Day 3214: What gives you hope?

Because hope is so important, I’ve written several posts about hope (see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here) since I started this Daily Blog in 2013.

Yesterday, I noticed hope at the Boston hospital where I work.

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And last night, I asked a question about hope on Twitter.

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Do my other images for today give you hope?

It gives me hope that the Daily Bitch and I have so much in common.

When I search for “what gives you hope?” on YouTube I find this,

… this,

… this,

… and this.

What gives you hope?

Kind people like you give me hope every day, so thanks for visiting my blog, here and now.

Day 3212: Records

Last night, I asked this question about records on Twitter:

I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but people share the most amazing thoughts and experiences when they feel safe enough to do so. I also tweeted about these records:

I might also break a record for posting the most photos of places and creatures I love in a blog.

I love imagining breaking the record for most pasta eaten on National Pasta Day.

Here’s the first 45 record I can remember playing over and over again on our record player when I was kid:

If you were to make it into the Guinness Book of Records, what record would you be breaking? For the record, any comment below will do.

Maybe I’ll break the record for most consecutive thank you’s ever expressed in a blog with this post!

Day 3207: Sports

Two notable and different sports events happened yesterday in Boston: (1) The Boston Marathon (usually held in April) and (2) the Red Sox, against all odds, defeating the Tampa Bay Rays to advance in the American baseball playoffs. Here’s some reporting from ESPN about the unlikely Red Sox win:

I never played sports because of my heart condition, but as somebody once said, “If you can’t play a sport, be a sport.” Can you see sports in my images for today, many of which I took while going for a three-hour walk yesterday?

Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “sports”:

Be a sport and leave a comment, okay?

If gathering and expressing gratitude were a sport, I’d be an elite athlete!

Day 2804: Mood for a Day

When I was young, my mood for a day seemed to depend on how the Boston Red Sox were doing. If my favorite baseball team won, I had a good mood for a day. If they lost, I had a bad mood for a day. Many other people have had their moods for a day affected by the Red Sox; I’m not the only one who has had “Red Sox bipolar disorder.”

These days, my mood for a day seems to depend on the state of the U.S. November election. If it looks like my candidates are going to win, my mood is good for a day; if it looks like they are going to lose, my mood for a day is bad. I’m sure I’m not alone in this kind of daily mood disorder, either.

There are other things that influence my mood for a day. Can you see any of them in my recent moody photos?

Our moody kitty Harley recently showed an unexpected mood for a day — Harley jumped up on the sofa between my camera-shy husband and moody me and rubbed his head against my hand. That definitely improved my mood for a day and more. Yesterday, in the midst of many moods for the day, I said to Michael: “Harley hanging out with us and asking me to pat him was THE BEST.”

Here‘s the musical inspiration for today’s post:

Here‘s Steve Howe from Yes showing moody guitarists how to play “Mood for a Day”:

Here‘s Steve Howe improving people’s mood for a day by playing “Clap” and “Mood for a Day” live:

What affects your mood for a day, these days?

My mood for a day can always be improved with gratitude, so thanks to all who help me create this mood-for-a-day blog and to all who visit, including YOU.

Day 2294: Many faces

Face it, I’ve written many blog posts about faces during these many year(s) of living non-judgmentally. I think and write so much about faces because our experiences of faces are vitally important to human beings as we develop and grow.

Yesterday, I was facing more thoughts about faces as I faced another day at work, where I  face a variety of expressive faces in individual and group therapy. I thought about faces I saw when I was young — loving faces, anxious faces, and angry faces — and how I tried to make sense of all the faces of human interaction.  I know that the loving faces helped me feel safe and secure, the anxious faces taught me to be cautious and careful, and the angry faces  eventually invited me to realize that people have a wide range of feelings.

As I thought about faces throughout the day, I noticed many faces around me.  What do you see in the faces in my photos?

 

 

What we see in faces is often influenced by what we saw in the faces of our childhood.  However, we can learn to see faces in new, more expansive, and less restrictive ways.

Here‘s “Ooh La La” from a Faces reunion concert:

 

As those Faces sing:  “I wish that I knew what I know now, when I was younger.”

I look forward to seeing all the faces in the comments section, below.

Thanks to the great faces who helped me face and create today’s blog post and — of course! — thanks to YOU.

 

 

Day 2131: Walk your way to creativity

Yesterday, as I was walking my way to lunch at work, I saw this sign:

As you walk your way through this post, how many photos have to do with walks, shoes, feet, legs, or creativity?

Happy Halloween!  Congratulations Red Sox!  Damage Done!

Just make sure you walk your way to vote in the mid-term elections, USA, and undo some damage.

I’m going to walk my way over to YouTube  and see what I find.

The Dropkick Murphys rode and played in the Boston Red Sox World Series Victory Parade yesterday, probably in this:

Here are Dropkick Murphys playing “Tessie.”

Please walk your way to creativity in the comments section, below.

Now it’s time for me to walk my way to gratitude for all who helped me create today’s post and — of course! — for YOU.

Day 2126: I care

I care to start today’s post with links to past caring posts, including Day 2091: Open with care, Day 1809: Caregivers,  Day 1467: Why should anybody care about me?, Day 1279: Care,  Day 1233: Take Care, Day 672: Care, Day 578: I don’t care, and Day 195: Self care, wisdom, kindness.

I care to share this recent exchange with somebody I care about:

Me: I wonder why I’m so anxious?

Caring friend: Because you care.

Last week, I cared to apologize to a health insurance reviewer whom I had yelled at. He replied, with care: “You care about your patient.”

I care to share my photos from yesterday.

I care to caution all those who care: Warning! If you care, make sure you practice self care.

Here‘s “I Care” by Beyonce.

Today, I care to host a retreat for other group therapists who care .  Because I care about the Red Sox, I didn’t get much sleep last night.

I care about your comments and will read them after today’s group therapy retreat.

I care to end every post with thanks to all who help me create these blog posts with care and — of course! — to you, for caring.

Day 2124: Space

Do I have space, here and now,  to say what I want to about space? Will I space out and repeat what I’ve already written about space in Day 1648: Personal Space,  Day 1166: Take up space!!, Day 871: What’s taking up space in your head?, Day 838: It fills the space, Day 459: Time and Space, and Day 460: Time and space continued?

I do have the space to explain what inspired today’s title.

My phone has space for that ukulele app and I have space to tell you that, six months ago, I never thought I would need or have a ukulele space.  There was space in my life for a ukulele, even though I never imagined a ukulele in my space.

What am I trying to say in this space? Something that somebody had the space to say in a therapy group yesterday: “You never know.” I have the space to say that a different way: “Expect the unexpected.”

There’s space for my other photos from yesterday.

Forget trying to find a parking space near Fenway Park yesterday.

There’s always space for puns here at The Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally.

One of my patients had the space yesterday to recommend that children’s book about mindfulness.

There’s space where I work for that painted mural. Yesterday’s blog space included this photo:

My boyfriend Michael and I often occupy space in pet stores.

I’m sorry, we don’t have space for a trendy house for Oscar or Harley.

Is there space for my photos of cupcakes?

Last night, Michael fixed the TV — which takes up a lot of space —  with a new lamp, which fit perfectly into its space.

Then, I had the space to drink tea, eat cake, and watch the second game of the World Series.

As always, there’s space for great music here.

There’s space for me to repeat this photo to ask for comments …

… and to express thanks to all who helped me create another post in this space and — of course! — to YOU.

Day 2117: Unprepared

I often feel unprepared, so I was unprepared to see this on a white board yesterday:

I erased “unprepared …” to prepare the board for the topics raised by the members of the Wednesday morning therapy group:

Are you unprepared or prepared for television, the paranormal, travel, gratitude, hope, sleep, pain, noise, too much, too little, what’s going on, advertising, commercials, cold weather, fortune telling, preferences, traffic, reasons, relatives, pros, cons, expectations, art, self care, care of others, falling, keeping people in check, the news, banks, food, nourishment, referendums, cars, healing, what people say, what people don’t say, work, tests, the hospital, where you are, tears, laughter, psychics, the future, the past,  or the present?

Unprepared for my other photos from yesterday?

Are you unprepared for fall, for a cinnamon fig latte, or for seeing a duck in the clouds? What are you unprepared for, here and now?

I am prepared to say that when I am unprepared, I fake it until I make it.

I was unprepared to stay up this late on a Wednesday night, but the fourth Boston Red Sox/Houston Astros Playoff game is still going on at 1:09 AM.

I was also unprepared for Andrew Benintendi’s spectacular game-ending catch that preserved the win for the Red Sox.

Does this YouTube video show an Unprepared Psychic, as advertised?

Here‘s Another Song Called “Anthem” by UnPrepared:

Are you prepared to sing or say that “tomorrow will be better” like UnPrepared does there?

Even if you feel unprepared, consider leaving a comment.

As always, I am prepared to express thanks to all who helped me create this post and to you — of course! — for reading it.

Day 1999: Presidential

What does “presidential” mean to you?

Here’s an online definition:

pres·i·den·tial
ˌprezəˈden(t)SH(ə)l
adjective
relating to a president or presidency.
“the French presidential election”
having a bearing or demeanor befitting a president; dignified and confident.
“America wants a president who looks presidential”

Do you believe that America wants a president who looks presidential?

This president-elect of a group psychotherapy organization needs a presidential photo.

 

Which of those looks the most presidential to you?

Are any of the following photos (taken by a soon-to-be-president) dignified. confident, or otherwise presidential?

This month’s big presidential question IS where do we go from here?

This president-elect is going from here to Chicago today, for a gathering of other group psychotherapy presidents. Here is Chicago asking “Where Do We Go from Here?”

Presidential thanks to all who helped me create this presidential post and — of course! — to YOU.