Day 3589: Hideaway

I’ve been spending many hours thinking about how to remodel our upstairs shower, because I want that to be a hideaway.

I don’t want to hide away why that’s so important to me: When I was a child spending too much time alone in the hospital, the private bathroom with a tub, at the end of the long hallway, was really my only hideaway. The rest of the time, I was under the eyes of doctors and nurses, hooked up to a cardiac monitor that beeped out my unusual heartbeat, day and night.

Years ago in therapy, I gave myself the healing assignment of drawing a floor plan of that Children’s Hospital cardiac unit, and the room with the tub stood out as a precious and safe hideaway.

I’m also thinking of how Jerry Seinfeld described the shower as a hideaway:

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Do you see any hideaways in my images for today?

It’s such an amazing coincidence that I’m writing about hideaways on National Hermit Day!

Here’s “Hideaway” by the incredible Jacob Collier:

I can’t hide away my gratitude for all who help me share these daily posts, including YOU.

Day 3411: Feet

Feet are on my mind this morning because I love to walk and I’ve been having some pain in my feet.

I wonder if my feet will take me to a doctor before taking me on to a plane this Monday to fly my feet and the rest of me to Portland, Oregon.

Yesterday, I was on my feet while I was capturing these images:

I don’t know if my feet will let me celebrate Dance Like a Chicken Day, since I have been groaning after putting on my shoes, just like the Daily Bitch.

This was what my ears were listening to yesterday when I started worrying about my feet:

Before my feet lead me into this beautiful day, thanks to all who help me take the steps to create this daily blog, including YOU!

Day 3407: Good answers

People often come to therapy for good answers to troubling questions about life.

This book, which was recommended by my good friend and fellow therapist Megan …

… is giving some good answers to the question of how to deal with painful feelings in ourselves and others. Here’s what I’m reading this morning:

Though all emotional healing requires it, listening to pain is difficult — and the greater the pain, the more difficult it is to listen to. The dark emotions are uncomfortable; they are also contagious. Their energies flow through and between and among us without regard for the boundaries we erect to keep ourselves separate. If we are unable to tolerate some discomfort, it’s hard to listen to dark feelings in ourselves or others. Our best, most compassionate intentions are thwarted, our connections marred by the shadow of intolerable emotions. We become inured to the incessant cacophony of the world’s suffering, limited in our authenticity and responsiveness. And we suffer from not knowing the darker side of ourselves.

Greenspan, 2004, p. 15

Often a good answer to the unrelenting grief, fear, and despair in the world is to take a break from all that. Those breaks can be moments of deep breathing or getting away for a vacation. A good answer for me, here and now, is taking two weeks off from work, starting this Saturday, and flying to Portland, Oregon to visit my college roommate Maria.

Do you see good answers in any of my other images for today?

The Daily Bitch often has good answers, don’t you think?

Here’s my good answer to my own question of what music you would like to share with others:

I look forward to people’s good answers in the comments section, below.

Gratitude is a good answer for everything, so thanks to all who visit my daily blog, including YOU.

Day 3406: Harmonies

Last night, after a two-year COVID delay, I finally got to experience, in person, the incredible musicianship, energy, and harmonies of Jacob Collier in concert. This is how Wikipedia begins the entry on Jacob Collier:

The atmosphere at Boston’s House of Blues last night was filled with harmonies, with the audience in rapt attention, Jacob and his band and crew creating otherworldly harmonies, and no restrictions on photographs or videos! At one point, I did try to capture the exquisite harmonies of a Jacob Collier concert with this video:

I just searched YouTube for “Jacob Collier live audience harmonies” and immediately found this.

The teenage boys behind me in line seemed to know everything about Jacob’s harmonies and they were very impressed when I told them I had seen Miles Davis in Boston in 1969. The guy sitting next to me at the concert, who used to play guitar with Rahsaan Roland Kirk and who sang some great harmonies with me, told me he had seen Jacob twice before and that it was “life changing.” Jacob had so much fun creating harmonies with his amazing band and with us that I got home very late, but I’m ready to create harmonies with the world and at work as soon as I finish the harmonies in this blog post.

I look forward to the harmonies you create in the comments section below and thanks to all who help me create harmonies in this blog every day, including YOU!

Day 3405: Best Things

When I looked at my images for today, I decided that the best thing to call today’s post was “Best Things.” Do you agree?

Mothers are the best things but let’s not force women into being mothers, okay?

One of the best things about today is that I’m finally getting to see Jacob Collier in concert after a COVID-related delay of two years!

This is what I find on YouTube when I search for “Jacob Collier best things.”

What are you thoughts and feelings about best things?

Gratitude is the best thing for me to focus on these days, so thanks to all who help me create this daily blog, including YOU!

Day 3196: Fascinating

It’s fascinating to me how much it improves my mood to title today’s blog post “Fascinating” (rather than “Afraid to Look” or “Big Setbacks” or other more negative titles I was considering).

If I can approach life with curiosity and openness to how fascinating everything is, I feel stronger, more hopeful, and better equipped to meet the inevitable ups and downs of existence.

Which of today’s images do you find fascinating?

It’s fascinating to me that today is National Black Dog Day, National Hair Day, Fire Pup Day, National Homemade Cookies Day, National Manufacturing Day, National Body Language Day, AND World Smile Day.

Here’s Gershwin’s “Fascinating Rhythm“ as performed by Jacob Collier…

… and my lyrics for “Fascinating Rhythm” — “Vaccinated Women.”

It’s fascinating to me that when I wrote that, seven months ago, I had no idea how controversial the COVID vaccines could be. It’s fascinating that I had no hesitation in getting the booster shot as soon as I could, and yet people I love and respect are refusing to get vaccinated at all.

What do you find fascinating? I look forward to reading your fascinating comments, below.

It’s fascinating how much gratitude helps, so thanks to all who read this blog, including fascinating YOU!

Day 3159: Making Meaning

As we humans make our way through life, we often try making meaning of our experience and existence.

This morning, I tried making meaning soon after I woke up by sending out this tweet:

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Almost immediately, somebody on Twitter helped me make meaning by replying with this:

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For me, making meaning also includes capturing images and sharing them with you here.

As the Daily Bitch knows, our parents are a major part of our making meaning.

I’ll try making making more meaning of this post by including the two YouTube videos ( here and here) I shared on Twitter yesterday:

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How are you making meaning these days?

For me, making meaning always involves gratitude, so thanks to all who help me make this daily blog, including YOU.

Day 2974: Neighborhoods

I inhabit several neighborhoods — real, virtual, and imaginary, as you can see.

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Even though I’m ambiviralent, I hope my new lyrics to “Fascinating Rhythm” help me go viral in the social media neighborhoods.

Vaccinated Women

by Ann Koplow

Vaccinated women, we’re shopping at stores.

Vaccinated women, we’re all a-quiver.

We are celebrating, the neighbors want to know

How we managed rating when they’re chopped liver.

Each morning we get up with the sun

And have no cares getting all our chores done.

Vaccinated women, you see us on the go

Vaccinated women, you might be asking.

How can you be certain which ones of us are

Vaccinated women, since we’re still masking.

Just look closely into our eyes and then you’ll see

Vaccinated women, happy and safe like me!

Vaccinated women, we don’t want to boast

Lord it over others, or make them jealous.

Vaccinated women, what would please us most

Is vaccine distribution to all gals and fellas.

We hope that everyone over the world will join us soon

Vaccinated people, out, safe, and over the moon!

© Ann Koplow, 2021

In my imaginary neighborhood, Jacob Collier lives nearby, so here‘s Jacob’s arrangement and performance of the Gershwins’ “Fascinating Rhythm.”

I’m grateful to my neighbors in all my neighborhoods, including YOU!

Day 2960: All I need

It’s wonderful to be able to write, here and now, that I have all I need.

Before my birthday last week, I let my husband Michael know that I had all I need. I told him that if he needed to give me a gift, I would be happy with his replacing a bathroom lightbulb.

All I need is to share this photo …

… and this joke:

How many therapists does it take to change a lightbulb? One, but the lightbulb really has to want to change.

If this therapist had changed that lightbulb, she would have needed a ladder.

If you need more lightbulb jokes, here they are:

https://www.scarymommy.com/lightbulb-jokes/?amp

All I need is to share these other images with you:

Because I have all I need, I didn’t need to buy any of those items I photographed in the market last night.

All the Collies, I mean the Hollies, need is the air that they breathe and to love you.

Here’s “All I Need” from Jacob Collier featuring Mahalia:

All I need now is to ask for comments and to express my thanks to YOU.

Day 2930: Home is

Home is

• where the heart is.
• where I hang my masks.
• where I don’t have to wear a mask.
• where I’m writing this blog post.
• where I have all my feelings.
• where I try to let go of fear, worry, anxiety, and despair.
• a comfort to me.
• where I feel safe.
• where I am doing my remote Coping and Healing groups.
• where I gather my strength.
• where I live with my husband Michael and our cat Harley.
• like the best restaurant ever because Michael is such a great cook.
• where I took these photos:

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Home is different things to different people.

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“Home is” by Jacob Collier is what I was listening to yesterday when I took those photos of homes.

Home is where I’ll be awaiting any comments on today’s post.

Home is where I am grateful, here and now, for all who help me feel like I’m always at home, including YOU.