Day 1458: We’re still alive

Yesterday, in a therapy group, somebody said, “We’re still alive.”  Since that phrase felt very alive to me, I wrote it on my white board, where it still is.

I heard and wrote that shortly  before I found out that Carrie Fisher was no longer alive, when I  read this on Facebook: “We lost a Jedi.”

I still believe it’s important,  every day, to remember we’re still alive, because eventually every one of us will be still.

Here‘s the best song for this post —  Stephen Sondheim’s “I’m Still Here” from Carrie Fisher’s Postcards from the Edge:

 

I often sing that song when I walk around, still alive,  and see scenes like this:

Which images are still alive, for you?

I’m very grateful we’re still alive as I thank all  who helped me create this post and you — of course —  for still being here.

Day 746: I’m here!

Yesterday morning, I got an email from my downstairs neighbor, Karen, with this subject:

PENNY THE PEN IS ON YOUR STEPS GOING UP TO YOUR APT ON THE BACK STEPS‏

I herein realized, “Oh, no!   I’ve lost track of Penny the Pen* twice in two days!”

The rest of Karen’s email is here:

Dear Ann,  I moved it up from the back hall as you walk in because I didn’t want Faxy to chew it and I meant to email you last night.  Sorry i didn’t. But she is there today and waiting to picked up.  Love, Karen

Here’s what I want to say about that email:

• Karen is apologizing, like a lot of people I know here on this earth, for no good reason, since she is doing me a huge favor.
• Karen refers to Penny as “it” and “she” here,  which makes me feel a little bit better about referring to Faxy sometimes as “he” and “she.”
• Lots of people here might not know who Faxy is.

That’s Faxy,  Karen’s adorable dog, saying “I’m here!”  She most recently appeared in my New Year’s Eve post,  here.

Thank you, Karen, for preventing Faxy from saying, “I’m here” to Penny by chewing her to pieces.

I’m here to tell you that after I got that great email from Karen, I went out into the hallway, and found this here:

This Mommy is glad that Karen is here and that I’m here, too.

I’m here to tell you I then snapped these photos, to let you know that Penny is still here, thanks to Karen:

  

This may be neither here nor there, but those three photos show that I’m now being more careful that Penny stays here with us, as I transport her between home and my office.

After an interesting day at work yesterday, where several people said, “I’m here!” in their own healing ways in individual and group therapy, I walked back to my car, through the frozen Fenway Park area of Boston. When it’s very cold and I’m here in the friggin’ freezing Northeastern USA, I don’t pause to pose Penny in pictures, purely to make sure that both Penny and I feel fine.

However, be assured that I’m here with Penny while  snapping each of these following images:

      

 

Whenever I walk by that statue of my old hero, Captain Carl Yastrzemski, I salute him, just to let him know “I’m here!” (and so are you, Carl, as I’m writing this.)

After I got home from work last night — saying, “I’m here!” to my boyfriend Michael — Michael (and, later, my son Aaron) tried to guess what the “I’m here Mommy!” sign meant. In the meantime, I took these here three photos :

   

What else did I want to say about “I’m here (Mommy!)” before I leave here for cardiac rehab AND a full Friday’s workday?

1. I’m very glad I’m here, in the blog-o-sphere, work-o-sphere, and long-weekend-o-sphere (starting tomorrow).
2. My 16-year-old son, Aaron, never, ever called me “Mommy.” (He called me “Mama” when he was little.)
3. I called my late mother “Mommy” when I was a little kid.
4. To me, the most impressive “I’m here Mommy!”  photo here in this here entire post is that of the shy white-and-tiger kitty, Harley, who is so skittish I wonder what happened with his mommy and others in his life, during the two years before he communicated “I’m here Mommy!” straight to my heart  in a local adoption shelter.

What music is saying “I’m here” to me, in the moment?

Elaine Stritch, who is no longer here with us — but who was here for 89 years (mommy!) before she died last year — is singing Stephen Sondheim‘s “I’m Still Here” still here, on YouTube.

Feel free to let me know “I’m here!” by leaving a comment below for this proud Mommy.

Many thanks to Karen, Faxy, Aaron, Michael, Captain Carl, Elaine Stritch, Penny the Pen,  my ex-business partner Jonathan (who took the fabulous photo of the little kid with the aardvark), my patients, mommies (and non-mommies) everywhere, and all those who say “I’m here!” as best they can, including you (of course!).

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* Penny the Pen is saying “I’m here Mommy!” in her special way in previous posts here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Day 250: Things Not To Fear (I’m Still Here)

Thing Not To Fear #1:  If you make a mistake in the midst of doing a really great job, the mistake is the only thing that will linger.

One Reason Not to Fear THAT:  Everybody makes mistakes.  Mistakes make you human, resulting in other humans connecting with you even more.

Thing Not to Fear #2:  Public speaking.

One Reason Not to Fear THAT: Most humans are anxious about public speaking, so if you are at all anxious about that, they will join with you about that, too.

Thing Not to Fear #3:  That you will die today.

One Reason Not to Fear THAT: Looking at all the data, it’s extremely unlikely (even if it would make a good story). *

Thing Not to Fear #4: If you share a song with people — even if you recently shared another song by the same composer — they will get annoyed with you.

Reason Not to Fear THAT: The vast majority of people will NOT get annoyed by something like that.

Another Reason Not to Fear THAT: If anybody does get annoyed, that will pass, very soon.

To conclude, this song is in honor of me, doing the Heart Walk today, raisin’ money and celebrating my 50 years of living with cardiac pacemakers. (It’s also in honor of two people who have helped me get through many things: Carol Burnett and Stephen Sondheim.) **

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Many thanks to everybody!

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• Or, at least, a very ironic story.

** Who are both still here, on September 7, 2013.  Thank goodness for that.