Day 3551: Ruminating

Here and now, I’m ruminating about

• my health, after I had a TIA last week on vacation,
• my anticoagulant medication,
• travel insurance,
• my dental appointment today,
• those aspects of my job I really dislike doing,
• our upstairs bathroom, which has been out of commission for over a year because of water damage,
• the change of seasons from warmer to colder,
• the USA midterm November elections,
• the death of Queen Elizabeth,
• pain and suffering in the world, and
• things I cannot control.

I guess it makes sense that I’m ruminating over things I can’t control, because otherwise I could friggin’ do something about them!

When I am ruminating, it helps to identify a simple next step I can take (including sharing my thoughts so I’m not alone with them).

Do you see ruminating in my images for today?

I was also ruminating about getting good tickets on National New York day for a new NYC production of the Sondheim musical Merrily We Roll Along, but tickets actually don’t go on sale until October.

Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “ruminating.”

I also find this …

… and this:

I look forward to ruminating on your comments about this Ruminating post.

Thanks to all who know something about ruminating, including YOU!

Day 3259: What’s a story you tell about yourself?

Yesterday, between two therapy groups where people tell stories about themselves, I asked this question on Twitter:

Some people on Twitter pointed out that there were many ways to answer that question — is the story the truth or a lie? Is it a story you tell to yourself or to others? My story about the questions I ask is this: there is no right or wrong way to answer any of them. I deliberately made the question ambiguous, so people could answer as they chose.

Personally, I’ve been thinking a lot about the old, habitual stories we tell about ourselves and how those affect us. Many people tell negative, limiting, and outmoded stories about themselves. For example, I tell a story about myself making a mistake that might markedly harm myself and others, even though that has rarely happened in my life. This fear-filled story can make me hesitant to act and can cause me to agonize over something I might have done or will do “wrong.”

I can also get confused by the conflicting stories others tell. For example, which story should I believe: “Look before you leap!” or “He who hesitates is lost!”

What’s a story that today’s images tell?

Now I’m thinking about (1) stories that use strong language, (2) stories people tell to bartenders and (3) the unforgettable stories that movies tell us.

Also, the story I’m telling about the potato latkes Michael made yesterday …

… is that they are the best I’ve ever had.

This is what I find on YouTube when I search for “what’s a story you tell about yourself?”

I really appreciate the stories Dr. Tracey Marks is telling in that video.

What’s a story you tell about yourself?

Every story I tell here ends with gratitude for YOU.