We all have questions, especially during this time of changing rules and mixed messages about the pandemic.
Do you have questions about any of my images for today?
Do you have questions about my choice of music for today?
We all have questions and feel free to ask questions (or give answers) in the comments section, below.
There’s no question that I’m grateful for all who read my blog, including YOU!
Yesterday, when I was on a healing, therapeutic walk before seeing patients remotely, I thought of asking people about the most healing, therapeutic thing anyone had ever said to them.
Here’s the healing, therapeutic result, on Twitter:
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How would you answer that question? What’s the most healing, therapeutic thing anyone has ever said to you?
Do you see healing, therapeutic things in my other images for today?
Here’s what I find when I search YouTube for healing, therapeutic things people have said:
Expressing and receiving gratitude is therapeutic, so thanks to all healing people out there, including YOU.
Today’s post is titled “Strong Encouragement” because (1) we could all use some and (2) I captured these two images at my local supermarket last night:
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Do you see strong encouragement in my other images for today?
In college, I needed strong encouragement to read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, which included horrific scenes about how the sausage is made.
Do you need strong encouragement to watch and listen to the twins hearing Steely Dan’s “Do It Again” for the first time?
If so, I strongly encourage you to read this comment:
What does strong encouragement mean to you?
In case you didn’t know, I’m always grateful for the strong encouragement you give me to keep on blogging, every day.
Because of experiences in my past, I sometimes find it difficult to trust. I trust that I am not alone in that.
Trust — in myself and in others — is especially important when I’m doing something new, like traveling to Nashville on my own in three days.
Do you see trust in my photos for today?
Harley, like the rest of us, needs to feel safe enough to trust.
Here’s “How to build (and rebuild) trust” with Frances Frei.
I trust that you will find value and inspiration in that TED talk.
Please trust your thoughts and feelings enough to express them in a comment, below.
Trust me to end these daily posts with gratitude for all who trust my blog, including YOU.
This international woman is happy that there is an international women’s day we can all celebrate together. I also have something else to celebrate today: the birthday of an international woman I have frequently featured in this blog — my life-long friend Barbara (recently appearing here with her brilliant thoughts about the importance of minor adjustments).
How do you plan to celebrate international women’s day? I am celebrating it by sharing these images captured by and featuring women:
Personally, I think women should brag more.
To celebrate international women’s day, here are Andra Day and Bonnie Raitt performing “Rise Up.”
Thanks to international women everywhere and to YOU!
These days, it’s difficult to identify one thing that frightens me, because there are so many frightening things out there.
What frightens me on this day includes
Is there one thing that frightens you in my latest photos?
Has that cow been frightened off of its base?
Things that frighten you, me, and others have inspired my new song, entitled “What’s Your Fear, My Dear?” for my frighteningly ambitious new project, Therapy: The Musical. I plan to work on my first musical during the dark and frightening weeks of the New England winter.
One thing that does NOT frighten me is sharing my ideas here, so here are some lyrics from “What’s Your Fear, My Dear?”
What’s Your Fear, My Dear?
by Ann Koplow
What’s your fear, my dear?
I really want to hear, my dear.
Do not fear sharing that
Now and here.
Flying?
It’s not so much a fear of flying
As it is a fear of dying
or falling too far,
Or of the danger of how high up you are.
Public speaking?
That’s a fear of your voice squeaking
Of your confidence leaking
In front of them all,
As your dignity suffers a fall.
Dying?
Well, my dear, I would be lying
If I said I wasn’t afraid of that too.
Does it help if I join that with you?
© Ann Koplow, 2020
Here’s “Why I do something everyday that scares me,” a 2016 TED talk by Emma Van Der Merwe at the University of Edinburgh.
I fear you will miss out if you don’t watch that video.
I assume gratitude is one thing that doesn’t frighten you, so thanks to all who help me do one blogging thing each day, including YOU!
In an Iceland hotel, instead of demanding “Do Not Disturb,” one politely asks for “Peace & Quiet.”
I think we all deserve some Peace & Quiet these days, especially with all the noise in the news.
Do you see any Peace and/or Quiet in my other photos from yesterday?
I’m off for another day of Peace, Quiet, & Dramatic Scenery in Iceland.
Peace, Quiet, & Thanks to all who helped me create today’s blog post and — of course! — to you.
What is the inspiration for today’s blog post title?
It’s this card, which the inspiring Carla from cardiac rehab wrote for me, yesterday:
That is the inspiration for me to share this definition for “inspiration.”
in·spi·ra·tion
ˌinspəˈrāSH(ə)n/
noun
1. the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.
“Helen had one of her flashes of inspiration”
synonyms: creativity, inventiveness, innovation, ingenuity, genius, imagination, originality
2. the drawing in of breath; inhalation.
As you draw in your next breath, pause a minute and think about this:
What is the inspiration for you?
That question is the inspiration for me to list some inspirations, here and now:
One thing I photographed yesterday was the inspiration for Carla from Cardiac Rehab to talk, non-stop, for several minutes. Can I inspire you to guess what inspired her so?
Carla’s inspiration was …
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… Mort, the hedgehog, who is riding high in a surgical mask, who always wears that hat, who gets dressed up in various outfits, and who, one morning, was all packed to go to Las Vegas but “he missed his flight.” Nevertheless, Mort is the still the inspiration for many inspiring people who attend cardiac rehab at Mount Auburn Hospital.
What is the inspiration for my musical selection this morning? I just searched YouTube for “inspiration music” and found this:
I’m hoping this post is the inspiration for you to leave a comment, below.
For all the inspirations who helped me create today’s post and for you — of course! — here’s one more inspiration from yesterday:
I hope this blooming post finds you blooming well on this blooming beautiful October morning.
Speaking of blooming, all my blooming doctors and everybody else who sees me says that I look blooming wonderful as I am blooming and recovering from my blooming valve replacement surgery last month.
My blooming friend, Carol, gave us a blooming plant soon after my blooming boyfriend and I got home from blooming Rochester, Minnesota, where I had my blooming open heart surgery.
As you can see in that blooming photo, that plant has a lot more blooming to do. As a matter of fact, I took that blooming photo moments after my blooming boyfriend, Michael, was saying out loud to that blooming plant: “Bloom! Bloom!”
Would you like to blooming see all my other blooming photos from yesterday?
That blooming tea bag is now reminding of one of my favorite blooming songs, ever, by the blooming Beach Boys.
Isn’t that blooming great? Now, please leave a blooming comment so I know what you blooming think of this blooming post.
Now I have to blooming decide whether to publish this blooming post at 2:42 AM, when I’m blooming finishing it, or wait until a more reasonable blooming hour tomorrow morning.
Oh, blooming hell! Does it really blooming matter?
Blooming thanks to all who helped me create this blooming post and to you — of course! — for being my blooming reader, here and now.
Yesterday, I bid a fond farewell to my beloved Mazda3, which I am donating to Make-a-Wish, a non-profit foundation granting wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses. Long may my Mazda and Make-a-Wish run.
That’s Mark, one of the many trusted and trusty mechanics from P & M Service Center. Long may he and his business run! Mark eased the pain of my goodbye yesterday by running by me several amusing and amazing stories of other people having trouble letting go and saying goodbye to their cars. For example, he told me about a relative who had decided to donate a car to a charity and then at the last minute said to Mark, “I love this car! I can’t let it go! I want to keep this car and donate my new car — which I hate — instead!” Mark said to her, “Sorry, that’s not going to happen.”
I told Mark yesterday how I planned to run this Neil Young song in today’s blog.
Long may Wikipedia run, which tells us that “Long May You Run” was
an elegy for Neil Young’s first car (which he nicknamed “Mort”), a 1948 Buick Roadmaster hearse that died in 1965 when its transmission blew in Blind River, Ontario.
Long may all those I love — mechanical, human, feline, etc. — run.
Long may my iPhone run, so I can take more photos like these:
Long may inspiration run for me and anybody else who needs it, here and now.
Long may you — all my wonderful readers — run!
The Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally 