In my Coping and Healing groups (which bring me joy), people have been talking about being overwhelmed by the news, fears about the future, loss, medical issues, grief, uncertainties, tasks, unknowns, obligations, other people, and possessions. Regarding the latter, several people have brought up Marie Kondo and her advice to keep only the things that bring you joy.
During these anxious and depressing times, it can be very difficult to focus on the things that bring us joy, but I’m doing my best to bring it, every moment.
Do any of my images today bring you joy?
No matter how I’m feeling, Joan definitely brings me joy (among other things).
Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “what brings you joy.”
I am grateful for all those that bring me joy, including YOU!
I hope you have room for some roomy associations with “room” today.
I’m leaving room to tell you that I’ve written three previous posts about “room” — here,here, and here. Perhaps you’ll have room in your day to read them.
Yesterday, in two separate rooms at work, there was room for me to facilitate group therapy. In every therapy group, no matter what room it’s in, I always make room for a mindfulness exercise. In the first group, people asked to focus on something they noticed in that room:
After the mindfulness exercise, we had room to talk about the idiom “Elephant in the Room.”
an English metaphorical idiom for an obvious truth that is either being ignored or going unaddressed. The idiomatic expression also applies to an obvious problem or risk no one wants to discuss.
Later, we made room to express roomy thoughts, feelings, or images about this roomy topic:
I had room, in that group room, to write and share that one of my core values is making room for myself and others to grow and learn.
Before I ended the group in that room, I asked if there were any elephants in the room. I hope people felt room to be honest when they all said there were no elephants in the room, besides the little origami one.
Later, in another group room, I asked people to mindfully look up and focus on the ceiling in that room. I had room to share that, when I was a kid, I would look up at ceilings and imagine that the ceiling was the floor, leaving me room to visualize walking on it. There was also room for me to mention a movie where Fred Astaire dances on the floor, the walls, and the ceiling, in a room that revolves:
I had room in my head for that wonderful dancing memory in that room, last night, because I knew that tonight I’d be going to see “So You Think You Can Dance” in a great room in downtown Boston.
I assume I’ll have room in tomorrow’s post to write about that.
I shall now make room for other photos I had room to store on my iPhone, yesterday:
Speaking of storage room, I’ve been getting a message that my laptop hard drive is running out of room.
Everywhere in my life, I’m making room for the philosophy in this book about decluttering rooms:
Make room for the important things in your life by throwing away everything you do not love.
I hope you know there’s room for any thoughts or feelings you have about this roomy post, below.
There’s always room for gratitude, so thanks to therapy groups, people who leave room for dancing, Fred Astaire, Marie Kondo, the driver who left room for that “I love science” bumper sticker, everybody who had room for Mama’s vegetable soup at work, those who celebrate Diwali, elephants everywhere, and you — of course! — for making room, here and now.
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The Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally 