Day 2103: Out of the comfort zone

 

Today, I’m out of my comfort zone because of news I got yesterday about somebody I love. The news is very discomforting but not definitive, so I don’t feel comfortable writing more about that now.

To comfort both of us last night, I shared this poem:

“Hope” is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all –

And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard –
And sore must be the storm –
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm –

I’ve heard it in the chillest land –
And on the strangest Sea –
Yet – never – in Extremity,
It asked a crumb – of me.

— Emily Dickinson

It’s in my comfort zone to also share this:

 

My only photo today comes out of yesterday’s post:

Comfort Zone is the product pictured in yesterday’s post —   Day 2102: Less Stress. More Love — which I promised I would reveal today.  I wish less stress, more love, and a calming environment to all.

I hope you feel comfortable expressing yourself in the comment zone, below.

Thanks and hope to all who helped me create today’s post and — of course — to you, who comfort me with your presence.

Day 2020: Vision

This is the second time in 2020 daily blogs that I’ve written a post titled “Vision.”

I didn’t envision titling my post “Vision” today; however, the number 2020 inspired me, since

“Normal” vision is 20/20. This means that the test subject sees the same line of letters at 20 feet that person with normal vision sees at 20 feet. 20/40 vision means that the test subject sees at 20 feet what a person with normal vision sees at 40 feet.

I do not have 20/20 vision — another way that I’m not “normal.”   I do have the vision, apparently, to lead a group therapy professional organization.  I also have the vision to notice what’s around me, including …

 

 

I wish I had the vision to see a positive future for the world. No matter what my vision,  though, there’s still hope.

What’s your vision of hope?

Here’s what YouTube gives me when I ask for “Vision”.

I don’t have the vision to explain why “Blue (Da Be Dee)” started playing on YouTube after “Vision,” but here it is:

 

Do you have the vision to see that I’m blue this morning?

I’m glad I have good enough vision to read your comments on my posts.

I hope you have the vision to see how grateful I am for those who help me create all these posts and — of course! — for YOU.

 

 

Day 1873: Two words

Another post!

Fantastic joke:

A man wanted to become a monk so he went to the monastery and talked to the head monk.

The head monk said, “You must take a vow of silence and can only say two words every three years.”

The man agreed and after the first 3 years, the head monk came to him and said, “What are your two words?”

“Food cold!” the man replied.

Three more years went by and the head monk came to him and said “What are your two words?”

“Robe dirty!” the man exclaimed.

Three more years went by and the head monk came to him and said, “What are your two words?”

“I quit!” said the man.

“Well,” the head monk replied, “I am not surprised. You have done nothing but complain ever since you got here!”

Don Lemon:

Don Lemon has two words for people who say it’s not the time to talk about gun violence in America: “Shut up.”

After Wednesday’s mass shooting at a South Florida high school, the “CNN Tonight” host said that compared to other countries, America was “off the charts” when it came to this kind of violence. And that meant we have to talk about guns.

“You can save it. People who are saying, ‘Oh, y’know, it’s not the time to talk about guns’ or whatever,” Lemon said in a clip posted online by Raw Story. “Yes, it is. Shut up. I don’t want to hear it. It absolutely is.”

Lemon said the one thing that sets America apart was its easy access to guns, including people who shouldn’t be allowed to have firearms:

“So don’t tell me that it’s not time to talk about it. You talk to those people down in Florida who lost their loved ones. They’ll tell you it’s time to talk about it. ‘My loved one would be here if this shooter did not have access to an assault-style rifle.’”

New photos!

One shoe.

Lost scarf.

More bananas.

Yogi Tea.

Great book.

Hope quote.

Emily Dickinson!

“Hope” is the thing with feathers – (314)

BY EMILY DICKINSON

“Hope” is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all –

And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard –
And sore must be the storm –
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm –

I’ve heard it in the chillest land –
And on the strangest Sea –
Yet – never – in Extremity,
It asked a crumb – of me.

Two songs.

 

Any comments?

Thank you!

Day 1187: Fools

Here are some foolish associations with the word “Fools,” on April Fools Day, 2016:

1. On April Fools Day, 2015 (as documented in this foolish post),  I was fool enough to meet with an arrogant fool of a cardiologist,  who did not fool me or my doctors with his declaration that I was a doomed fool for not consulting with him earlier.
2. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.
3. My son, Aaron, born of a foolish mother, is foolishly happy  he will soon be attending the University of Edinburgh , whose alumni include fools like Charles Darwin, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, and J.M. Barrie.
4. Because I’m a foolish mother, I naturally believe that any college admissions offices that do not accept my  son into their schools are fools.
5. According to psychologist Carl Jung, the most developed and highly evolved archetype is The Fool,  as described at a  website discovered by this foolish daily blogger:

The Fool/Jester archetype urges us to enjoy the process of our lives. Although the Fool/Jester can be prone to laziness and dissipation, the positive Fool/Jester invites us all out to play–showing us how to turn our work, our interactions with others, and even the most mundane tasks into FUN. The goal of the Fool/Jester is perhaps the wisest goal of all, which is just to enjoy life as it is, with all its paradoxes and dilemmas. What causes most dread in the Fool/Jester is a lack of stimulation and being ‘not alive’.

I have no foolish photos to show you today.

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April Fools!

Here are lots of pictures recently taken by Ann Koplow, Fool:

 

 

 

I hope you are fool enough to make the foolish choice to leave a comment on this April Fools Day.

Foolish thanks to all who helped me create today’s post and to you (be still, my foolish heart!) for visiting. No fooling!

Day 1031: Hope

I hope I can express, in my first post about hope, how important hope is for human beings who struggle, cope, bruise, and heal.

I hope you understand that I’m saying that hope is important to all of us.

Hope is:

• a word that comes up in therapy, every day.
• something I hold for every person I encounter.
• according to Emily Dickinson, “the thing with feathers.”

I hope you don’t mind if I include that entire Emily Dickinson poem, here.

“Hope” is the thing with feathers – (314)
BY EMILY DICKINSON
“Hope” is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all –

And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard –
And sore must be the storm –
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm –

I’ve heard it in the chillest land –
And on the strangest Sea –
Yet – never – in Extremity,
It asked a crumb – of me.

I hope you see the hope in today’s photos.

I hope I am healthy and you are, too.

I hope you enjoy today’s music!

I hope you share thoughts, feelings, and music about hope, below.

Hopeful thanks to Emily Dickinson, to Frank Sinatra, to children everywhere, to Foxes and Fossils, to Crosby Stills & Nash (for creating “Helplessly Hoping“), to people who hope to heal, and to you — of course! — for reading this post and liking it (I hope).