Day 3596: Friendly reminders

Yesterday, I got this friendly reminder email at work:

This friendly reminder triggered many unfriendly thoughts in the unfriendly parts of my brain, like “Oh no! My license is going to expire and I won’t be able to work and I love my work and usually they send me a renewal notice in the mail but I didn’t see it and bureaucracies are so screwed up since COVID and I better do something about this NOW!” So I went to the Massachusetts licensing board website and spent many unfriendly minutes trying to renew my license as soon as possible (as I was directed to do by that friendly reminder) until I found a screen that said “your license renewal code will be mailed to you approximately 60 days before the expiration date of your license.” There is absolutely nothing I can do until I get that renewal code, which made me wonder why I was sent that friendly reminder 90 days in advance.

I mean, really, how friendly is that?

Do you see any friendly reminders in my images for today?

There’s another not-so-friendly reminder from the Daily Bitch Calendar.

Two friendly reminders: today is a good day to have donuts and play outdoors.

The Peter Gunn theme by Henry Mancini is a friendly reminder of my childhood.

This is a friendly reminder that all comments are welcomed, below.

Thanks to all who remind me that there are friendly people out there, including YOU!

Day 3568: Local news

In my therapy groups, I often suggest that people share local news, defining “local news” this way:

If there were a cable news network dedicated to reporting about your life, what would the headlines be?

Do you see local news in today’s blog post?

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I hope the local news doesn’t get much worse.

When I search YouTube for “local news” it’s all too scary and depressing, so here is “Weird Al“ Yankovic’s “Headline News.”

What’s the local news where you are?

Thanks to all who help me report my local news every day, including YOU.

Day 3549: I Saw the Light

“I Saw the Light” is a song I love by Todd Rundgren.

My husband Michael and I danced to “I Saw the Light” after I got home from a trip where I saw the light at Disney World, the gorgeous islands off the Southeast coast of Georgia, and (unexpectedly) a Georgia hospital after I had a TIA.

During a long and restorative walk in my neighborhood yesterday, I Saw the Light.

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For me, I Saw the Light means that I’m in the moment, observing the beauty surrounding me, and realizing again an important lesson I learned when I was young: life is short and every day is precious.

I Saw the Light when I was capturing all these other images for today’s blog post.

On this precious day when people might be talking like pirates while eating butterscotch pudding, what does “I saw the light” mean to you?

I saw the light while gathering expressions of gratitude for all those who have helped me see the light, including YOU!

Day 3219: What month is this?

Have you been losing track of time? If so, you’re not alone. Perhaps the images in today’s post will help you identify what month this is.

Our cat Joan has had skin and ear problems since we adopted her from a shelter in August, and that’s not baloney. Today, she is celebrating National Food Day without a cone!

Here’s what I find when I search for “What month is it?” on YouTube.

No matter what month it is, I am grateful to YOU!

Day 3208: What’s stuck in your head?

Many things can get stuck in our heads, including

• songs,
• what people have said,
• what people have done,
• worst fears,
• negativity,
• beliefs, and
• hope.

What’s stuck in my head right now is that I asked several question on Twitter yesterday about things that can get stuck in our heads.

Some things that get stuck in our heads can keep us stuck. I hope we can let go of those things and move on.

Which of these other images might get stuck in your head?

It’s stuck in my head that it might take 42 cups of coffee to pay attention to all the things people are commemorating on October 13, 2021.

Here’s the song that was stuck in my head yesterday:

What’s stuck in your head, here and now?

I hope my gratitude for you sticks in your head today!

Day 3205: Catching a break

As Joan the cat continues to heal slowly, she’s been catching a break every day from the cone that prevents her from over-grooming the broken skin on her tummy and leg.

There she is, catching a break in her favorite tunnel toy. When we catch her licking the problem area again, we have to catch her and put the cone back on, which breaks my heart. However, Joan seems to be a lot cooler and more comfortable about the cone than I am. She can even catch mice (who can’t seem to catch a break around here) when wearing it.

There’s Joan with cone, catching a break while I’m catching up with my morning routine of writing this blog. I’m imagining that she is suggesting that I catch a break from my worry about her wearing a cone for so long. I know that soon we all will be catching a break when Joan’s cone comes off permanently.

Here’s our other cat, Harley, catching a break from Joan’s relentless efforts to play with him.

Is anybody catching a break in my other images for today?

We hope to be catching a break from our broken shower (which caused a lot of hidden damage) with extensive repairs, including getting new tiles installed. We were catching a break at Home Depot last night checking out the tiles there, including the ones that are already on the bathroom walls.

I’ve been catching a break by sending out tweets on Twitter.

It says a lot about the state of the world that I’m having trouble catching a break no matter how noisy or quiet it is. I’m going to try to catch a break and enjoy any quiet I can find today.

It looks like the Daily Bitch can only catch a break when she gets some pizza.

Is anybody interested in catching a break by singing along to this song?

I look forward to catching any comments you leave about this catching-a-break post, below.

There’s no catching a break from my gratitude, which never stops!

Day 3203: When and where?

Last night, when I had completed a very long work day (including facilitating two remote therapy groups where we discussed COVID, family issues, the past, the present, and the future), I tweeted this:

When somebody asked about my answer to that question, this is where I went:

When and where did I capture the other images in today’s blog?

We now know where the Daily Bitch is going, but we don’t know when.

When you looked at those photos, did you notice that Joan is now getting breaks from the cone? When her skin problem is healed, she’ll be where she needs to be to be totally cone-free!

I just took that photo in the room where I’m blogging.

Regarding the when and where of most of today’s photos: Yesterday I went to CVS and Marshall’s where I bought an ace bandage and a baby onesie for Joan. When Joan is without the cone, she prevents her skin from healing by licking where the problem is. When we tried the other solutions , Joan let us know where she is on this issue — she definitely prefers the cone!

This is the song that takes me back to when I was young and where there were transistor radios, a different kind of cone (ice cream), the sun, and the sea.

When and where might you leave a comment?

When you get to the end of my blog posts, that’s where you find my gratitude.

Day 3202: You’re only as good as your last _______.

“You’re only as good as your last …” is a phrase I’ve heard completed many different ways. For example:

Personally, I don’t think we’re only as good as our last anything. I think our goodness outlasts and is not exclusively dependent on our most recent activity or accomplishment. As I tell people in my therapy groups, we’re human beings, not human doings. If our sense of worth is irrevocably tied to the last thing we’ve done, we’re never free from self doubt and we never get a respite from constant exertions until we die.

With that in mind, I tweeted this yesterday;

If I’m only as good as my last photo …

… I’m also in trouble, although it does match up quite nicely with the last and good Daily Bitch Calendar:

I’m not only as good as my last blog post, even if the words and images are good.

This is not from Shane Filan’s last album …

… and this is not David Sanborn’s last record …

… but they’re still good.

You’re not only as good as your last comment, but please consider leaving one below.

I’m not only as good as my last expression of gratitude, but thanks to all who help me blog day after day after day, including YOU!

Day 2836: Junk

According to non-junky Merriam-Webster, junk is

1a(1): old iron, glass, paper, or other waste that may be used again in some form
(2): secondhand, worn, or discarded articles
(3): CLUTTER sense 1b
b: something of poor quality : TRASH
c: something of little meaning, worth, or significance
2: pieces of old cable or cordage used especially to make gaskets, mats, swabs, or oakum
3 slang : NARCOTICS
especially : HEROIN
4: JUNK BOND
5: baseball pitches that break or are off-speed (such as curveballs or changeups)
6 slang : male genitalia

Do you see any junk in today’s news or in today’s photos?

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Amid all the junk from yesterday, last night my son Aaron and I saw a fox jump on the seawall and glide along, like a little grey spaceship, on the sand below. In my attempt to capture it, I took that last junky photo, above.

Have you heard any good quotes about junk? How about this one?

“God don’t make no junk.”

Here‘s “Junk” by Sir Paul McCartney, presented by Carter and Josh Turner:

No matter what junk you’re dealing with, I think you’ll enjoy that performance of “Junk.”

Feel free to share any junk you like in the comments section, below.

I would never junk gratitude, so thanks to all who help me create these daily posts, including YOU!

(By the way, I snapped that when I was in the junk food section of our local supermarket.)

Day 2108: What’s scaring you?

What’s scaring you, these days?

The air?

New  ideas?

History?

Large animals?

Spiders?  Prices?

 

Bones?

Evil? Things that are missing?  Trying things?

China?

Resets? Progress?

Being seen? All that you’re seeing?

What you can’t see?

Looks?

Witches?  Witch hunts? Not knowing which way to go?

Invitations?  Bites?

Carbohydrates?

Mythical creatures?

Real creatures?

What’s at your window?

 

The wolf at the door?

Nobody?

Ladders?  Getting caught? Falling?

 

The fall?

Living?

Dying?

 

 

Messes?

Seeing the light?

Scary music?

 

What you want to say?

Just wanted to say thanks to all who helped me create this “What’s scaring you?” post and — of course! — to yoU.