Day 2594: People you’re stuck with

Yesterday I stuck this up on my white board at work:

We then made a list of people we were stuck with, including  family members, co-workers, neighbors, and the current President of the United States.

Who are the people you’re stuck with?  How do you deal with them?

Does it help to know that

• you’re not alone being stuck with people?
• you can try to limit your contact with the challenging people you’re stuck with?
• those people are stuck with difficult people too?
• you can focus on self-love and self-care even when you’re stuck with people?

Now you’re stuck with my other photos from yesterday.

I don’t mind being stuck with my husband Michael, who sticks healthy and delicious meals on our plates.

I also don’t mind being stuck in traffic listening to Bernadette Peters singing “Some People” from Gypsy:

Now I’m hoping some people stick some comments, below, about this “People You’re Stuck With” post.

Thanks for sticking with me, people, through so much!

Day 1998: Good

It’s good that I noticed that my first two photos from yesterday have good in them.

Do you see the good there, my good people?  Do you see the good in other people? Do you see more good than bad?

I guess I see more good than bad:   I’ve written 41 posts here with the word “Good” in the title (starting with Day 3: The Fear of Feeling Too Good) and I’ve written 14 posts with the word “Bad” in the title (starting with Day 263: Bad Day/Good Day, which has good in it, too).

Do you see the good in the other photos here?

A good friend texted me that good drawing, above, with this good caption: “Got your back.”

Last night, at a good board meeting, I sang a small portion of this very good song from Into the Woods,  in memory of our very good friend, Michelle.

The good lyrics I sang were these:

Sometimes people leave you

Halfway through the wood.

Do not let it grieve you

No one leaves for good.

You are not alone.  No one is alone.

It’s always good to end with thanks.  Thanks to all who help me create all my good posts, including this one, and to you — of course! — for being good enough to be here, now.

 

Day 1728: Not a day goes by

Not a day goes by that I’m not

• grateful,
• worried,
• happy,
• sad,
• satisfied,
• disappointed,
• nourished,
• nourishing,
• trying my best to be in the moment,
• letting go of judgment,
• blogging, and
• taking photos.

 

 

 

Not a day goes by that I’m not amazed how many wonderful people have unusual hearts (like my new friend Annie, with me, above).

Not a day goes by that I’m not hearing a Stephen Sondheim song in my head, like this one from “Merrily We Roll Along.”

Not a day goes by that I’m not eager to hear people’s different perspectives, in blog comments and elsewhere.

As I stated at the beginning of this post, not a day goes by that I’m not grateful — for all those who help me create these posts and YOU.

Day 1718: Spend time with people you love

Yesterday, I found out that two people I love will be leaving earlier than I wish. I’m resolving to spend as much time as possible with them whenever we can.

I often think of this line from Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods:

Sometimes people leave you halfway through the wood

because that’s inevitable, isn’t it?  Here are other  lines from that song:

Hard to see the light now

Just don’t let it go.

Things will come out right now

We can make it so.

Here‘s that song performed by Bernadette Peters, whom I love:

 

Let’s spend time with the photos I took yesterday.

 

 

Krystle Campbell left us too soon. Again, I resolve to spend time with people I love.

As always, I appreciate spending time with people I love on WordPress. Thanks to all who helped me create this post and to you — of course! — for visiting, here and now.

 

Day 1538: Location, location, location

“Location, location, location” is something people say in the real estate biz.

“Location, location, location” is the answer to the question

What’s important to consider when you’re buying a property?

“Location, location, location” is something I said, yesterday, in the location of my office on what I call “the busiest street in America.”

“Location, location, location” was a topic in a therapy, therapy, therapy  group, yesterday.

The location, location, location of these photos are (1) on my iPhone, (2) in my blog, and (3) now appearing on a screen near you.

The location, location, location for banana peels was that trash receptacle in the Tufts Medical Center garage.

The location, location, location for that sign was a wall of Tufts Medical Center, where I went to get my INR blood levels tested yesterday morning.  In the location, location, location of the United States it’s been difficult, difficult, difficult lately to separate myth from fact, but the fact is that my INR levels were in the perfect location, location, location yesterday.

 

The location, location, location for defibrillators include (1)  the wall of Tufts Medical Center, (2) many places where people might need to be resuscitated, and (3)   my body.

The  location, location, location of that snow, snow, snow is near Fenway Park, Boston, USA.

The location, location, location of that white board is in my office, where I do individual therapy, group therapy, and crisis intervention. Note all the location, location, locations on that board, including Ithaca, the woods, and the suburbs.

Those are two important location, location, locations for me — the ocean and the busiest street in America.

The location, location, location of that amazing St. Patrick’s Day hat is on Anthony’s head.

The location, location, location of that sign is in the fax room at work.

The location, location, location of those gel letters is outside the nurses, nurses, nurses office where I work.

The location, location, location of that helpful, helpful, helpful saying is the white board in my office.

The location, location, location of that caterpillar roll was on my plate, at Genki Ya, our favorite Sushi Restaurant.

The location, location, location for that St. Patrick’s Day cake was Whole Foods Market.

The location, location, location of that saying was on a Yogi tea bag, in my mug, at home.

Since one of the location, location, locations on my white board yesterday was the woods, here‘s my favorite, favorite, favorite song from Into the Woods.

Please, please, please leave a comment in the location, location, location below.

The location, location, location of my gratitude for you, you, and you is always, always, always at the bottom of my posts.

 

Day 247: No one is alone

For your reading (and perhaps listening) pleasure, here are some random thoughts, on a morning when I’m feeling overwhelmed.

Three things that tend to overwhelm me:

1. The possibility that I may have broken some rule  (including unwritten, mysterious, or ambiguous ones).
2. People giving me new responsibilities without checking with me first.
3. People not getting back to me when I ask for something.

Three things to help reduce my feelings of being overwhelmed:

1. Belief in “good” magic, like a Cloak of Safety that my friend Jeanette gave me on Monday which “includes a ‘can do no wrong’ clause for the next 30 days.”
2. Letting people know I’m overwhelmed. (Extra credit: setting some limits.)
3. A really great song, with lyrics that are meaningful to me. There are a lot of great songs to choose from, but I’ll go with the one that came to me when I woke up this morning. I’ll start with the lyrics:

Mother cannot guide you,
Now you’re on your own.
Only me beside you,
Still, you’re not alone.
No one is alone, truly.
No one is alone.

Sometimes people leave you
halfway through the wood.
Others may deceive you.
You decide what’s good.
You decide alone.
But no one is alone.

Mother isn’t here now.
Who knows what she’d say?
Nothing’s quite so clear now,
Feel you’ve lost your way?
You are not alone. No one is alone.

You move just a finger,
Say the slightest word,
Something’s bound to linger,
Be heard.
No one acts alone.
Careful, no one is alone

People make mistakes.
Fathers, Mothers,
People make mistakes,
Holding to their own,
Thinking they’re alone.

Honor their mistakes,
Everybody makes.
Terrible mistakes.
Witches can be right,
Giants can be good.
You decide what’s right,
You decide what’s good.

Just remember:
Someone is on your side.
Someone else is not.
While we’re seeing our side
Maybe we forgot,
They are not alone.
No one is alone.

Hard to see the light now,
Just don’t let it go.
Things will come out right now,
We can make it so.
Someone is on your side,
No one is alone.

Here’s a wonderful rendition of this song:

Thanks so much to Stephen Sondheim, “Into The Woods,” Bernadette Peters,  good magic, good friends, and to you, for reading and listening today.