Day 2666: What’s hard to say?

Yesterday, when I was facilitating an online Zoom meeting with other group therapists, I asked people, “What’s hard to say?” after sharing my poem “Hard to Say.”

Hard to Say

Some things in life are hard to say,

Like “I want you to go away.”

Or “Despite what you did, I forgive you, okay.”

Or “I need you, my love, to stay.”

For me, I find it hard to say

A different kind of communiqué,

Two words you’ll see in a candy display,

Ferrero Rocher.

Ferrero Rocher, Ferrero Rocher.

That gets stuck in my mouth along the way.

Ferrero Rocher, Ferrero Rocher.

So easy to eat and so hard to say.

Ferrero Rocher, Ferrero Rocher,

Those chocolate orbs wrapped in gold lamé.

Whether I’m home or going away.

So easy to eat and so hard to say.

© Ann Koplow, 2019

What’s hard to say is

• what people really thought about that poem,
• when this pandemic will be over,
• how much chocolate I’m going to eat during this pandemic,
• WTF is going on in the world, and
• when we’ll all feel safe enough again.

It’s hard to say what I loved most about the charming 2012 French movie “La Fée (The Fairy), which I watched yesterday, so I’ll share these quotes from reviewers:

“Its appeal is … in watching people who have devised their own original style of comic performance and have taken it to a rare level of refinement.”

If you like Tati-esque japes, Francophone clowns Abel, Gordon and Romy should be just up your alley.”

“It’s simultaneously a very knowing and strangely innocent film.”

“A little bitty movie with a great big heart that is nearly impossible to resist.”

“It’s often a lot of fun with some dance numbers thrown in.”

It’s hard to say what would be better, for me,  than “a lot of fun with some dance numbers thrown in.” I also loved that somebody who was granted three wishes found it hard to say what his third wish would be, even when “I want us to be safe!” was an obvious choice to me.

What’s hard to say about these images I captured yesterday?

 

It’s hard to say why our cat Oscar tried to steal Michael’s pasta primavera, which was completely vegetarian.

What’s hard to say about this dance number from “La Fée”?

 

What’s hard to say is how I’m going to express all the gratitude in my heart, here and now.

Day 2588: Needs

Yesterday, in a Coping and Healing therapy group, which people attend as they need, we talked about needs.

When somebody in the group said they needed kindness, I needed to ask, “Who else in this room needs kindness?”  Everybody needed to raise their hand, including me.

If you were in that group and I  asked you, “What do you need, here and now?” what would you need to answer?

Kindness?

Appreciation?

I don’t know what I need right now, so I need to think about it?

Something else?

My needs (in case you need to know) include blogging and sharing photos.

 

Now I need to

• take my little yellow car in for the 40,000 mile check up it needs,
• meet my friend Barbara, who I’ve needed for over 60 years,
• continue celebrating my birthday weekend, and
• share this song about needs and wants:

If you want or need to comment, please do so below.

As always, I need to express my gratitude for all who help me create this daily blog, including YOU.

 

Day 2565: Lost and Found

Six years ago, on Valentine’s Day, I wrote another “Lost and Found” post, “dedicated to my boyfriend/inamorato/whatever Michael.” I’ve lost the need to use those words to describe Michael since we found ourselves calling each other husband and wife on December 27, 2019.

Yesterday, I realized I had lost my wallet when I was at a doctor’s appointment. I immediately lost all focus on everything else. I found the memory of looking in my wallet to make sure I hadn’t lost the card I needed for the doctor’s visit while I was walking by Fenway Park (where the Boston Red Sox lost lots of games before they found themselves in the World Series).  I figured I lost the wallet soon after that.

I found the phone number of somebody I thought might be able to help me find what I’d lost. Here’s the phone conversation of me trying not to lose it:

Person Answering Phone: Hello?

Me: Hello!  I need to reach the Ipswich Garage.

P.A.P.: This is not the Ipswich Garage. This is the parking office.

Me: I know!  I need to talk to somebody at the Ipswich Garage. I’ve lost my wallet!

P.A.P.: You can’t call the garage.

Me: I need to contact them.  I think I dropped my wallet while I was walking to the garage.

P.A.P.  I can call the garage. What do you want me to tell them?

Me: Tell them I dropped my wallet. I think it’s near the statues outside of Fenway Park.

P.A.P.: If your wallet is not in the garage, they can’t help you.

Me (losing the ability to express myself in words): Arrrghhh!

P.A.P.  Give me your phone number.

Have you ever lost your wallet?  I was thinking about all the time lost in the future, cancelling credit cards, getting a new license, etc. etc.  I lost the ability to be in the present as the medical assistance tried to measure my blood pressure (she couldn’t).  When I walked into my doctor’s office, I told her I’d lost my wallet and wanted to leave to look for it. My doctor, whom I luckily found eleven years ago (and whom you can find posts about here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here), found a lot of empathy for my situation and told me to go. At that moment, my cell phone rang.

Me: Hello?

P.A.P.: Hello. They found your wallet.

Me: I love you.

P.A.P.: Thank you.

Here’s the lost-and-found wallet:

That wallet is made out of recycled billboards and I’m so glad it was found. (If you click on the link in the previous sentence, you’ll find that the wallet was lost and found before.)

Here are all the other new photos I’ve found on my phone this morning:

I’m so glad I found

when “I” becomes “we,” “illness” becomes “wellness”

… which was posted on Facebook yesterday by a group therapist I love.

I’ve found a lot of tunes titled “Lost and Found” on YouTube. Here‘s one of them, by Jorja Smith:

I’m hoping to have found comments about this lost-and-found post in the near future.

No matter what I’ve lost and found over the years, it’s always been easy for me to find gratitude. Thanks to all who helped me find what I needed to create todays post, including YOU.

Day 2454: People have the power

People have the power to

• create,
• destroy,
• connect,
• disconnect,
• change,
• love,
• hurt, and
• affect each other in many different ways.

My powerful reader, Maureen, had the power to inspire today’s blog post by sharing this video in her comment about yesterday’s post:

People have the power to join together beautifully.

Do people have the power in any of my photos from yesterday?

You have the power to say whatever you like in a comment.

I have the power to end these posts as I choose — with gratitude and with hope that we’ll all be back here, tomorrow.

 

Day 2131: Walk your way to creativity

Yesterday, as I was walking my way to lunch at work, I saw this sign:

As you walk your way through this post, how many photos have to do with walks, shoes, feet, legs, or creativity?

Happy Halloween!  Congratulations Red Sox!  Damage Done!

Just make sure you walk your way to vote in the mid-term elections, USA, and undo some damage.

I’m going to walk my way over to YouTube  and see what I find.

The Dropkick Murphys rode and played in the Boston Red Sox World Series Victory Parade yesterday, probably in this:

Here are Dropkick Murphys playing “Tessie.”

Please walk your way to creativity in the comments section, below.

Now it’s time for me to walk my way to gratitude for all who helped me create today’s post and — of course! — for YOU.

Day 2129: An aura of light and love

Yesterday, I saw how to create an aura of light and love.

“Live righteously and love everyone; you will build up around you an aura of light and love.”

I don’t know if I always live righteously and love everyone, but I am capable of seeing an aura of light and love, even when it’s raining.

 

 

Great baseball players, dogs dressed up in Halloween costumes, and giving sorrow words can all build up an aura of light and love, as can “Tears of Rain” by Pat Metheny and the late Charlie Haden.

Gratitude also creates an aura of light and love, so many thanks to all who helped me create today’s post and — of course! — to YOU.

Day 2124: Space

Do I have space, here and now,  to say what I want to about space? Will I space out and repeat what I’ve already written about space in Day 1648: Personal Space,  Day 1166: Take up space!!, Day 871: What’s taking up space in your head?, Day 838: It fills the space, Day 459: Time and Space, and Day 460: Time and space continued?

I do have the space to explain what inspired today’s title.

My phone has space for that ukulele app and I have space to tell you that, six months ago, I never thought I would need or have a ukulele space.  There was space in my life for a ukulele, even though I never imagined a ukulele in my space.

What am I trying to say in this space? Something that somebody had the space to say in a therapy group yesterday: “You never know.” I have the space to say that a different way: “Expect the unexpected.”

There’s space for my other photos from yesterday.

Forget trying to find a parking space near Fenway Park yesterday.

There’s always space for puns here at The Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally.

One of my patients had the space yesterday to recommend that children’s book about mindfulness.

There’s space where I work for that painted mural. Yesterday’s blog space included this photo:

My boyfriend Michael and I often occupy space in pet stores.

I’m sorry, we don’t have space for a trendy house for Oscar or Harley.

Is there space for my photos of cupcakes?

Last night, Michael fixed the TV — which takes up a lot of space —  with a new lamp, which fit perfectly into its space.

Then, I had the space to drink tea, eat cake, and watch the second game of the World Series.

As always, there’s space for great music here.

There’s space for me to repeat this photo to ask for comments …

… and to express thanks to all who helped me create another post in this space and — of course! — to YOU.

Day 2123: All your feelings are okay

Yesterday, in a therapy group, people talked about uncomfortable feelings, including anger, fear, and sadness. Some had  “secondary” feelings about their feelings, including guilt and shame.

Because negative thoughts and feelings can stick,  I felt it was okay to ask people to write helpful phrases on yellow stickies. I feel that it’s okay to share some of those yellow stickies here:

 

It’s okay that I was feeling rushed when I took that photo of “This too shall pass.”

All your feelings are okay about my photos in this post.

All my feelings are okay, including anger — which I’m expressing in my new song, “I’m Mad About You” — and confidence about performing that song a week from Friday.

“This Feeling” by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini comes up when I search YouTube for “all your feelings are okay.”

All my feelings are okay about this comment after that YouTube video:

MITA DAS
1 week ago
I think 0:00 0:01 0:02 0:03 0:04 0:05 0:06 0:07 0:08 0:09 0:10 0:11 0:12 0:13 0:14 0:15 0:16 0:17 0:18 0:19 0:20 0:21 0:22 0:23 0:24 0:25 0:26 0:27 0:28 0:29 0:30 0:31 0:32 0:33 0:34 0:35 0:36 0:37 0:38 0:39 0:40 0:41 0:42 0:43 0:44 0:45 0:46 0:47 0:48 0:49 0:50 0:51 0:52 0:53 0:54 0:55 0:56 0:57 0:58 0:59 1:00 1:01 1:02 1:03 1:04 1:05 1:06 1:07 1:08 1:09 1:10 1:11 1:12 1:13 1:14 1:15 1:16 1:17 1:18 1:19 1:20 1:21 1:22 1:23 1:24 1:25 1:26 1:27 1:28 1:29 1:30 1:31 1:32 1:33 1:34 1:35 1:36 1:37 1:38 1:39 1:40 1:41 1:42 1:43 1:44 1:45 1:46 1:47 1:48 1:49 1:50 1:51 1:52 1:53 1:54 1:55 1:56 1:57 1:58 1:59 2:00 2:01 2:02 2:03 2:04 2:05 2:06 2:07 2:08 2:09 2:10 2:11 2:12 2:13 2:14 2:15 2:16 2:17 2:18 2:19 2:20 2:21 2:22 2:23 2:24 2:25 2:26 2:27 2:28 2:29 2:30 2:31 2:32 2:33 2:34 2:35 2:36 2:37 2:38 2:39 2:40 2:41 2:42 2:43 2:44 2:45 2:46 2:47 2:48 2:49 2:50 2:51 2:52 2:53 2:54 2:55 2:56 2:57 2:58 2:59 3:00 3:01 3:02 3:03 3:04 3:05 3:06 3:07 3:08 3:09 3:10 3:11 3:12 3:13 3:14 3:15 3:16 are the best parts.

All your feelings are okay, and I hope you express them in a comment, below.

All my okay feelings, here and now, include gratitude towards all those who helped me create today’s all-your-feelings-are-okay post and — of course! — YOU.

 

Day 2122: Spooky

These days, many things seem spooky to me, especially politics.

Do you see anything spooky in my photos from yesterday?

 

 

 

Oops!  Who knew that Boston Cream Pie was spooky?

This song is spooky.

I look forward to spooky comments, below.

No matter how spooky things are, I can still find gratitude, so thanks to all who helped me create this spooky post and — Boo! — to YOU.

Day 2118: Having too much on your plate

Yesterday, in my therapy groups, people talked about having too much on their plate.

I don’t have too much on my plate to share the meaning of that idiom.

Idiom – Too much on my plate or A lot on my plate or Enough on my plate. Meaning – To be too busy. To have too many things to deal with or a lot of things to worry about. This expression is used to signify that a person has too many different things to cope with.

Coincidentally, there were paper plates in the group room, because of a retirement party earlier in the day. I suggested that people take a plate, write and draw what was on their plate, and then, if they wished, throw the plate away. People threw away plates heaped with politicians, responsibilities, stress, fear, guilt, anxiety, shame, self-doubt, bureaucracies, traffic, abusers, unhelpful thoughts, and (on one plate) Florida.

I had too much on my plate yesterday to take pictures of the plates people created and threw away, but I can share these:

If I didn’t have too much on my plate right now (physical therapy for my shoulder, work, a presentation about my groups, and a live performance of “So You Think You Can Dance”), I’d come up with a pun about home plate.

Do you have too much on your plate to watch this video?

https://youtu.be/qSshr-EQmLM

I never have too much on my plate to thank all those who help me create these posts and — of course! — YOU.