Day 3513: Significance/Insignificance

Today’s significant Daily Bitch Calendar is about insignificance.

This reminds me of a conversation about over-responsibility I had with Mia of MiAlisa salon on Saturday …

… in which I told her about a significant phrase I find useful: “We are neither as important nor as unimportant as we fear.”

Do you see significance or insignificance in my other images for today?

As usual, there is significance and insignificance in the National Days.

I’m not sure how significant it is that I’m close to 30,000 followers on Twitter, but I wrote a song about it anyway (using a significant tune written by Steve Winwood and Jim Capaldi).

Whatever your thoughts and feelings are about insignificance/significance, they are significant to me.

Thanks to all who help me create the insignificant and the significant entries in this daily blog, including YOU.

Day 3380: Fear

Yesterday, in my Coping and Healing therapy group, people talked about fear. The discussions included (1) the differences among feeling fearful, frightened, and afraid, (2) fear as one of the primal emotions, (3) the movie Inside Out (which I resolved to watch again before our next meeting), and inviting fear to come in and take a seat while we talked about it.

Do you see fear in any of my images for today?

I never fear sharing the Daily Bitch calendar here.

When I search YouTube for “fear” I find this …

… and this:

I have no fear about the comments you might leave about this “fear” post.

Thanks to all who help me overcome any fears I might have about sharing thoughts, feelings, images, and videos every day, including YOU.

Day 3338: What’s trending

What’s “trending” according to the dictionary?

Every morning, when I use Google to search for “National Days,” a list of what’s trending automatically pops up. I don’t particularly want to know what’s trending, but here’s what’s trending today:

What’s trending, not surprisingly, includes

• more fears than facts,
• click-bait,
• major omissions (including Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address), and
• pancakes.

Is anything trending in my other images for today?

I’m thinking that on National Old Stuff Day, a lot of old stuff — old patterns, old habits, old beliefs, old fears, old perspectives — is trending. At the group therapy conference I’m attending, people are trying to trend towards new, healthier, and more authentic ways of being.

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

What’s trending where you are?

Gratitude is always trending here, so thanks to all who help me create this daily blog, including YOU.

Day 3344: FEAR is Forgetting Everything’s All Right

In a Coping and Healing Group this week, one of the members shared a very helpful phrase that a cherished friend had given her years ago:

FEAR is Forgetting Everything’s All Right.

People in the group, including me, had very strong, positive reactions to this gift the group member paid forward to us.

Since then, I’ve shared that gift with several people and the reaction has been the same: a pause and then an expression of gratitude.

As a habitual catastrophizer, who typically fears the worst case scenario no matter what the situation, I am finding this idea incredibly healing. And it’s helping me deal with

• my own fears,
• other people’s fears or other reactions,
• my work as a clinical social worker,
• relationships,
• our cat’s health issues,
• my health issues,
• home issues,
• money issues,
• preparing my taxes,
• uncertainties about the future,
• an over abundance of empathy, and
• the news.

If I have any fear about the images I’m about to share, then I’m Forgetting Everything’s All Right.

I have no fear about setting a good example, pistachios, or telling fairy tales, which are all right.

When I search YouTube for “fear is forgetting everything’s all right, I find this, which includes other acronyms for FEAR — False Evidence Appearing Real and Face Everything And Recover.

I have no fear about comments you might leave.

I’m not forgetting everything’s all right, nor my gratitude to all who help me create this daily blog, including YOU.

Day 3343: Moments of inner peace

Yesterday, for the mindfulness exercise in both of my Coping and Healing groups, I invited people to access moments of inner peace. Then, last night, I asked this question on Twitter:

Somebody in group last night brought some moments of inner peace by sharing this: FEAR is Forgetting Everything is All Right.

It’s challenging to find moments of inner peace during times of conflict, stress, pandemics, injustice, and war. However, people somehow find those moments of inner peace through nature, meditation, music, animals, friends, family, self care, and love.

Can you find some moments of inner peace in my images for today?

Despite having an appointment to bring Harley to the vet today during a snowstorm, I’m still finding moments of inner peace.

This is what I find on YouTube when I search for “moments of inner peace.”

I also find this:

I look forward to moments of inner peace reading your comments.

I’m grateful for all my moments of inner peace and for YOU.

Day 3312: People’s responses

In the past, I’ve sometimes been hesitant to say or do something for fear of people’s responses. The responses I’ve feared have included:

• anger,
• disinterest,
• new upsetting information,
• misunderstandings,
• hurt feelings,
• needless worry,
• judgment,
• more work for me,
• disconnection, and
• no response at all.

I continually work on the courage to say and do what’s important without fear of people’s responses.

I wonder what people’s responses will be to today’s images:

I wonder what people’s responses will be to today’s National Days? And I assume that people’s responses to Michael’s first attempt at banana bread would be similar to mine: “OMG! This is so delicious!”

This is the first thing that pops up on YouTube when I search for “people’s responses”:

It helps me to know about other people’s responses to non-responsiveness.

No matter what people’s responses are, I’m grateful for you, every day!

Day 3306: Chillax

Because I can’t seem to break my habit of worrying about (1) possible catastrophes, (2) not responding quickly enough to everyone, and (3) inexplicably high numbers for my weight and my INR, I am telling myself (and anyone else who needs to hear it) to chillax.

If you don’t know what “chillax” means, chillax. Here’s a definition.

These days, I can dance to my favorite tune or chillax, but I can’t have friends over because of Omicron.

Yesterday, in a remote Coping and Healing therapy group, we helped each other chillax by consciously letting go of fears and accepting our own worth.

I recently committed to doing another remote Open Mic on Friday and doing a presentation about my groups in February, so I need to chillax about both of those. I have a tendency to get nervous about performances, even though I’ve done so many before, so (say it along with me, please) …

Chillax.

After I get up every precious morning, I chillax by creating this blog. Do any of my images for today help you chillax?

I don’t know what “World Quark Day” is, but I’m going to chillax about that. Also, I’ve been eating way too much popcorn lately, which might explain the weight gain, so instead of eating popcorn on National Popcorn Day, I’m going to chillax.

Joan chillaxes by fetching her favorite toy.

What helps you chillax?

Ending each daily blog post with gratitude helps me chillax, so thanks to everyone who is visiting here now, including YOU.

Day 3302: A moment’s peace

During these times, it’s even more challenging to get a moment’s peace. That’s why I took a moment to ask this question on Twitter last night:

I’m working on getting a moment’s peace, here and now, while it’s very cold and windy outside.

Personally, I find it more difficult to get a moment’s peace when I’m scared and those temperatures feel scary!

Can you find a moment’s peace in any of my other images for today?

.

If I have to go out today, wearing a hat might give me a moment’s peace.

Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “a moment’s peace.”

How do you get a moment’s peace?

I’m grateful for everything and everybody that helps me get a moment’s peace, including YOU.

Day 3169: What we can learn from cats

I believe there’s a lot we can learn from cats. The trouble with cats is that they’re not talking, so we have to figure out these lessons for ourselves.

As I observe our two cats, I learn to be more in the moment, letting go of regret about the past and fears about the future.

Lately, I’ve been watching our cats rather than watching TV.

I also learn that very territorial creatures can somehow work out differences and coexist in the same place, without bloodshed.

Can you learn anything from my other images today?

Maybe we can learn something from the song “Everybody Wants to be a Cat.”

What do you think we can learn from cats? I know I can learn from your comments, below.

I am grateful to all the cool cats I learn from, including YOU!

Day 3147: Superstitious

Not that I’m superstitious, but sometimes I think it’s tempting fate to leave out a definition at the beginning of a blog post.

I actually don’t know how superstitious I am, even though I asked that question on Twitter last night.

I grew up in a family where it was considered bad luck to say anything positive about one’s situation — that attracted the evil eye. I rebelled against that pretty early on and this was a typical conversation when I was young:

Me: This is going to turn out great!

My mother: Don’t give a kanahora.

Me: That’s not the way it works, you know. What I say doesn’t affect the outcome.

And yes — what I said didn’t affect the outcome there. My mother, who was otherwise extremely logical and sensible, still felt compelled to say “don’t give a kanahora” when I said something too positive about the future.

I think most of us have little, automatic superstitions like that. I often witness people knocking on wood, talking about jinxing things, etc. This week in a therapy group, somebody expressed the fear that when things got too good, something bad was bound to happen.

I’m crossing my fingers that we all have a safe and happy Friday the 13th and that you enjoy my other images for today.

In honor of International Left Handers Day, this lefty is going to share a favorite song with you:

I am super grateful for every day and, also, for YOU!