Day 2556: New Year’s Eve

For a long time, my New Year’s Eve tradition has been to compile  a list of my personal ten best and worst of the year.

This year’s best includes

• my son Aaron (top of the list for the 22nd year in a row!),
• my 12/27 wedding to Michael,
• my friends,
• my therapy groups (which include sharing and mindfulness exercises),
• blogging,
• the cats, and
• Michael’s cooking.

This year’s worst includes

• the death of close friends,
• how divided my country is and
• all the time I spent on worry and dread.

Do you see any evidence of  my best and worst in these new end-of-year photos?

 

 

 

I also put musician Jacob Collier on my personal best list for 2019 and it’s the best that I’ll be seeing him perform live in 2020!

It’s best to start planning for the best of 2020 and not to worry about a thing.

What’s your personal best and worst of 2019?

The best way for me to end this post is to express gratitude to all  who have supported me through another year of daily blogging, including YOU!

Happy New Year!

Love,

Ann

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 1763: Worry

I’m sure I’ve written many blog posts about worry, but I’m not going to worry about that right now.

Last night, I saw this bumper sticker ….

… and I worried about what it meant.

Should we worry?  Does worry do any good? I say that worry doesn’t help but I hear people insist that worry helps them plan and act.

My recent worries have included remembering to take my medication,

 

making sure the cats don’t get out and get eaten by coyotes,

 

and the world’s most sensitive dining room table (refinished once already in its short life and showing signs of distress after yesterday’s retreat).

Here’s my solution to the worry about the world’s most sensitive dining room table. I’m going to use that table the way I used my old, less sensitive dining room table, letting go of any worry about what might happen. If every-day use affects the table, I’m going to celebrate those changes.  In other words, I’m looking at the table as a canvas — an ever-changing piece of art — that will record our enjoyment of it.

In the meantime, I’ll still

• remember to take my pills,
• try to prevent the cats from getting out, and
• enjoy the views along the way.

I don’t worry about reusing this Jacob Collier rendition of “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing”…

… or about getting comments on this post.

Thanks to all who helped me create this “Worry” post and — of course! — to you, no matter what your worries are.

Day 1725: Just Right

On the eighth day of my long blogging journey, I wrote a post titled “Too ____, too ____, or just right? (Thanks a lot, Goldilocks.)” Today, on the first anniversary of my open heart surgery AND the first day of the Jewish New Year, it’s just right to share this photo:

Yesterday, it was just right to discuss ‘Just Right” at a just-right therapy group.  It’s just right that I  share what I wrote about “Just Right” in that group.

It’s just right for me to show you my other photos from yesterday.

 

Are any of those photos just right for you?

My friend Dave, whom I met at just right Berklee School of Music in 1969 and whom I just recently reconnected with, has just right musical taste. He recommended I just listen to Jacob Collier, who is a just amazing singer, musician, arranger, etc.  I think this song is just right for today’s post.

It would be just right if you left a comment, below.

Just right thanks to all who helped me create today’s post and to you — of course! — for being just right, exactly how you are.