In my Coping and Healing groups (which bring me joy), people have been talking about being overwhelmed by the news, fears about the future, loss, medical issues, grief, uncertainties, tasks, unknowns, obligations, other people, and possessions. Regarding the latter, several people have brought up Marie Kondo and her advice to keep only the things that bring you joy.
During these anxious and depressing times, it can be very difficult to focus on the things that bring us joy, but I’m doing my best to bring it, every moment.
Do any of my images today bring you joy?
No matter how I’m feeling, Joan definitely brings me joy (among other things).
Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “what brings you joy.”
I am grateful for all those that bring me joy, including YOU!
Yesterday, as I was balancing my needs with other people’s needs while working at home, I asked this question on Twitter:
The answers were balanced, and many people cited the Oxygen Mask Metaphor: you can’t effectively take care of other people’s needs if you ignore your own.
I continue to learn more about this balancing act for myself, as I witness other people struggling to balance their needs with others’.
What balancing needs do you see in my other images for today?
It’s might be challenging balancing the needs of fajita day with ice cream pie day, etc.
Here and now, I need to share a favorite tune from this CD I picked up on one of my balanced and needed walks yesterday:
How do you balance your needs with other people’s needs? You don’t need to reply, but I look forward to all the comments that will be balancing below.
As always, I need to express my gratitude to all who give me what I need to stay balanced blogging every day, including YOU.
It might seem fearless or even foolish of me to tell you to be fearless during these extremely fearful times, but I’m just passing on the advice of last night’s Yogi tea.
Let’s be fearless together and look at my other images for the day, all provided at the right time.
According to that video, we can become fearless by continually asking ourselves this question: Will this action improve the well-being of myself and those around me?
Considering that, I press the publish button with fearless gratitude.
I received this mission message yesterday on a bag of salty but relatively healthy snacks:
I didn’t read about their mission because I thought I was doing enough for their mission by buying and consuming their product. Also, I’m on vacation this week, so my mission is to relax, focus on self-care, and re-energize for my work as a group therapist during these difficult times.
So many people are asking me to join their mission these days, that I have to choose my missions wisely. For example, when I chose a birthday fundraiser on Facebook this year, I wasn’t sure which mission to join. There were so many worthy missions I considered, from racial justice, to environmental activism, to animal protection, and so on. I eventually joined the same mission I joined for my birthday fundraiser last year, Everytown for Gun Safety.
Join us on our mission to
improve the world, one step at a time,
focus on self-care, so you have the energy to engage,
accept all feelings,
set and maintain clear and healthy boundaries,
let go of worry, guilt, shame, and harsh judgment, and
observe and appreciate all you have.
Reply requested, and please listen to “Mission Impossible” while you consider choosing to accept the mission of joining us in the comments section, below.
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Join us on our mission to express gratitude and love, every day!
Despite my dealing with many urgent situations over the last two thousand, six hundred and seventy days (but who’s urgently counting?), I’ve never published a blog post with the title “Urgent” before.
Well, there’s no time like the present and these can seem like urgent times, although “urgent” is not an adjective I’ve heard about these times we’re living through together. I HAVE heard people describe these times as
challenging,
uncertain,
difficult,
strange,
weird,
anxious,
upsetting,
frightening,
scary,
terrifying,
troubling,
painful,
confusing,
unexpected,
unprecedented,
stressful,
crazy,
crazy-making, and
surreal.
Yesterday, during these challenging, uncertain, difficult, strange, etc. times, we brought our cat Oscar back to the Urgent Care Veterinary Center for a blood pressure test and to get medication. His situation didn’t seem urgent enough for an ultrasound of his digestive tract yesterday. However, if he ever throws up dried blood again, we’ll urgently schedule that test as soon as possible.
Anything urgent in my pictures from yesterday?
People in my Coping and Healing group yesterday talked about many topics — urgent and otherwise — including the anniversary tribute to Prince , which I had missed. So, after our trip to the Veterinary Urgent Care Center, Michael, Oscar, and I watched “Let’s Go Crazy: Grammy Prince Tribute” On Demand last night, including this performance posted on YouTube by BoDerekSmith:
Here’s an urgent performance of “Baby I’m A Star” by the original, one-and-only Prince.
What feels urgent to me, during times like these, is finding and sharing moments of joy with others.
It’s not urgent that you express your thoughts and feelings about this “Urgent” post in a comment; however, it’s definitely appreciated. Urgent and emergent thanks to all who help me create these blog posts, including YOU!
One thousand, two hundred, and twenty-seven days ago, when it was a different world, I published another blog post with today’s title. Now, more than ever, what the world needs now is love, sweet love.
Yesterday, people participating in the world of my online Coping and Healing groups shared that they enjoyed watching this video of Berklee students — alone but together — performing “What the World Needs Now.”
I really need that video and I need to share my new photos with the world, here and now:
Yesterday, I needed that delicious chicken dish, I needed Michael, I needed a walk outside, I needed the cats, and I needed to figure out how to make my new whiteboard work for my online groups.
What the world needs now is
love, sweet love,
any thoughts and feelings you choose to share in a comment, below. and
gratitude, so thanks to all who are showing love during these difficult times (including YOU).
Face it! I haven’t been able to go out into the world to collect new expressions of gratitude, so here are some old ones, which include a few nice faces:
Maybe people’s reactions to the coronavirus are demonstrating that human beings can actually change their behaviors and come together for the common good. That’s good news for our species and for the planet.
Do you see good news in any of today’s photos?
Please share whatever good news you can in the comments section, below. That would be good for all of us.
Gratitude is always good news, so thanks to all who help me share the news in this daily blog, including YOU.
The Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally 