Day 2753: Discovery Areas

Yesterday, I discovered this discovery area on a walk near my home:

Every area can be a discovery area, if you are open to discovery. What can you discover in these recent photos from my surrounding areas?

If you want to discover more in any of those photos, please click to enlarge.

As usual, I discovered yesterday that kindness rocks.

And you may have discovered, through my photos, that our beloved kitty Oscar is still with us.

What else are you discovering these days, in your area?

Here‘s “The Greatest Discovery” by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, about the birth of a little brother:

Here‘s “A Voyage of Discovery” by Rick Wakeman, from his album Past, Present and Future.

Whenever you look at the ending area of my blog posts, you will find gratitude. Thanks to all who helped me create this “Discovery Area” post and thanks to you, for discovering it!

Day 2510: It’s not unusual

It’s not unusual for me to

• spend time worrying about something that doesn’t come to pass,
• make assumptions about what somebody is thinking only to find that I was way off,
• avoid checking the latest news,
• wish better people were in power,
• be shy about asking for help,
• write on white boards at work,
• talk to anybody who will listen about the healing power of groups,
• pose a question and then find out the answer is more complicated than expected, and
• appreciate being alive, every day.

In yesterday’s blog post — Day 2509: Transformation — I asked people to identify the guitarist on the 1965 Tom Jones hit, “It’s Not Unusual.”

While I was told the guitarist was Jimmy Page, it turns out that the guitarist was either Jimmy Page or Joe Moretti AND the keyboardist was definitely Reginald Dwight, more famously known as Elton John.

It’s not unusual for me to send an email like this to Michael:

Who was the keyboardist on “It’s Not Unusual”?

One of the most famous keyboardists in rock and roll history!

Don’t cheat! Answer provided tonight!

Love,
One of the least famous keyboardists in history

It’s not unusual for me to share my latest photos.

It’s not unusual for a cat to look at a king or a blogger.

It’s not unusual for me to share definitions, like this one:

A CAT MAY  LOOK AT A KING

A cat may look at a king is an English proverb that means even someone of low status has rights. A cat may look at a king implies that all people have certain minimal rights by virtue of being alive. Like many proverbs, the origin is unknown. The first printed version of the idiom a cat may look at a king was published in 1562, in The Proverbs And Epigrams Of John Heywood, “What, a cat may look on a king, ye know!” It is almost certain that the proverb existed in oral tradition long before it was written down. A cat may look at a king is a proverb that is not as popular as it was in the past, perhaps because inalienable human rights are more recognized in the present time, or perhaps because the power of kings is not what it once was.

It’s not unusual for me to appreciate any comments you might share, below.

It’s not unusual for me to express gratitude for all who help me create these daily blog post, including YOU!

Day 2137: The House

There are several news headlines about the House today, including:

Mid-term elections: Democrats win House in setback for Trump

Democrats win control of the House in 2018 midterms, CNN projects

Meet the New Agenda Setters in the House

Coincidentally, yesterday I started writing a new song, titled “I Left the House Before I Felt Ready”, which is my first original song based on my first original t-shirt …

… which was based on original blog posts (here, here, and here), which I wrote in the house.

Here are the lyrics, so far:

I Left the House Before I Felt Ready

 

I left the house before I felt ready,

So I’m wrinkled, distracted, and sort of bed-heady.

I don’t know where my phone is, my glove, or umbrella

And my water bottle’s probably somewhere in the cellar.

© Ann Koplow, 2018

Because my house is near Boston, those last two lines rhyme.

Only one of my photos from yesterday was taken in the house:

Here’s “House” by Elton John:

 

What are your thoughts and feelings about any of  the houses here?

Thanks to all who helped me write today’s blog post at the house and — of course! — to YOU, for visiting my blogging house.

 

 

Day 1851: The Unexpected

I didn’t necessarily expect this, but yesterday’s therapy group wanted to focus on “The Unexpected.”

I wrote some expected questions about  “The Unexpected” on the white board.

In some groups, it would be unexpected for the group facilitator to answer any of  her own questions (like “What is your personal experience of the unexpected?” “What makes the unexpected more difficult?” “What helps you deal with the unexpected?”)   In my groups, that’s expected.

It might be unexpected that I would change the famous saying “Man Plans, God Laughs” to “Ann Plans, God Laughs,” but, as several people said in the group yesterday,

Expect the unexpected.

I expect the unexpected whenever I check the news. Today, the unexpected news includes the following:

• “Trump Says He Is Willing To Speak Under Oath to Mueller.”
• “Chinese Scientists Have Successfully Cloned Monkeys.”
• “Elton John Quits Touring.”

There’s also news today about sexual harassment and abuse of power, but that was not unexpected.

I have one more unexpected photo to show you.

And here‘s Elton John, singing after the unexpected death of Princess Diana in 1997.

 

I expect you might have some thoughts and feelings about the unexpected.

Is it unexpected that I would thank all who helped me create today’s post and you, too?