Day 3698: Take heart

Take heart, my friends.

Take heart, because what else can we do?

Take heart; some heart-related images are on their way from me to you.

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Take heart; I believe in my heart that there are more empathic people than narcissists in this world.

Here’s what I find when I search for “take heart” on YouTube.

Thanks to all who help me take heart every day, including YOU. 💕

Day 3514: Energized

Because I’m only slightly extroverted (according to the Myers-Briggs test), I am energized both by being around people and by being by myself. I’m most energized by an even balance of social interaction and alone time.

I’m also energized by love, nature, group therapy, cats, humor, music, kindness, creativity, curiosity, and (perhaps most importantly) hope.

I hope you are energized by my images for today.

I’m also energized by memories of riding my moped to work, relaxation, and realizing that I don’t have to be right all the time.

Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “energized”:

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Thanks to all who help me stay energized, including YOU!

Day 3100: Now is the perfect time to be brave and courageous.

Now is the perfect time to be brave and courageous, because why wait? Life is short, my brave and courageous friends.

Now is the perfect time to look at all my images for now.

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Now is the perfect time to be brave and courageous and now is the perfect time for peace.

Now is the perfect time to tell you that I rocked my workshop and my speech yesterday!

Now is the perfect time to share what I find when I search YouTube for “now is the perfect time to be brave and courageous.”

Now is the perfect time to leave a comment and now is the perfect time to express my thanks and appreciation for all of you!

Day 3033: Take a breath

“Take a breath” is something I often say to myself and to others in therapy. Take a breath to

• take a break,
• take a step back,
• take care of yourself,
• take care of others,
• slow down,
• reduce anxiety,
• be less impulsive,
• practice radical acceptance,
• get in touch with what you know,
• get in touch with what you do not know,
• gain clarity,
• gain perspective,
• connect with yourself, and
• connect with the universe.

Take a breath as we look at all my images for the day.

It’s like the world is taking breath after justice has been served for George Floyd, who was deprived of his right to take a breath and live.

Here‘s “Take a Breath” by Raffi.

Take a breath and leave a comment, if you choose.

Take a breath and experience my gratitude for all who help me take a breath and blog every day, including YOU.

Day 3009: Incredible life moments

It’s incredible how many incredible life moments I’ve been able to share and experience here.

Over the years, there have been so many incredible life moments where the incredible support of my blogging community has nourished and sustained me.

Here are some incredible life moments from yesterday:

Some of my incredible life moments yesterday included:

• getting our taxes done early,
• dreading the moment of e-filing because of the way the IRS rejected our return last year because someone in the social security office had made the incredible mistake in the past of entering Michael’s birthday incorrectly, which was a bitch to correct during a pandemic, which I won’t take any more incredible life moments to describe,
• talking myself out of my fear of another IRS rejection by reminding myself that the birthday problem had been solved,
• hitting the e-file button,
• the IRS incredibly rejecting my e-file twice, claiming that the 2019 Adjusted Gross Income I entered didn’t match their records, even though it DID,
• listening to incredibly annoying music and recorded people babbling on hold for many incredible life moments, waiting to talk to an H&R Block customer service person,
• listening to incredibly annoying babbling thoughts in my head about how the customer service person would not be able to help me and I’d have to mail in our return just like last year and our refunds would be months late again and why do these things always happen to me blah blah blah,
• reaching an incredibly helpful and empathic customer service person who suggested we try a non-intuitive (to me) workaround solution,
• asking the customer service person to stay on the line with me as I tried to e-file for the third time, and
• SUCCESS!

Here’s what I find when I search YouTube for “incredible life moments”:

It would be an incredible life moment if you left a comment, below.

I am grateful for every incredible life moment, including this one I’m sharing now with you.

Day 2869: Dancing in the streets!

Yesterday, after Joe Biden was finally projected to be the next President of the United States, there was dancing in the streets!

While there was dancing in the streets all around the world, I took these photos on a gorgeous day:

Michael didn’t dance in the streets with my friend Barbara and me, but he danced in his own way yesterday.

I’m looking forward to many more days of dancing in the streets (which I do when I listen to music, no matter what day it is). There’s sure to be a lot more hope and joy in my street dancing now.

Thanks to Barbara, Michael, everybody dancing in the streets, and YOU!

Day 2868: Looking forward to the future

When you are consumed with fear, anger, hopelessness, or helplessness, looking forward to the future is difficult.

After listening to Vice President Joe Biden’s speech last night, I am looking forward to the future again.

I am looking forward to watching his speech for a second time, here and now.

It’s wonderful looking forward to the future through tears of relief.

I am looking forward to the future and

• tonight’s Saturday Night Live hosted by Dave Chappell,
• a good night’s sleep,
• dancing in the street (masked) when the results are finally announced,
• collecting on all the bets I made of cookies and cash that Trump would lose this election, and
• sharing the few images I captured yesterday.

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Looking forward to the future when there isn’t a national sleep deficit.

Looking forward to telling you that this photo from the past of me looking forward to the future …

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… was taken by my excellent ex-husband, Leon Fairbanks, who reads this blog.

Looking forward to the future of reading your comments, below.

Looking forward to the future, as always, with gratitude for all, including YOU.

Day 2811: If you love someone …

• set them free.

• invite them to connect with you.
• tell them you love them, because you don’t know how much time you have left with them.
• take pictures for them.

I took that last picture for people I graduated high school with in 1970, whom I love. I’m looking forward to seeing them at our Zoom reunion tomorrow evening.

If you love someone, what do you do?

I tell them how grateful I am that they (including YOU!) are still on this earth.

Day 2763: People who think they know everything

The Daily Bitch calendar knows something about people who think they know everything.

I’m definitely not a person who thinks she knows everything. For example, last night I spent hours looking for the comet Neowise, not being wise enough to know that the time to view it around here had passed.

Before I shut up about that, I want to share why I spent so much time looking for Neowise last night.  When my beloved father died in March of 1997, a spectacular comet, Hale-Bopp, was in the sky. I went looking for that comet with my son’s father, knowing that would help me say goodbye to my dad.  I know we found that glorious comet and I remember how I imagined my father’s beautiful soul becoming part of it forever.

When I realized that there was another fantastic comet in the sky while our beloved cat Oscar was dying, I knew it would help to find that comet to say goodbye.  I didn’t know that the last night to successfully view Neowise around here was Tuesday, the night before our Oscar passed from this realm.

If you know me at all, you know that I still enjoyed the process of looking for Neowise last night, with two phone apps and a pair of binoculars given to me by my knowing husband, Michael.

I hope you know that looking for Neowise helped me last night.  Even though I couldn’t see it in the sky — partly because the Northwest view from here is towards the lights of Boston — I knew it was there and so did my “Find Neowise” phone app.

I don’t know everything but I do know Oscar lives on in my heart . Last night, my very unusual heart did noticeably better as I climbed the hills near our home.  I know it helps to believe that Oscar, with his love, strength, and persistence, is part of me now.

Here‘s “How Little We Know,” sung knowingly by Carmen McRae.

I know people are going to leave great comments about this “People who think they know everything” post.

People who think they know this blog know that I always end with gratitude for everything, including YOU.

 

 

 

Day 2749: Don’t give up

Don’t give up on

• yourself,
• other people,
• animals,
• nature,
• human nature,
• art,
• creativity,
• ingenuity,
• imagination,
• intuition,
• resiliency,
• acceptance,
• awareness,
• contemplation,
• achievable next steps,
• self-care,
• care for others,
• hope,
• kindness,
• empathy,
• the present,
• the future, or
• The Daily Bitch Calendar.

I won’t give up my iPhone, because it lets me easily take photos like these:

Don’t give up on your ability to perceive.  What do you see in that photo (or any other one)?

Here‘s “Don’t Give Up” by Peter Gabriel, featuring Kate Bush:

Don’t give up on future hugs. In the meantime, hug yourself (it helps!).

Don’t give up on gratitude — try to experience and express it, every day.