kamala Harris as Vice President of the United States.

Wait for that day, along with millions of others. Good things come to those who wait.

If you have any thoughts and feelings about this wait-for-it post, don’t wait to express yourself in a comment, below.

Wait for my gratitude to all who have helped me create this daily blog since January 1, 2013, including YOU.

* I TOTALLY miscounted. Next time, I’ll wait to check my math before I publish a post. Those will both be special days, but not the same one. I’ve been waiting to be more forgiving of myself when I make mistakes, and that special day is here!

Day 2917: Waking Up

What are you waking up to today?

I’m waking up to

• stress, stress, stress all around,
• more terrifyingly ridiculous news about the transfer of presidential power in the USA,
• frightening spikes in the number of COVID cases and deaths,
• a world where climate change threatens everybody,
• egregious social injustices and inequalities,
• people’s incredible levels of denial,
• the amazing resistance some people have to admitting mistakes and owning responsibility,
• a brand new day, and
• these new images on my cell phone.

I love waking up to the Daily Bitch.

Here’s “Waking Up” by We The Kingdom.

Every day, no matter what, I’m waking up with gratitude, so thanks to all who help me create these daily blogs, including YOU!

Day 2916: Hands

Yesterday, when the wonderful hands of Mia from MiAlisa Salon were giving me a hands-down fabulous haircut, Mia told me about a beautiful way she has been self-soothing during these hard times. She holds her own hand.

Mia said that she held and held her mother’s hand in her hand while her mother was dying, and she misses her mother. Now, when she clasps her own two hands together, she feels powerfully comforted, settled, and anchored. Mia said holding hands with herself also helps her fall asleep.

I told Mia that I have been encouraging people in my Coping and Healing groups to give themselves hugs and that I will add clasping their own hands to the self-soothing repertoire.

And I am happy to report, this morning, that holding hands with myself helped me sleep through the night for the first time in months!

My sleep is also being helped by the growing certainty that my country will soon be in better hands. For the past four years, the USA has been in the hands of a toxic narcissist.

Speaking of hands, if anyone wants to see me play the ukulele with my own hands tomorrow evening, please sign up to be in the audience before the end of the day today using this link:

https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/9040b4eadaa23a2f49-jamn15

As people continue to count ballots by hand, I’ll be singing “The Impossible Wait” to the tune of “The Impossible Dream.”

I took all of these photos using my hands. Can you spot the hands of Mia and my husband Michael?

Here is “Hands — A Song for Orlando” from four years ago, showing how hands can hurt and heal.

If you leave a comment with your hands, I will respond with my hands and my heart.

In this time of social distancing, please wash your hands and wear a mask. My hands go out to yours in gratitude, here and now.

Day 2915: Leave

Leave us consider people who do not leave when they are supposed to leave.

Maybe this song by Buffalo Springfield will help them leave.

Here’s a recent cartoon by Signe Wilkinson from Philadelphia, where some lawyers have refused to leave off challenging the results of the fall election.

When people don’t leave, you can

• Clearly and decisively ask them to leave.
• Present a united front with others.
• If necessary, call the authorities.

Since people in Washington are doing none of the above, I wonder if they have taken leave of their senses.

Even in the middle of a pandemic, I leave the house to take photos, but I never leave my mask at home.

People leave behind life jackets, balloons, and all sorts of other leavings outside.

Years after leaving high school, my friend Lawry and I were having a conversation about people’s behavior. Lawry (who also has a WordPress blog) expressed frustration that people were acting like they had never left high school. I replied, “Life is always high school,” which left a big impression on him.

Great minds think alike, apparently, because here are some wise words from Barack Obama, who had no trouble leaving the White House graciously four long years ago.

Of course, I’m leaving out parts of that long and illuminating interview from The Atlantic. But thinking like Barack Obama leaves me with a great sense of satisfaction.

Shall I leave you with last night’s delicious nutritious dish and today’s Daily Bitch Calendar?

Remember phone calls, decency, and knowing when to leave?

I know when and how to leave — with gratitude.