Day 3798: Nothing To Fear

Today is Nothing to Fear Day!

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Do you see anything to fear in this blog on Nothing to Fear Day?

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There’s nothing to fear about people’s anger, envy, or bitchiness, which is like cellophane tape. It’s sticky, but you can always peel it off.

Here’s what I find when I search for “nothing to fear.”

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There is nothing to fear about watching another video on Nothing to Fear Day.

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I have nothing to fear about that 5-second fear-killing technique, so 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Day 3772: Friends

Yesterday, as I prepared for an adventure down the Rhine River with friends (which starts tomorrow!), I noticed friends all around me. Do you see friends in my images for today?

On National Honesty Day, I can honestly say that (1) I love my friends and (2) I wonder if any of my friends know what Spank Out Day and Walpurgis Night are all about, because I don’t.

In any case, I will be flying out on Walpurgis Night with a friend to meet more friends on a boat tomorrow. I feel sad about the friends I am leaving behind but I know I’ll be connecting with friends here throughout the trip.

Here‘s what I find on YouTube when I search for friends:

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Thanks to all my friends, including YOU!

Day 3753: Huggable

Last night, after I unexpectedly saw a huggable animal at the end of a difficult day at work, I asked this question on Twitter:

I didn’t hug that huggable kitty who was lounging on the top of a car in the lot where I had parked for my hectic and challenging day at the hospital. However, hanging out with that cat helped me feel more huggable.

I don’t know why human beings often feel less huggable when we are stressed out or in emotional distress — the very times when we would benefit greatly from hugs.

I do know that when I got home from work I asked my husband Michael for a hug, which helped me feel more huggable.

Do you see anything huggable in my other images for today?

No matter how you feel about lawyers, there are many huggable things on that list today, including “Louie Louie” which inspired my huggable son when he was a very huggable 12 year old.

Thanks to all the huggable creatures who help me blog every day, including YOU!

Day 3751: What matters most

As I’m thinking about what matters most, I’m noticing that two of my images for today coincidentally address what matters most.

What matters most may be different for different people, but what matters most is that there’s room for differences and opportunities for people to work together for what matters most.

Do you see what matters most in my other images for today?

What matters most is letting those we love know how much they matter, so Happy Birthday, Jeanette, and healing wishes to our mutual friend, Janet!

What matters most is knowing we’re not alone and that’s why I wrote my song “Triggers.”

What matters most at the end of every blog post is thanking all who matter to me, including YOU!

Day 3617: Listening

Yesterday, on the National Day of Listening, I asked a question about listening on Twitter.

There are many things besides Joan I love listening to; can you see any of them in my images for today?

Listening to the Daily Bitch calendar, I’m thinking that for many years I WAS the youngest, baddest bitch in cardiology clinics; these days, not so much.

I love listening to the Daily Bitch calendar, the ocean, animals, the sounds of change, jokes, good advice, and — especially! — people I love, like my friend Jeanette, who was visiting yesterday from D.C.

Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “listening.”

I feel better after listening to that.

Thanks to all who are listening, including YOU!

Day 3551: Ruminating

Here and now, I’m ruminating about

• my health, after I had a TIA last week on vacation,
• my anticoagulant medication,
• travel insurance,
• my dental appointment today,
• those aspects of my job I really dislike doing,
• our upstairs bathroom, which has been out of commission for over a year because of water damage,
• the change of seasons from warmer to colder,
• the USA midterm November elections,
• the death of Queen Elizabeth,
• pain and suffering in the world, and
• things I cannot control.

I guess it makes sense that I’m ruminating over things I can’t control, because otherwise I could friggin’ do something about them!

When I am ruminating, it helps to identify a simple next step I can take (including sharing my thoughts so I’m not alone with them).

Do you see ruminating in my images for today?

I was also ruminating about getting good tickets on National New York day for a new NYC production of the Sondheim musical Merrily We Roll Along, but tickets actually don’t go on sale until October.

Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “ruminating.”

I also find this …

… and this:

I look forward to ruminating on your comments about this Ruminating post.

Thanks to all who know something about ruminating, including YOU!

Day 3534: What’s going on?

Yesterday, as I was trying to figure out what’s going on in the world, I saw this at a local college:

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Let’s see what’s going on in my other images for today.

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In case you forgot the title of today’s post, here’s “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye.

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What’s going on here, now, is gratitude for all of you.

Day 3520: How to cheer yourself up

In general, cheer yourself up by

• letting go of fears and worries about the future,
• letting go of regrets about the past by realizing you were doing the best you could at the time,
• focusing on your blessings, and
• celebrating whatever and whenever you can.

Yesterday, I cheered myself up by

• going for a long walk,
• returning some newly bought luggage I didn’t need,
• starting to pack for my upcoming trip to Florida and Georgia,
• treating myself and my husband Michael (whose birthday is today!) to a nice dinner,
• focusing my thoughts on those I love,
• realizing I don’t need a psychic to know what my late mother wanted to tell me before she died,
• appreciating a new wrinkle on my face as proof that I’ve survived much longer than expected,
• listening to wonderful music, and
• capturing these images for you and me.

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I’m cheering myself up, here and now, by

• realizing I can embrace my most beautiful self without a Brazilian Blowout,
• celebrating that I’m a senior citizen, and
• sharing “Hanging Around with You” by Uncle Mike Johnson.

How to cheer yourself up also includes sharing with others (in the comments section below) (hint, hint) and expressing gratitude for those you appreciate, every day.

Day 3512: Showing up

If you’ve been showing up for this blog for years, you might remember I’ve learned that the secret of life is three things:

1. Show up.
2. Be gentle (with others and yourself).
3. Tell the truth.

That simple wisdom keeps showing up for me. Now, let’s see what images are showing up on my iPhone.

Those National Days will be showing up on Twitter soon, posted by this left hander.

Here’s a song that was showing up for me on my walk yesterday:

Here’s another version showing up on YouTube:

Thanks to all strangers and friends showing up here and now, including YOU.

Day 3474: Could haves and should haves

I could have named this blog post differently but I didn’t. I should have enough experience after blogging daily for almost 10 years to know that the title doesn’t make or break a post.

I could have written a different opening paragraph, but that one is good enough.

Yesterday, in a therapy group, I told people that today was National Toss Away the “Could Haves” and “Should Haves” Day. I could have said more but I didn’t need to, because we often talk about tossing away unhelpful thoughts in order to live more in the moment.

Do you see any “could haves” or “should haves” in my images for today?

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I could have gotten my first dog last year but instead I chose to adopt Joan. No regrets.

This is what I find on YouTube when I search for “could haves and should haves.”

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I could and should express gratitude to all those who help me blog every day, including YOU!