Day 2801: Tell about something beautiful

I want to tell about something beautiful that happened yesterday, when I went to a doctor’s appointment at one Boston hospital and then went to another Boston hospital for the first time since February to retrieve some beautiful items from my office and to see some beautiful co-workers.   The main beautiful item I wanted to retrieve from my office was a collection of beautiful questions a beautiful person had put together for my Coping and Healing groups. After I got back to my beautiful home, I realized that the beautiful bag I had placed my beautiful items in had a big, beautiful hole in it, and that beautiful  collection of questions was gone.

Then, I had a beautiful decision to make: should I take up more time during my beautiful vacation to look for those beautiful questions or just beautifully accept that my time with them was over?

I called the beautiful Lost and Found department of the big beautiful hospital, remembering that I had lost several beautiful items over the years (including my favorite beautiful red jacket) that had never been found.  I struggled to come up with a beautiful description of the lost item: “It’s a collection of small rectangles with questions on them, held together with a silver ring.”  The beautiful person on the phone said, “Wait a minute” and then returned with this answer, “Nothing like that has been turned in.” I asked, “Should I call again tomorrow?” and the beautiful person said, “Sure.”

Then, I spent more beautiful minutes trying to decide what to do next.  I really didn’t want to get back into my beautiful car and drive in lots of beautiful traffic to retrace my steps.  My beautiful husband could tell that I was very sad that I had lost those beautiful questions.  He said, “Maybe it will turn up.”  I told my beautiful son, who was ready to go on a beautiful walk with me, “I’m going back to try to find what I lost.”

When I got into my beautiful car, I realized that my beautiful Scream mask was also missing. I had put that beautiful mask in the beautiful bag with the big beautiful hole when beautiful people at the beautiful hospitals had told me I needed to wear the beautiful masks they were providing to their beautiful patients to keep them beautifully safe during this very unbeautiful pandemic.

When I parked my beautiful yellow car in the same beautiful place near a beautiful church in beautiful Brookline, Massachusetts, I saw my beautiful Scream mask on the ground, almost immediately.  Then, I had beautiful hopes that I would find my beautiful collection of beautiful questions.

I retraced my steps with beautiful accuracy, looking everywhere for the collection of beautiful questions.  I went back to the beautiful hospital where I work, returned to my beautiful office, took more beautiful photos, retrieved more beautiful items from my office, and met more beautiful co-workers. I talked to several beautiful people who I thought might be able to help me in my beautiful search,  trying to share more beautiful descriptions of what I had lost.  At one point, I said, “It’s a ring – no, not a jewelry ring, but a big silver ring holding together rectangles that have questions on them.”  Everybody tried their beautiful best to understand my stumbling attempts to describe what I had lost, but nobody had seen or could find my beautiful questions.  Knowing I had searched everywhere, I decided that some beautiful person had probably picked up the questions and might put them to beautiful use.

On my beautiful walk back to my beautiful car, I had beautiful thoughts about how we all deal with loss.  Then, much to my beautiful surprise, I saw what I was seeking, as plain as the beautiful day, lying on a beautiful spot on the beautiful sidewalk where lots of beautiful people were walking.  I knew that it had NOT been there when I had walked by that same beautiful spot before. I picked up the Lost and Found item with beautiful speed, placed it on a beautiful wall, and took this beautiful photo:

I am doing my beautiful best to follow the beautiful directions on that beautiful card: “Tell about something beautiful.”

My beautiful readers might notice that my description of the lost item was beautifully imperfect.

Ready to see my other beautiful photos from my beautiful day?  Brace your beautiful self— there’s about a hundred of them.

If you want to expand any of those beautiful pictures, like this one …

… or this one ….

… or this one …

… or this one ….

… or this one …

… or  this one …

… or this one …

… just give it a beautiful click.

What beautiful song should I share in this beautiful moment?

Here‘s “Something Beautiful” performed by Trombone Shorty with Lenny Kravtiz.

Tell about something beautiful, if you choose, in the comments section below.

Thanks to all who help me tell about something beautiful every day, including YOU.

Day 2790: Time

Yesterday, many people in one of my Coping and Healing groups spent time talking about time.

Do I have time today to tell you more about that discussion of time and/or to list all the times I’ve used the word “time” in previous blog post titles?

Maybe I have time for one of those, before it’s time to start my last work day before my timely vacation time.

Day 82: The Equal Time Rule

Day 179: Wasting Time

Day 224: Reasons why I shouldn’t spend too much time in our hotel room blogging this morning

Day 433: Changes in time

Day 459: Time and Space

Day 460: Time and space continued

Day 552: It’s time to relax

Day 556: Magic Time

Day 576: No Absolute Time

Day 601: Out of time

Day 673: Let’s Move/Time of the Season

Day 684: Down time

Day 712: TIME

Day 863: I haven’t got time for …

Day 939: Time Machines

Day 964: Who has the time?

Day 983: What I Haven’t Got Time For

Day 993: Equal Time

Day 998: Last Time

Day 1048: Time Stops

Day 1130: Time

Day 1326: Perfection is a matter of time

Day 1343: Face Time

Day 1434: Face Time

Day 1526: A Window in Time

Day 1587: All kinds of time

Day 1685: Together again for the first time

Day 1718: Spend time with people you love

Day 1916: Time Matzahs On

Day 2188: I’m very aware of the passage of time

Day 2240: Take time to reflect

Day 2328: Where would you go in a time machine?

Day 2421: Together again for the first time

Day 2456: Time’s a-wastin’

Day 2496: It’s that time of the year

Day 2500: It’s My Least Favorite Time of the Year

Day 2534: What time is it?

Day 2662: One Day at a Time

Day 2663: One Moment at a Time

Day 2772: The same time

Wow!  I have spent a lot of time blogging about time, B.C. (Before Covid) and D.C. (During Covid).

If you have time to read only one of those blog posts with “time” in the title, which one would you choose and why? I hope you have time to read and to reply.

Do you see time in the images I’ve captured in recent times?

It’s time to celebrate my husband Michael’s birthday and to reprise Jean-Luc Ponty‘s “No Absolute Time.”

The first time I heard Jean Luc Ponty was in the 1970’s,  which was a loooooong time ago.

No matter how much time I have, there is always time for gratitude, so thanks to all who help me create these posts every time, including YOU.

Day 2778: Scream

Last week, I asked people in a socially-distanced Coping and Healing group if they wanted to scream.  Some said they did want to scream, but nobody screamed in group.  When people are angry and frustrated, I sometimes suggest that they scream

• together,
• alone,
• into a pillow,
• in their cars,
• along to music, or
• other ways that work for them.

Yesterday,  I almost screamed with joy when this long-awaited mask arrived in the mail:

I wore the Scream mask yesterday when we shopped at a local Whole Foods Market (which my friend Jenn calls “Whole Paycheck”). The week before, I wanted to scream at our local Stop & Shop because a shopper was walking around with no mask, unchallenged, and several employees (INCLUDING A STORE MANAGER!) had their noses hanging out of their masks.  I might scream about that to our local Board of Health.

Do you see anything in these other photos from yesterday that makes you want to scream?

IF YOU WANT TO ENLARGE ANY OF THOSE PHOTOS, PLEASE CLICK ON IT!

Here’s another photo from Whole Foods:

People who party together these days without obeying social distancing make me want to SCREAM!

During the month of August, people usually scream with laughter at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, but not this year (which is screamingly apparent in this video by Laurie Black):

Here’s how Laurie Black introduces that video on YouTube:

This is Laurie Black, reporting from Edinburgh. Scenes on the ground here are unheard of – the streets are empty, shutters down, the silent discos are actually silent, and pipers are wearing facemasks… For the first time in 73 years, Edinburgh will *not* be welcoming performers and audiences from around the world, for 25 days in 300+ venues. That doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy and support the arts – get involved at https://crowdfund.edfringe.com/fringe… and make an effort to look up some of your favourite Fringe artists and venues; follow them on social media; buy their merch; donate to their crowdfunder pages; and tune into their live-streamed performances. The show isn’t over, it’s just a dark day. See you in 2021!

Here‘s a video from my Edinburgh Fringe show last year:

Feel free to scream about anything you choose in the comments section, below.

Thanks for following and supporting one of your favourite Fringe artists here.

 

Day 2515: 3 steps for perfect results

Yesterday, while I was taking non-perfect steps to leave the house and go to work, I noticed this:

1. I stopped.
2. I took a picture.
3. I thought, “That’s the title for tomorrow’s blog!”

After I took many more steps to get to my office, this was the perfect-enough result:

1. Show up.
2. Be gentle.
3. Tell the truth.

Those are 3 steps we can all take for great results.

I shall now take steps to share my other photos from yesterday.

1. I love my work.
2. I love my son.
3. I love all 3 versions of this song (here, here, and here).

1. Don’t you worry about a thing.
2. Leave a comment, if you like.
3. Accept my thanks to all who help me take steps to create this daily blog, including YOU.

Day 2483: What we’re holding

Yesterday, one of my friends who works where I park my car on weekdays took my ukulele and posed while holding it, like so:

That’s the topic of my next blog post, I thought — What we’re holding.  So I held my iPhone while I took photos of what others were holding, throughout the day.

All day, I was holding  sadness and concern for a beloved group therapist and teacher with a serious illness.  What I didn’t know, while I was holding that card, was that she had already passed away.

What we’re holding — even if we don’t show it — includes loss, love, pain, and so much more.

Whatever you’re holding now,  dear reader, feel free to share it in a comment below.

As always, I’m holding so much gratitude for you.

Day 2413: This & That

I’m on vacation this week & next!

During my vacation I’ll be

• staying at home & traveling overseas,
• taking Oscar & Harley to the vet,
• seeing a lawyer & changing my will,
• attending the Edinburgh Fringe Festival & performing there,
• doing this & doing that.

I noticed this & that yesterday:

 

 

The Stop & Shop and this & that appear in this song by Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers:

 

When I feel great, I fear that something bad will follow. Good things & bad things happen, but not necessarily in that order.

 

Last night, when I was feeling great about this week & next, that crown fell off.  My dentist — who is wonderful & enjoying a much earned vacation in Florida — reassured me & texted another dentist at Beacon Hill Dental Associates.  On Tuesday, I’ll take the cats to the vet & see that dentist.

Are you reading & commenting today?

Thanks & more thanks to all who helped me create today’s post & to you (including my wonderful dentist!) for reading, here & now.

Day 2361: Resilience

Even though I’ve had the resilience to create this daily blog for two thousand, three hundred, and ninety-seven days, today is the first time I’ve had the resilience to create a post with that title.

When I search through my blogging past for “resilience,” WordPress has the resilience to return these four posts …

Day 2369: Celebrating

Day  1754: I can’t get over it

Day 1710: Rage

Day 306: Parade day!!!!

If you have the resilience to read any of those past posts, let me know why you think WordPress chose those  to represent resilience.

Today, I need the resilience to

• facilitate a large Coping and Healing group at work,
• drive around to pick up balloons and a gelato cake,
• preside over the  board meeting of a group therapy professional organization, and
• say goodbye to four departing board members.

Do you see resilience in any of today’s photos?

 

Here‘s “Resilience” by Carson.

Here’s “Epic Inspirational Orchestral Music — Resilience”  from Secession Studios.

Do you have the resilience to leave a resilient comment, below?

Resilient thanks to all who helped me create this Juneteenth post and — of course! — thanks to YOU, for your resilience.

Day 2270: You’re not going to die today

“You’re not going to die today” is

• a helpful saying for some people with anxiety,
• not true for everybody,
• something I wrote and left up on a giant white board during a therapy group last week,

• and the first part of this, now.

After yesterday’s post, I’m wondering if that feeds into denial.

Assuming we’re not going to die today, let’s look at my other photos from yesterday:

 

Here‘s “We Ain’t Gonna Die Today” by Atmosphere.

I’m wondering if you’re not going to leave a comment today.

Until the day I die, I have so much thanks for being alive and for you!