Day 3414: What I forgot to pack

Whenever I pack for a trip, I make many decisions about what to take and what to leave behind. Rather than get too caught up in perfectionism about that, I remind myself that no matter what I forget to pack, I can always adapt. At the same time, I make sure that I have my medication, my identification, a device so I can blog and tweet, and layers of clothing to wear no matter what the weather.

Yesterday, when I was packing for my trip to Portland, I couldn’t decide whether to take a portable music keyboard. I packed it, took it out, and then repacked it again.

On the way to the airport, I talked to my Lyft driver about that nagging feeling that I had forgotten SOMETHING. He related to that, mentioning a toothbrush as something he had forgotten to pack in previous travels.

When I was on board the plane, I felt pretty secure I had everything I needed for the ride, including masks, something to read, and snacks (especially useful because the airline announced that only people who had reserved food over a week ago could get any). After my friend Maria picked me up at the Portland airport and I got settled in her lovely home, I realized, as usual, that there was one thing I had forgotten to pack.

Let’s see if my readers can guess what that might be, as they look through the images in today’s blog.

Happy National Pack Rat Day (which seems somehow appropriate as I post about packing). And by the way, I didn’t pack walnuts, cherry cobbler, or a graduation tassel and I’m not in Idaho, but I’m okay with all that.

Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “what I forgot to pack.”

Hint: I didn’t pack everything on her list and she didn’t have what I forgot on hers.

Don’t forget to comment with your thoughts about this what-I-forgot-to-pack post and thanks to all who help me blog every day (no matter where in the world I am), including YOU!

Day 3350: How are you going to live each day?

How are you going to live each day amidst so much injustice, pain, brutality, loss, and uncertainty?

How are you going to live each day to make it matter?

How are you going to live each day balancing other people’s needs with your needs?

Each day I live, I look at the news and all the images I’ve captured on my phone, and that’s why today’s blog post title is “How are you going to live each day?“

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Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “How are you going to live each day?”

While that video says we should live each day like it’s our last, in this video Leana Delle says the opposite:

I live each day with gratitude for all that I have, including YOU.

Day 3089: Many happy returns

I have many happy returns to share in today’s post, including the return of my son Aaron from Scotland to Boston.

I was happy to return yesterday to my home work desk, Twitter, Wollaston Beach, the Kindness Rocks Project, Logan Airport, and Facebook; Aaron was happy to return to our home; and Harley was happy to return to our couches (if not happy about Aaron’s return).

I’m happy you’ve returned here today to share in our happiness.

The Daily Bitch is happy to return on this many happy returns day.

Stephen Colbert was happy to return to the studio after being away for 460 days.

If you have thoughts and feelings to share about this many-happy-returns post, please return to the comments section, below.

I am happy to return your support of this blog with my support and undying gratitude.

Day 3053: Best strangers

While I was waiting for my driver yesterday morning to take me to Boston’s Logan Airport, I got these notifications about best strangers from Lyft:

The concept of “best strangers” is no stranger than anything else that is happening during these stranger times. Also, it felt stranger to me to be traveling to Nashville on my own, but so far I have met many best strangers here.

That’s my Lyft driver in Nashville, John, who was a best stranger in so many ways. He thought my song “Everybody’s Somebody’s Asshole,” was great, and he didn’t seem to think that it was stranger of me to sing it for him before my Open Mic last night. He also predicted that I wouldn’t want to leave Nashville on Thursday and, believe me, I’ve heard stranger predictions.

Here are two best strangers at the Graduate Hotel in Nashville — Alyssa and Luke.

Best stranger Luke showed me a photo of best dog Skippy.

At the Open Mic at the Tennessee Brew Works last night, I met best strangers Tio and Laura.

Tio and Laura also performed at the Open Mic and they were the best! Note that they both worked on creating Tio’s best jacket.

Tio and I were best strangers for each other when we recorded each other’s performances. Here’s mine, with lots of background noise from many best strangers.

Gracie, who was the best M.C. of the best Open Mic I’ve ever seen, told me she spent four years in Boston as a student at Berklee, which I didn’t find strange at all.

Do you see other best strangers in my other best photos from yesterday?

It’s crazy how many best strangers there are out here.

Don’t be a stranger; please leave best and/or stranger comments, below.

Gratitude makes any best stranger into a good friend, so thanks to all who read my best AND stranger blog posts, including YOU.

Day 2393: Locations

There are many locations in the news today, including

• Iran,
• England,
• the U.S.,
• Hong Kong, and
• the moon.

How are things in your location?

Yesterday, in my location, I was focusing on the location of my upcoming show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, as you can see in this email I sent to my “Venue Captain.”

Hi!

I’m working on my flyer so I wanted to know if the venue was handicapped accessible. Also, would you say it’s considered a little out of the way? I’m thinking of saying it’s not too far from St. George Square Gardens and/or the Meadows Tennis Court. Does that seem like a good way to get visitors to find it and not be too discouraged by the distance?

Also, if I put chairs in a circle how many people do you think could fit in the room?

Many thanks,
Ann (of Group “Therapy” with Ann)

By the way, I had one of those locations wrong — the correct name for that Edinburgh landmark  would be “George Square Gardens.” 

I don’t know the current location of my Venue Captain, but he was kind enough to email me back immediately .

Call me if u can. The spot the Venue is not out of the way from anything it’s in a great spot it’s next to summer Hall … I’m not next to my computer but it’s not like New York City where you have a show in Brooklyn and listen everybody’s excited to see shows ..don’t even mention anything you just tell them where it is it’s next to summer Hall . ..use google maps … download the app… so don’t worry about anything …

No matter what the location is, I agree with the Venue Captain, my Captain, that it doesn’t help to worry. Here’s what my captain said about the size of the room:

if you put people in a circle you might get 10 12 15 I’m not sure, it’s not a very big Room …I don’t know if you saw pictures of it

My captain told me not to worry about anything, so I won’t worry about what might happen if more than fifteen people show up at that location on August 19 at 13:00.  Just like the five groups I do every week in the location of a hospital-based Primary Care Practice in Boston, I will do my best not to turn anybody away.

In my current location on the South Shore of Boston, I spent many hours yesterday trying to add a map with the location of my  Edinburgh Fringe Festival  venue to my flyer.  This is the best map I’ve been able to capture so far:

Now that my son Aaron is in the same location as me (after arriving last night in Boston from his previous location in Jordan), I’m sure he’ll help me  locate a better map locating my venue location on my flyer.

Here’s a video recommending locations to eat in Edinburgh:

I’ve been to a few of those locations (as you can see in locations here, here, here, here, here, and here).  After watching that video, I’m adding several of those locations to my list of new locations to try.

Because my current location is so hot, I have only a few other photos of other locations to share today.

Before reaching that Logan Airport location last night to await the arrival of my son Aaron,  Michael and I revisited the location of Rincon Limeño, a wonderful Peruvian restaurant in East Boston.  At that location, I took this photo, knowing it would appear in this exact location in today’s blog.

Thanks to all who helped me create this “locations” post and to YOU, no matter what your location is, here and now.

 

Day 2337: Maintaining Positive Mental Health

In yesterday’s mostly positive post, I shared this information about maintaining positive mental health:

Tip 1: Connect with others.

Tip 2: Be physically active.

Tip 3: Get professional help if needed (not pictured, but click on the link if needed).

Tip 4: Celebrate every moment.

Tip 5: Be aware of the time, so you can savor it without rushing.

Tip 6: Try not to get overwhelmed by all the data out there.

Tip 7: Observe, just notice.

Tip 8: Welcome everyone and everything.

Tip 9: Travel thoughtfully.

Tip 10: Spend time with people you love.

Tips 11 and 12: Smile and travel light.

Tip 13: Use any excuse …

… to share music you love (here and here on YouTube):

Tip 14:  Practice the helpful antidote to the cognitive distortion of mind reading by reality testing — asking for reactions from people you respect (that’s you, readers!)

Tip 15: Express gratitude, every day.

Day 2183: It’s What’s Inside That Counts

Yesterday, when Michael and I were inside a Target Store, counting the moments until  my son was going to arrive from inside the United Kingdom to inside Boston’s Logan Airport, I saw this inside the Target gift section:

Inside my mind, I counted several ways that “It’s What’s Inside That Counts” could count, counting on that to be the title of my next blog.

No matter what our appearance at whatever age, it’s what’s inside that counts.

No matter  what we’re wearing, it’s what’s inside that counts.

We may hide,

duck,

and pretend to be something we’re not, but it’s what’s inside that counts, so we might as well be honest.

Let’s see what counts inside the rest of my photos from yesterday.

It’s what’s inside Aaron’s room that counts — it’s Aaron! (And he’s majoring in mathematics —  does that count?)

I’m counting two songs titled “It’s What’s Inside That Counts” — one from Cinderella 2:

and this one from The Mighty Boosh:

It’s what’s inside that counts, so please leave your inside thoughts and feelings inside the comments section, below.

Countless thanks to all who help me create these posts and  to my readers, who — of course! — count.

Day 2038: I give up!

In the last two thousand and thirty-eight days of blogging and living, I have never said, written, or thought, “I give up!” Today, I am saying, writing, and thinking it. Why? Because starting yesterday, every time I use my laptop to try to create a new blog post, contact WordPress support, or do many other essential tasks, all WordPress gives me is this unhelpful, unchanging screen:

That gives me nothing and no way to post or to get help.

I’ve given this a lot of time and many attempts at solving this. My mind is giving me no more ideas and options.

I give up!

But I can NOT give up blogging, no matter how many new obstacles life gives me, because this blog and my readers give me so much.

So how can I keep giving myself and my readers more daily gifts?

My phone does not give me the ability to contact WordPress for help, but it does give me the ability to create a new post.

So I can give you, today, this daily blog and give you my latest photos.

Harley is obscured there, just like solutions to my blogging problem are hidden from me now. Is it curtains for my blog? Or will some solution become clear and emerge?

Is there a recipe of steps that will give me back the ability to blog from my laptop? If not, maybe I can give myself comfort with the delicious food Michael gives me.

Maybe some computer genius, somewhere, will give me some solution to my WordPress problem. If not, I’ll just keep blogging, giving up disappointment and judgment.

This is the kind of look I give the world when I’ve had no sleep the night before. I’m going to give my haircutter, Mia, a look at this photo the next time I see her, so she can give me a similar haircut next time.

Even if nobody can give me the answer on how to blog again on my laptop, my phone will be just that good as my daily blogging machine.

I give my patients the choice of five “Coping and Healing” groups every week. This gives me tremendous satisfaction.

If you were lost in the woods — of WordPress or elsewhere — and it got dark, what would you do? I’ll give you all the time you need to think about that.

Michael keeps giving us amazing meals — that’s the one he gave us last night before we gave my son Aaron a ride to the airport.

I took this photo to give me a clue about how to find my car in the enormous and confusing parking lot at the airport, which always gives me a headache.

After I took that picture, we did not give up when we were told that Aaron needed a printed-out visa to board his flight to India, even though a website had given him the erroneous information that he could board by giving the visa information on his phone. Michael and Aaron gave me his bags to watch while they ran to the Hilton Hotel, which had printers which gave Aaron what he needed.

I give up trying to explain that any better.

Is it time for you to give up some comments below?

First, give it up for Jason Mraz performing “I Won’t Give Up.”

I now give up thanks for all people, animals, and things that help me create this daily blog, despite all the obstacles life gives me.

… “You’re golden!”

Day 1973: What do you see?

What do you see in this photo?

What do you see?  I wonder if I’ll see what you see in a comment below.

What do I see?  A musical note AND a twist of thread on a bed.

See?  What you see and what I see may be the same, or it may be different.

What do you see in my other photos from yesterday?

 

Sometimes we see what we want to see. I wanted to see my son arriving last night from Edinburgh, and I did!

What do you see in this YouTube video?

What do you see at the end of every post from me?

Gratitude and thanks.

 

 

Day 1883: Affiliate

Because I affiliate myself with a blog that often defines terms, here are some definitions of “affiliate”:

af·fil·i·ate
verb
əˈfilēˌāt
1. officially attach or connect (a subsidiary group or a person) to an organization.
“the college is affiliated with the University of Wisconsin”
synonyms: associate with, unite with, combine with, join (up) with, link up with, team up with, ally with, align with, band together with, federate with, amalgamate with, merge with; More
noun
əˈfilēət
1. a person or organization officially attached to a larger body.
“the company established links with British affiliates”
synonyms: partner, branch, offshoot, subsidiary

 

affiliated; affiliating
transitive verb
1 a : to bring or receive into close connection as a member or branch. “The medical school is affiliated with a hospital.”
b : to associate as a member. ” She affiliates herself with the local club.”
2 : to trace the origin of. “They affiliated Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” to earlier plays.”
intransitive verb
: to connect or associate oneself : combine.  “She refused to affiliate with any political party.”

 

I am officially attached and connected to a national organization of group psychotherapists which has multiple local affiliates. Therefore, today I am associating, uniting, combining, joining, up, linking up, teaming up, allying, aligning, banding together, federating, amalgamating, and merging with representatives of other local affiliates for many hours in Houston, Texas,  a state affiliated with the United States of America.

Are any of today’s blog-affiliated photos good representations of  “affiliate”?

 

 

 

 

There are many children’s book characters affiliated with Massachusetts.

 

 

That skating rink is affiliated with the Galleria Mall in Houston — an unexpected affiliation to me.

“I L-O-V-E U” by Take 6 uses the word “affiliate” (at 2:01 in this affiliated video):

Since you are affiliating yourself with this blog today, how might you use “affiliate” in a sentence?

Thanks to all who helped me create this post now affiliated with The Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally and — of course! — thanks to YOU, no matter how you affiliate yourself.