Day 3670: Brain space

I just searched for a definition of “brain space” online and and found this…

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… and this:

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I actually meant “brain space” and I asked a question about it last night on Twitter.

We over-thinkers often give too much brain space to difficult people and situations we can’t control. Here’s a famous quote from Ann Landers about that:

What’s taking up brain space for me, here and now, is an echocardiogram test I’m having this afternoon. I’m hoping the results show my mechanical valve working properly, because needing another open heart surgery would take up way too much brain space.

Home repairs and potential problems also take up too much brain space, but I’m working on that.

Can you see other things taking up brain space in my images for today?

Today, I choose to give brain space to cats and Winnie the Pooh.

Here’s what I find when I search YouTube for “brain space.”

That Scrubs clip about Dr. Cox’s brain space reminds me of a college professor telling his class that he was not going to learn any of the names of his students “because whenever I remember a student’s name, I forget the name of a fish.”

I always have brain space for gratitude, so thanks to all who helped me find the brain space to create this blog post, including YOU.

Day 3099: Tell me something good

Yesterday I posted this on Facebook:

Tell me something good because

• I‘m doing a workshop about my Coping and Healing groups today and I have pre-presentation jitters,
• I have to make a difficult speech in a business meeting today,
• bad things happen to good people,
• good things happen to bad people, and
• Michael discovered yesterday that there’s a leak from our shower to the outside of our home, which can’t be good.

Tell me something good you see in my images for today.

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“Tell Me Something Good” is a great song by Chaka Kahn.

Tell me something good in the comments section, below.

I tell you something good at the end of each blog post by expressing my gratitude to all who help me blog every day, including YOU.

Day 3096: The people who are grabbing your attention now

Who are the people who are grabbing your attention now, besides me?

I often grab people’s attention by pointing out that the people who are grabbing our attention are often the difficult ones. They grab our attention because we experience them as a problem, even a danger, and our mind wants to find a “solution” to make our environment safer.

Last night, when I thought I might lose sleep because of people who were grabbing my attention, I tweeted this:

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This response to that tweet grabbed my attention:

Thank goodness, one person who was grabbing my attention yesterday was my old student, Chris Delyani, writer extraordinaire, who wishes me well and who has previously appeared in this blog (here, here, and here). I hope the word “old” doesn’t grab Chris’s attention in a negative way, because he looks great!

Chris and I grabbed each other’s attention yesterday by reminiscing about when he was a student in my writing section at Boston University in the 1980s. Now he is grabbing people’s attention with his wonderful books.

Chris and I grabbed my husband Michael’s attention when we told the story of how Chris and my other students had graded the printed directions I had given them to find my place for a celebratory party at the end of the semester. Mimicking the way I had graded and commented on their papers, they wrote (among other things):

“These directions were okay — they got us there, but we couldn’t tell how you FELT about it.”

“You show unspeakable talent… C+“

Chris and my other students also grabbed my attention back then by correcting my one spelling mistake on the directions — I wrote “wonderous” instead of “wondrous.” That grabbed my attention so much that I’ve never misspelled that word since.

What grabs your attention in my other images from yesterday and why?

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Is “Cool” from West Side Story grabbing your attention now?

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It’s grabbing my attention now that this …

… was my attempt to photograph Michael’s attention-grabbing, very cool flounder-with-mango dish last night. Oh well.

Feel free to grab my attention with any comment you leave, below.

Images of gratitude always grab my attention, so thanks to all who helped me create today’s post, including YOU!

Day 2996: Who is taking up too much space in your brain?

I don’t know about you, but annoying, obnoxious, miserable, angry, and unsafe people take up too much space in my brain.

My brain tells me that it needs to focus on these people, because they are threats to our well being.

I am telling my brain that we also need to focus on more pleasant, restful, and helpful things, in order to take care of ourselves and to conserve our energy.

I hope my latest images don’t take up too much space in your brain.

Here’s what I find when I search you tube for “Who is taking up too much space in your brain?”

Please make space in your brain for that important message: we can’t control thoughts and feelings, but we can control our actions.

Who will be taking up space in the comments section, below?

Thanks to all who have helped me take up blog space for almost 3000 days in a row, including YOU.

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 1899: I don’t want to deal with _____.

I don’t want to deal with

• snow,
• the cold,
• a cold,
• taxes,
• important U.S. special elections that are too close to call,
• the terminal illness of a close friend,
• broken appliances,
• condescending and rigid people, and
• the death of Stephen Hawking, who had to deal with a lot.

And yet, I’ve learned to deal with this:  Whatever it is I don’t want to deal with, life will deal me those cards.  I guess that gives me the opportunity to practice and improve my ability to deal.

What don’t YOU want to deal with, here and now?   Three photos from our third Nor’easter in 10 days?

What helps you deal with things you don’t want to deal with?  For me it’s

• hearing other people’s opinions,
• taking a breath,
• self care,
• patience,
• accepting all my feelings,
• trying a new perspective, and
• focusing on the things I do want to deal with.

Here’s Erin, who shows how to deal with a cold and people who don’t like her.

Here‘s  the original song “I Don’t Want to Deal with That Right Now.”

Here‘s a tribute to Stephen Hawking (who died on Pi day and Albert Einstein’s birthday).

Right now I do want to deal with your comments.

Please do your best to deal with my gratitude for all who helped me deal with creating another daily blog post and — of course! — YOU.

Day 1779: If you see something, say something

“If you see something, say something” is a campaign by the United States Department of Homeland Security.

I see that “If you see something, say something” is something I do on my blog everyday.  I see something and  I say something.

If you see something that a friend, family member, or co-worker is doing that you think is harmful, do you say something?  I do, but it’s difficult.

If you see something in these photos, say something.

If you see something in these lyrics I composed yesterday about a very unpleasant person, say something:

I can’t avoid you

You hemorrhoid you.

(pause)

I CAN avoid you

You hemorrhoid you.

If Stephen Sondheim saw those lyrics, I wonder what he’d say.  Something.

If you see something in the song “Say Something,”  say something.

If you say something in a comment, I’ll say something back.

I’d like to say something to everyone who helped me create today’s blog post and — of course! — to you, for seeing it.

 

Day 1774: “I’m out of here”

Yesterday, before people were out of my Wednesday morning therapy group, somebody said “I’m out of here” regarding a stressful, toxic family relationship.

I invited the group members to express thoughts, feelings, and associations about “I’m out of here”  using  words, drawings, poetry, or  interpretive dance.  I then did an interpretive dance of “I’m out of here” by leaving the group room to get a drink of water.

What are your thoughts, feelings, and associations about “I’m out of here”?

Let’s get yesterday’s photos out of my iPhone and into this post.

 

 

Those ducks are out of their usual element  because Michael has been using a computer programming technique out of here  called “Rubber Duck debugging.”  He prefers to  express his  thoughts, while he programs, to the purple rubber duck out of Scotland (here). Why?  Because it looks more interested than the Hearing Duck (which is out of here).

Here‘s Shania Twain singing “I’m Out of Here.”

I’m out of here, but not before I express thanks to all who helped me create today’s post and — of course! — to YOU.