Day 2642: Imperfect

Nine hundred and sixty imperfect days ago (but what imperfect person is counting?)*, I imperfectly published an imperfect blog post titled Day 1682: Imperfections.

It’s time for another imperfect blog post, inspired by this imperfect photo from yesterday:

I’m wondering if anybody is going to ask me for more information about that Imperfect van. My imperfect response is this: “I know as much as you know.”

It may be imperfect not to know, but I’m glad we can all be imperfect together.

Here are some imperfect quotes:

“Have no fear of perfection.  You’ll never reach it.” — Salvador Dali

“To banish imperfection is to destroy expression, to check exertion, to paralyze vitality.” — John Ruskin

“One of the basic rules of the universe is that nothing is perfect. Perfection simply doesn’t exist …Without imperfection neither you nor I would exist.” — Stephen Hawking

“Imperfections are not inadequacies; they are reminders that we are all in this together.” — Brené Brown

“If we keep being fair despite the injustices against us, in the end life will reward us, I believe. The world isn’t fair, because it’s imperfect. Right and wrong coexist.  But we should stick to morality to make the world become better.” — Maria Karvouni

“Practice doesn’t make perfect.  Practice reduces the imperfection.” — Toba Beta

“Practice does not make perfect.  Imperfect makes us practice.” — Mokokoma Mokhonoana

“The more I feel imperfect, the more I feel alive.” — Jhumpa Lahiri

“Laughing at one’s imperfections is the best way to cure them …Let us live foolishly, mistakenly, imperfectly, and be content. ” — Marty Rubin

“I believe that the measure of my soul is my ability to love imperfect people.” — Joseph Grenny

“Delight in the pursuit, surrender to imperfection, and marvel at the wonder — as you observe what is.” — Julianne O’Connor

Here are the other imperfect images I imperfectly captured yesterday:

To me, the world seems considerably more imperfect because of the passing of  jazz keyboardist Lyle Mays.  Here‘s a wordless tribute Jacob Collier posted on YouTube two days after Lyle’s death:

If you leave an imperfect comment below, I will respond with an imperfect reply.

Imperfect thanks to all who help me create these imperfect posts, every day.

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* After I published this post, I noticed that I had imperfectly calculated today’s numbers. I corrected those imperfections; the ones that remain are just less obvious.

 

Day 2641: Feet First

Yesterday, when I was walking down the street with my feet first, I heard “Feet First” from the album Street Dreams by the late, great keyboardist Lyle Mays.

My first thought was “Tomorrow’s blog is going to include ‘Feet First’ and photos with feet!”

The first photo I took was of my own feet on the street.

And as I walked through the day with my feet first, I realized, again, how much it helps to take life one step at a time.

Here are the other feet I captured yesterday:

Now it’s time for me to step through another day, feet first.

Thanks to Lyle Mays, artists,  cats, and all who help me step through life feet first, including YOU!

Day 2638: Read Carefully

Who has time to read carefully these days, with all the information pouring in?

Nevertheless, I am going to read carefully before voting in the Massachusetts primary election by absentee ballot. If you read carefully, over the next few moments, you will discover that I need an absentee ballot because I’ll be attending a week-long group therapy conference in New York City the first week of March.

Read carefully when you look at my other photos from yesterday.

If you read this daily blog carefully, you know I’ve been mourning the death of jazz keyboardist Lyle Mays all this week. Last night, when I was reading my recorded Stephen Colbert shows carefully, I noticed that keyboardist and band leader Jon Batiste was also carefully paying homage to Lyle by interjecting a musical phrase by Lyle during Stephen’s monologue:

If you read that video carefully, you’ll find the sounds of Lyle at 2:44, 4:14, 7:26, and 9:46.

Here’s “Close to Home,” the Lyle Mays composition that Jon Batiste was carefully reading and sharing.

If I read carefully, I always realize that I am not alone.

If you leave a comment, of course I will read carefully and respond.

Read carefully and you’ll see that I’m grateful for all who help me create this daily blog, including YOU.

Day 2637: Please be considerate

Please be considerate and tell me which of these photos you like best and why.

Please be considerate and join me in paying homage, again, to one of my favorite musicians , the late great Lyle Mays.

Please be considerate and accept this short and simple post, because I am in the middle of considering so many obligations right now.

Please be considerate of how grateful I am for all who consider my blog worth visiting, including YOU.

Day 2636: Therapeutic

For the past week, I’ve been doing a version of my Coping and Healing groups for staff where I work.  My group supervisor shared this very helpful thought with me:  “For your co-workers, these groups are not therapy, but they still may be therapeutic.”

A Coping and Healing group, no matter who it is for,  includes a mindfulness exercise, a check-in where each person gets to say whatever they choose without interruption, a focus on the shared common experiences in the room, and the chance to get a good enough sense of closure at the end of the meeting.  Members of the groups say they find this  format therapeutic, and so do I.

Are any of my recent photos therapeutic?

That Chilean sea bass with ginger and garlic was SO therapeutic last night.

This week, it’s been very therapeutic for me to listen to  music by the late, great keyboardist Lyle Mays, including “September Fifteenth”— Lyle and Pat Metheny‘s wonderful tribute to the late, great Bill Evans.

It was also therapeutic for me to read  these comments about that YouTube video:

Tamara Munk
1 day ago
So sad he’s left us, but he’s left an indelible legacy, and made his mark on me. His music has lifted my soul. Thank you Lyle.

JSkalman
1 day ago
This. So fittingly honoring on this day to remember decades of enjoying one of the greatest collaborations in the history of music. The last note belongs to Lyle.

.
Sherif Shaalan
1 day ago
It was 1978 when as a young music student, I first heard Lyle Mays play piano and keyboards with the Pat Metheny Group in concert on the campus of Wayne State University in Detroit. I was astonished! He immediately became my favorite pianist of all time, and has remained so to this day.

His composing, arranging and piano/keyboard playing combined melodic sensitivity, harmonic richness, rhythmic diversity, and a remarkably fluid technique, all firmly rooted in both classical and jazz musical traditions . . . are entirely innovative.

While I never met him, I read many of his interviews and watched hundreds of his videos and remain awestruck by the modesty and humility of someone with the genius to evoke such thought, emotion and tranquility through his own music . . . music so complete in its usage of nearly the entire spectrum of compositional and improvisational elements available to musicians.

I loved and admired both Lyle’s solo work and his best known collaborative work with the great jazz guitarist, Pat Metheny, beginning in 1974. Their final collaboration as the Pat Metheny Group was in 2005.

Since then, I, along with millions of other fans all over the world have longed for a PMG reunion, but unfortunately with today’s news, we have already enjoyed our final “Pat Metheny Group” recording, which makes me quite sad.

But what a profoundly beautiful and soulful musical legacy he left.

.
Pamela G.
2 days ago
Goodbye Lyle! See you on the other side – I know you’re adding to heaven’s light with your beautiful music.

What is therapeutic for you, here and now?

I hope you know that gratitude is also therapeutic, so thanks to all who help me create these daily posts, including YOU.

Day 2635: Who is it for?

Before I reveal something about myself in a therapy group, I ask myself “Who is it for?”

If the answer is that it’s mostly for me, I will not share the information. If I believe that it’s mostly for the group, I will use self-disclosure.

Yesterday morning, while I was feeling very sad about the death of jazz pianist Lyle Mays, I was listening to a jazz program on WHRB, the Harvard radio station.  I decided to call them and tell them about the death of Lyle.  Who was it for?  It was for me and for any fans of Lyle who might be listening.

As I suspected, the two Harvard students who were DJ-ing  the morning jazz program on WHRB were not familiar with Lyle, but they did this for me:   they announced his death on air and played one of his tunes.  Then it was for me and for the other listeners who called in that they abandoned their scheduled playlist and shared lots of Lyle.

One of the tunes they played yesterday morning was “It’s For You.”

When I first heard about Lyle’s death Monday night, a melancholy melodic phrase from “It’s For You” filled my head, but I couldn’t remember the name of the tune.  It’s for you and for me that I share a live version of “It’s For You” now.

 

It’s for you that I take and share my recent photos.

Who was that delicious and nutritious meal for? It was for me and my husband Michael as we watched the returns from the New Hampshire primary last night.

Who is it for when I blog every day?  In case you didn’t know, it’s for you AND for me.

Day 2634: Heartland

Today, my heart is heavy because one of my favorite musicians — Lyle Mays (appearing in posts here, here, here, here, here , here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here) — passed away yesterday.

Yesterday, not knowing that Lyle had passed, I took pictures of hearts.

Music is one of the universal languages of love, and here is Lyle (about the age when I first saw him play) and Pat Metheny performing one of their many compositions which will live forever in my heart: “(Cross The) Heartland.”

Whatever Lyle wrote and played, it landed directly in my heart.

Here‘s “Mirror of the Heart” from Lyle’s first solo album:

 

Pat Metheny wrote this on his website:

‘Lyle was one of the greatest musicians I have ever known. Across more than 30 years, every moment we shared in music was special. From the first notes we played together, we had an immediate bond. His broad intelligence and musical wisdom informed every aspect of who he was in every way. I will miss him with all my heart.”

My heart goes out to all who loved Lyle and his music.

Thanks for joining my heartland, today.

 

Day 2426: Say YES to …

Yesterday morning, after saying YES to sharing another daily blog post, I looked at a previously published post, also titled “Messes,’ and found this:

I will tell you that I messily shared at the end of the group session my inspiration to make a new t-shirt that says, “Say YES to the mess.”

Over two years later, I am belatedly saying YES to that intention by designing and ordering this t-shirt:

I said YES to that typestyle of “Say YES to the Mess” because it’s called “Unkempt.” YES!

Here on this blog, and also in my therapy groups, we often discuss how and when to say NO, but it’s equally important to know how and when to say YES.

Say YES to …

… listening to music you love.

Say YES to …

… being mindful and non-judgmental of your moods.

Say YES to …

… observing what’s around you.

Say YES to …

… long life by practicing good habits.

Say YES to …

… the most valuable people in your life.

Say YES to …

… creating your dreams, even if it’s just one.

Say YES to …

… welcoming all.

Say YES to …

… whimsey.

Say YES to …

… the dress (I THINK that’s what that is).

Say YES to …

… beautiful sunrises and sunsets.

Say YES to …

… staying in touch.

Say YES to …

… curiosity, partnership, empathy, apology (when appropriate), reflection, legitimization, support, and wellness.

Say YES to …

… sharing what’s important to you with other people.

Say YES to …

 

… feelings.

Say YES to …

… flowers.

Say YES to …

… safety.

Say YES to …

… love.

Say YES to …

… healthy hearts, fewer worries, and good sleep!

Say YES to …

… group support.

Say YES to …

… taking the stairs.

Say YES to …

… Yoko, a valued member of the Northeastern Society for Group Psychotherapy executive board, who says YES to fresh fruit in her drinks and who also says YES to sitting with Oscar.

What do YOU say YES to?

Here‘s “Ascent” by Lyle Mays (featured, yes, in this post).

I always say YES to gratitude at the end of these posts, so thanks to all who helped me create this one and — of course! — to YOU.

 

 

Day 2276: Take time to reflect

In the midst of all the action in yesterday’s petty post, there was this invitation to take time to reflect:

You may not have noticed that good advice from this good book:

because I was guilty of reflecting it on its side, like this:

I didn’t take time to reflect those two page  in their correct orientation yesterday, because there was so much petty information I wanted to share.

Like Wilma, I believe it is important to take time to reflect, even in the midst of emergencies and adventures.   Today, I have a day off from work because of Presidents Day, so I can take time to reflect.  My boyfriend Michael, who definitely takes time to reflect, asked me to reflect on who were my most favorite and least favorite U.S. Presidents.

If you take time to reflect, how would you answer Michael’s question?

I’m  going to take time to share something else Michael reflected: “These days everything seems sinister to me.”  I took time to reflect Michael’s feelings and then to ask him if I seemed sinister to him.  When he said no, I took time to reflect  that I AM sinister, because “sinister” means “left-handed” in Latin.

I take time to reflect my gratitude that there is less bias against left-handed people than there used to be.

Please take time to reflect on these recent, previously unreflected photos:

 

 

 

 

I take time to reflect when I drive and when I ride, especially when there’s snow on the ground.

I take time to reflect that a week from now I will be in Los Angeles, taking time to reflect with many other group therapists about the work we do.

Last night, I took time to reflect to Michael  how much I love this performance of “In France They Kiss on Main Street” with my favorites Joni Mitchell, Pat Metheny,  Lyle Mays, and Jaco Pastorius.

I’m taking time to reflect that Pat and Lyle looked like that when I first saw them at the Paradise in Boston, decades ago.

Please take time to reflect your thoughts and feelings in a comment, below.

As usual, I take time at the end of each post to reflect gratitude towards all who help me create this reflective blog and — of course! — YOU.

Day 1762: Different parts

I talk to people, in therapy and elsewhere, about accepting all the different parts of themselves.  Sometimes, people use the healthiest, most loving parts of themselves to nurture and comfort the frightened and wounded parts of themselves.

Today, I’m meeting with many skilled and experienced group therapists during a day-long retreat at our new home. I’m sure we’ll be sharing different parts of ourselves. I hope all the different parts of  our home work well throughout the day.

What different parts do you see in today’s different photos?

 

 

Here is one of the different parts of jazz pianist Lyle Mays‘s Alaskan Suite.

All the different parts of Alaskan Suite are here, live, in Boston.

Feel free to express different parts of yourself in a comment, below.

Thanks to all who helped me create the different parts of this blog post and — of course! — to YOU.