Day 1415: Outrageous Fortune

Yesterday, I had the outrageous fortune to

• wake up in the morning,
• see signs of thanks giving,

• meet my sister Ellen, who is one of the leading women in my life,

• live another day without allergies,

• encounter a t-shirt which reminded me of my late father, who had the brilliant idea of renaming a local business “The No Fakery Bakery,”

• reminisce with my sister about how my father’s submitting that winning name in the local bakery’s contest many years ago resulted in our family winning free bagels and cream cheese for a week,
• breathe free,

• realize that people are still singing and acting in the name of love,

• meet my wonderful friend Barbara, who is one of my favorite people in the world,

• see familiar faces in a local no-fakery bakery that ships all over the world,

• spend time breathing and taking pictures on a bench near the Charles River,

• see a bumper sticker with my boyfriend, Michael, which reminded us of an experience we had the day after my open heart surgery in September (which I had the outrageous fortune to share with you in this post),

• realize that no matter what else is happening to me right now, my scars from all my recent cardiac-related surgeries are healing and no longer need dressing with gauze and tape,

• and have another piece of Michael’s outrageous chocolate cake.

 

During times of outrageous fortune, it helps to realize how outrageously fortunate I am.

Tonight, I have the outrageous fortune of seeing Benedict Cumberbatch in a production of Hamlet at a local movie theater with  my friend Kathy, where we’ll have the outrageous fortune of hearing him recite these outrageous lines:

To be or not to be, that is the question:

Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,

And by opposing end them

 

As I’ve recently said to several people I have the outrageous fortune to know, during times of outrageous fortune I can reduce my outrage with Dickens and  with Shakespeare.

I just had the outrageous fortune of finding this music on YouTube in the name of love:

 

Will I have the outrageous fortune of seeing a comment from you, below?

I have the outrageous fortune of being able to thank all who helped me create this post and you — of course! — whom I am outrageously fortunate to know.

Day 1410: Let it out

Yesterday, when I was letting it out at cardiac rehab, Danise let it out, like so:

Danise — who helps people, like me, who are recovering from cardiac surgeries let it out on exercise machines and in other healing ways  — let it out by telling me about a dream she’d had the night before.  After the TV coverage let it out that Donald Trump was on his way to winning the U.S. presidential election, Danise dreamed she found Hillary Clinton in her home flipping things over (as Danise is demonstrating, above). In her dream,  Danise  said to Hillary, “Let it out, girl! ”

After I let it out with Danise and others at cardiac rehab, I went home where I let it out with our two cats. I also let it out by turning on the TV, where I was privileged to witness Hillary Clinton letting it out with her  concession speech.

I have to let it out with you, my dear readers, that when I typed that previous sentence, I erroneously wrote “acceptance” rather than “concession.” As my boyfriend Michael and I have been letting it out with each other after the shock of the election result,  we’ve discussed how the stages of grief include denial.

Speaking of the stages of grief, my son Aaron sent me these messages, yesterday, from Scotland:

very very odd

it feels like someone died

Michael, Aaron, and I then let it out with each other during two extended FaceTime sessions.

On Facebook yesterday, I let it out by posting quotes by H.L. Mencken, including these:

“On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”

“The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary. ”

“For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong.”

I also let it out on Facebook by posting this recent, pre-election clip where Patton Oswalt let it out  that grieving in public is therapeutic:

I also believe that letting it out — where “it” includes all your feelings —  is therapeutic.  I will let it out, now, that if I didn’t believe that, I would not have become a psychotherapist nor would I have started this daily blog.

One more way I let it out on Facebook the day after the U.S. election:

I made it through open heart surgery for this?

I think it’s time to let it out by including all my other photos from yesterday:

 

If you have  thoughts or feelings about this post, please let it out in a comment, below.

I hope I let it out how grateful I am to all who help me let it out in this daily blog and to you — of course! — for being with me as I let it out, here and now.

 

Day 1390: Such a _____ woman

Since I witnessed  a presidential candidate being called “such a nasty woman” during such a nasty debate two nights ago, this blogging woman has been experiencing such nasty AND un-nasty  memories of  names she has been called over the years.

Yes, such a history I’ve had as a woman,  being called such a list of names, including  these:

• A selfish woman
• A sefless woman
• A kind woman
• An ungenerous woman
• A generous woman
• A neat woman
• A messy woman
• A brilliant woman
• A stupid woman
• A sarcastic woman
• A talented woman
• A foolish woman
• A thoughtful woman
• A thoughtless woman
• A respectful woman
• A disrespectful woman
• A respected woman
• An attractive woman
• A not-attractive-enough woman
• A cute woman
• A silly woman
• A mature woman
• An immature woman
• A  sexy woman
• A controlling woman
• An uncontrollable woman
• A brave woman
• A sensitive woman
• A strong woman
• A vulnerable woman
• An unusual woman
• An ordinary woman
• A smart woman
• An unambitious woman
• An ambitious woman
• A creative woman
• A boring woman
• An understanding woman
• A judicious woman
• A catastrophizing woman
• A funny woman
• A serious woman
• A helpful woman
• A spontaneous woman
• A quirky woman
• A focused woman
• A distracted woman
• A distracting woman
• An empathic woman
• A joyful woman
• An angry woman
• A sad woman
• A calm woman
• A fearful woman
• A fearless woman
• A non-judgmental woman
• A critical woman
• An accepting woman
• A competitive woman
• A delightful woman
• A stubborn woman
• An honest woman
• A defensive woman
• An assertive woman
• A resilient woman
• A nice woman
• A determined woman
• A maternal woman
• An unsmiling woman
• A smily woman
• A healthy woman
• An unhealthy woman
• An independent woman
• A needy woman
• A loyal woman
• A woman who likes to move on.

Moving on, now, to music that this writing woman is now hearing in her such-a-woman’s brain, here are  two songs about women: “Witchy Woman” and “Kind Woman,” both written and sung by such_____ men:

Such great music with such interesting titles!

Now, this photographing woman has such a lot of _____ images to share with you:

Such a beautiful smile on that grandmother’s face! Such a laugh I had, yesterday, when that grand woman told me that the baby’s mother has already been reading advanced books like “Women in Science” to that beautiful 4-month-old girl!

Such a smile I’ll have on my  face if you leave a comment about this “Such a ____ Woman” post.

Finally, such gratitude I have for all the women, men, etc. who helped me create such a ____ post and for you — of course! — for being such wonderful readers, today.