Do you see examples of learning the hard way in today’s images?
We seem to be learning the hard way about gun violence and common sense gun laws in the USA.
There is some learning the hard way in “The Gun Song” from Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins.
Thanks to all who helped me create this “Learning the Hard Way” post, as we all keep learning the hard way together.
People are often looking for the answer. In order to know what the answer is, we probably need to know what the question is.
Is the answer in today’s Daily Bitch calendar?
Is the answer on Twitter?
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Is the answer in the photos I took yesterday?
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Is the answer in the video featured in this tweet?
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Is the answer in other videos posted by The Dodo, like this one …
… or this one?
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Is the answer in the comments section, below?
Is the answer in expressing gratitude, here and now?
In my Coping and Healing groups yesterday, we talked about not freaking out.
I wrote and shared a poem:
I am also not freaking out by capturing and sharing images.
As I asked on Twitter this morning, who’s freaking out? And if you’re not freaking out, how are you doing that?
I’m not freaking out by blogging and expressing gratitude here, every day.
Well, faithful blog readers, today is my 68th birthday and the best gift for me is that we’re all still here.
I am celebrating this incredible feat of mutual survival, here and now, by sharing my latest images.
The Daily Bitch Calendar does it again, because later today Michael and I (and maybe Mr. Harley) will be dancing.
I just searched “Happy birthday Groundhog Day” and found this from a few years back in Punxsutawney:
Thanks to all who help me celebrate this day and every day, including YOU.
Because I’m a psychotherapist, I focus on what people are feeling. These days, people are feeling a lot of different feelings.
Some people are feeling better.
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Some people are feeling overwhelmed.
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Some people are feeling theoretical.
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Some people are feeling joyful.
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Some people are feeling scared.
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Some people are feeling the Bern.
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Some people are feeling minor losses.
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Many people are feeling major losses.
Some people are feeling nostalgic for the past.
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Some people are feeling inquisitive and playful.
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Some people are feeling bananas.
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Some people are feeling hungry.
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Some people are feeling happy.
I live with heart and my heart tells me that all people’s feelings are okay, even the ones we judge and sometimes disown, like anger, fear, and sadness.
This is what I find on YouTube when I search for “How People are Feeling.”
As I often ask in my therapy groups, “What are people feeling?”
As usual, I am feeling gratitude, so thanks to all the people with feelings who helped me create today’s post, including YOU!
I believe that, after years of wounds, cruelty, injustice, and outrageous actions, my country may start healing today.
Let the healing begin.
Do you see any healing beginning in my latest images?
Let the healing begin in this memorial to COVID-19 victims from my nation’s Capitol, last night.
Let the healing begin in the comments section, below.
Thanks to all who let the healing begin, including YOU.
Am I alone in trying to figure out where things are?
Where are things in my most recent images?
Because of where things are in my country, I’m considering hiding under the car.
Where did I find “Where the Wild Things Are”?
Where do you think things are, here and now?
No matter where things are, I am grateful for you, exactly where you are.
Because I’m mad about so many things right now, I’m going to perform “I’m Mad About You” — which I wrote when I was mad about the last U.S. Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings — at a remote Open Mic this Friday, October 16, 7 PM – 9 PM, EDT.
Because I’m mad about/in love with sharing my performances, here’s the link to sign up to attend that Open Mic:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040b4eadaa23a2f49-jamn13
You might be mad about missing your chance to see and hear “I’m Mad About You” unless you sign up by this Thursday.
Are you mad about any of my photos from yesterday?
If you’re mad about anything, VOTE!!!
I’m mad about how this photos has the word RIP in it …
… which I did.
Here‘s my performance of “I’m Mad About You” at the Jam’n Java Open Mic two years ago, on NOVEMBER 3.
Please express what you’re mad about in a comment, below.
I’m mad about collecting and expressing gratitude, so thanks to all who help me blog about all the things I’m mad about, including YOU!
I’m aware that I’ve already written posts about the difference between worry and planning, but I’m not worried about that. I’m also aware that despite my belief that worry never helps (an awareness I often share, here and elsewhere), I still worry. For example, I’m aware that I’m worrying about the upcoming USA Presidential election and I’m aware that the worry affects me, every day.
You might be aware that I’ve already shared this photo about the difference between awareness and worry.
I’m aware that my writing might be difficult to read, above, and I’m worried that I might not be able to translate that into a nice table here.
AWARENESS WORRY
Present in the moment Future oriented
Calmness Tenseness
Certainty Uncertainty
Nothing needs to happen Something needs to be resolved
Helps Doesn’t help
My awareness tells me that table is not perfect, but I’m deciding not to worry about that. Awareness of my own worry allows me to let go of it, every moment.
Do you see awareness and/or worry in these other recent photos?
I’m aware of the time, so here is “Aware of Your Love” by Carl Dawkins:
Is there awareness, out there, of how grateful I am for every day?
What’s your first guess about why today’s post is titled “First guess, best guess”? Let’s find out if it’s the best guess.
Since the first day I met my best friend/husband Michael, he’s been saying, “First guess, best guess.”
One of my other best friends wrote to me the other day, when I felt insecure about how I had run a board meeting: “I’m not sure 2nd guessing is helpful.”
Is it your first guess, best guess that both those pieces of advice — “First guess, best guess” and “I’m not sure 2nd guessing is helpful” — mean the same thing?
I love guessing and I don’t stop with my first guess. If I DID stop with my first guess, our ailing and adorable cat Oscar would not be alive today. Also, Michael’s first guess was that the Social Security office had his correct birthday on file and they did NOT. My next guess about filing our taxes is that we’ll have to do that by mail, which is not exactly a catastrophe (although my first guess — when the IRS rejected our e-filing this weekend because Michael’s birthday on the form did not match Social Security’s record — was that it WAS a catastrophe).
Catastrophizing is a common cognitive distortion (which we talk about in my Coping and Healing groups) where our first guess is that a catastrophe is imminent, even though it isn’t.
Since catastrophizing is a first guess, not best guess, I’m now guessing that “first guess, best guess” is not always best.
However, my first guess about Michael, when I first met him on okCupid, was that he was a wonderful person I wanted in my life. I’ve had similar first guess, best guesses about other people, including the other best friend I quoted above.
My best guess about guesses, here and now, is that it’s best to trust our intuition AND also be open to new evidence that comes along.
What’s your first guess, best guess about what’s next in this blog post?
If you guessed photos, your first guess was the best!
In today’s Daily Bitch Calendar, auto-correct’s first guess was not the best guess.
This is the first song I heard by The Guess Who, which I think is their best:
My first guess was that the title of that song was “She’s Come Undone” but my best guess is that it is “Undun.”
My first guess, best guess is that there will be great comments about today’s post.
First guess, best guess, constant guess is to express gratitude every day.
