Day 1630: What you seek

As I seek for ways to begin today’s post, here’s something I found yesterday when I was seeking  photos for this blog.

Here and now, I am seeking

• Peace.
• Health.
• Love.
• Connection.
• Acceptance.
• Forgiveness.
• Kindness.
• Understanding.
• Nourishment.
• Meaning.
• Joy.

According to Rumi, all those things are seeking me.

What are you seeking? Is it possible those things are seeking you?

Here are more images from yesterday that were seeking me:

 

I am now seeking music for today’s post. Let’s see what’s seeking me on YouTube.

In my world today,  I’l be seeking new eyeglasses so I can see better in my seeking.

Finally, thanks and appreciation to all who helped me seek and find today’s post and to you — of course! — for all that you seek.

Day 1629: What helps and what doesn’t help

When I help people join my therapy groups, I tell them we will work on doing more of what helps and less of what doesn’t help. I help people understand that by saying, “What helps and what doesn’t help  might include thoughts, behaviors,  and other people.”  Because it helps to change old habits by writing things down, I helpfully suggest they keep track of what helps and what doesn’t help them.

Because it helps to know you’re not alone, I explain that I also keep track of what helps and what doesn’t help me.

What helps me?

• Acceptance.
• Love.
• Creativity.
• Flexibility.
• Peace.
• Connection.
• Nature.
• Forgiveness.
• Blogging.
• My work.
• Family.
• Friends.
• Groups.
• Mutual healing.
• Curiosity.
• Openness.
• Authenticity.
• Music.

 

What doesn’t help me?

• Worry.
• Shame.
• Guilt.
• Regret.
• Harsh criticism.
• Cognitive distortions.
• Perfectionism.
• Telling myself I should have known better.

Does it help to look at these photos?

What also helps me is gratitude, so thanks to all who helped me create today’s post and — of course! — to YOU.

Day 1605: Guess what? I’m nuts! Really nuts!

Guess what? I’m nuts about getting my morning-blogging inspiration from a nutty snapshot.

Guess what?  I’m nuts, really nuts because I

• am losing sleep over how to fit our old furniture into our new home by the sea,
• forget how lucky and blessed I am,
• worry about the very things I advise my clients not to worry about,
• mind-read, fortune-tell, catastrophize, label, over-generalize, jump to conclusions, personalize, compare, etc. and
• eat too many unsalted, in-the-shell sunflower seeds every day.

Guess what?  I’m nuts, really nuts about taking photos and putting them in my blog.

 

Is it nuts for me to repeat the wisdom in that last photo?

It’s the strangest thing,

how happiness comes out of nowhere

and inflates your soul.

Guess what?  I’m nuts, really nuts about nutty music.

I’m nuts, really nuts about

• getting comments from my readers and
• expressing thanks to all with words and nutty pictures.

 

Day 1586: Messes

I don’t want to make any messes here in the blogging world, but yesterday the topic of my therapy group was “Messes.”

That’s the mess I made last night, as we all got messes down on paper.  My mess was actually messier than it looks in that photo, because I actually spilled cracker crumbs all over it. Because I made a mess of taking that picture, you can’t read all that I wrote.  However, I will tell you that I messily shared at the end of the group session my inspiration to make a new t-shirt that says, “Say YES to the mess.”

Why is it important to say YES to the mess?  Because we are all messes, in ways, even though we may think we need to appear neat and organized to others.

Before the group last night, I was dealing with lots of messes related to

• miscommunication,
• mistakes,
• broken promises,
• fear,
• worry,
• shame,
• guilt,
• misunderstandings,
• distrust,
• anger,
• loss,
• regret,
• pain,
• insecurity,
• health,
• health care,
• health care bills,
• politics,
• lawyers,
• guns, and
• money.

Here‘s another fine mess:  “Lawyers, Guns, and Money” by the late Warren Zevon.

Here are all the other messes I photographed yesterday:

Please don’t be afraid to make messes in the comments section, below.

Messy thanks to all who helped me create this mess of a post and to you — of course! — for all the beautiful messes you bring.

Day 1581: What’s Happening

No matter what’s happening, I often wonder what’s happening, because there’s usually so much happening at once.

What’s happening with all these pictures?

 

What’s happening now is “What’s the Buzz Tell Me What’s Happening” from Jesus Christ, Superstar.

What’s happening?  I hope you let us know what’s happening in a comment, below.

With gratitude for all who helped me create this happening post and — of course! — for you, here’s the last photo I happened to take yesterday.

Day 1573: One of those days

This is one of those days that I blog, as I’ve been doing since January 1, 2013.

Yesterday was one of those days that inspired this Facebook post:

Ever have one of those days? I’m having three of them today.

Because yesterday is past, I don’t want to dwell on one of those days. Instead, I’m looking forward to one of those days when I will

• connect with others,
• be myself,
• show up,
• be gentle,
• tell the truth, and
• take pictures.

Happiness IS an accomplishment, when you’re having one of those days.

This is one of those days I share different versions of the same song with you (here, here, and here):

I wonder if this will be one of those days I get lots of comments.

This is definitely one of those days I thank all who helped me create today’s post and — of course! — YOU.

Day 1571: On this day

On this day, I am repeating something from yesterday’s post.

On this day, I am sharing flowers I saw yesterday.

On this day, I am grateful for spring and all that it brings.

On this day, I am driving to a seaside city to find out about a home I might put a bid on. I wonder if I will be successful in that venture.

On this day, I will be facilitating two therapy groups at work.

On this day, I wonder about the meaning of success.

On this day, I will have some Yogi Tea.

On this day, I will share some music here.

 

On this day, I express gratitude to all who help me create this daily blog and — of course! — to you.

Day 1569: So to speak

“So to speak” has this definition, so to speak:

SO TO SPEAK
as one might say; said a certain way, even though the words are not exactly accurate. “John helps me with my taxes. He’s my accountant, so to speak.” “I just love my little poodle. she’s my baby, so to speak.”

How would you use “so to speak” in a sentence?

People sometimes use “so to speak” as just another conversational place-holder, like”that being said,” which is  often said by Michael, my boyfriend and house husband, so to speak.

Since I am a daily blogger and photographer, so to speak,  here are my pictures from yesterday, when I walked around my neighborhood, so to speak.

 

So to speak with my son, Aaron, who’s studying (so to speak) in Scotland, we use FaceTime on my phone, so to speak.

“So To Speak” is also a song that speaks to many people.

So to speak to me about this post, you can leave a comment below.

Thanks to all who helped me create this so-to-speak post and to you — of course! — no matter how you speak.

Day 1545: We’re exactly where we’re supposed to be

We’re exactly where we’re supposed to be, which is

• on earth,
• at my blog,
• accepting,
• close enough to water,
• breathing,
• alive,
• growing,
• searching,
• here,
• now, and
• looking at these pictures together.

We’re exactly where we’re supposed to be. We’re at that point in my daily post where I share some music.

Last night, when I was exactly where I was supposed to be, I heard a wonderful orchestral piece on Boston’s classical radio station.

That’s Debussy‘s La Mer (The Sea). The sea is exactly where I’m supposed to be today, looking at a home by the ocean.

We’re exactly where we’re supposed to be. We’re at the end of today’s post, where I express thanks to all who help me create this blog and to you — of course! — who are exactly where you’re supposed to be.

Day 1527: The Element of Surprise

Yesterday, at work, I was surprised to see this:

Oh my Gawwd!  I can’t believe that I’m still surprised by anything, after all the years and all the experiences I’ve been through.

Would it surprise you to know that I’ve been thinking and talking a lot about surprises lately?

For example, I am no longer surprised by actions and words from people that are completely consistent with what they’ve done and said before. There’s no element of surprise in my saying, over and over again, to anybody who will listen:

That’s just so-and-so being so-and-so.

I think I surprised somebody, yesterday, when he responded to my repeated request for help with, “That is SO low on my list of ….” and I pointed my finger at him and said, “Don’t finish that sentence!”

But that was just so-and-so being so-and-so.

Are there any elements of surprise in my other photos from yesterday?

There might be an element of surprise in my now posting my voice from a previous post, Day 811: Changing the Inner World.

I won’t be surprised if people are themselves in their comments, below.

Any element of surprise in my ending this post like so?

… to everyone who helps me create this blog and to you — of course! — for reading it.