Day 3475: The past, present, and future

In the past, I’ve experienced trauma, fear, sadness, anger, joy, shame, pride, loss, grief, love, friendship, beauty, ugliness, hope, despair, mistakes, lessons learned, the unexpected, the expected, connection, disconnection, injustice, justice, privilege, emotional pain, physical pain, healing, comedy, tragedy, triumphs, disappointments, and many adventures.

In the present, I’m grateful to be writing another blog post for me and for you.

In the future, I’ll be inviting people (including myself) to focus less on the past and future and more on the present.

Can you see the past, present, and future in my images for today?

I see the past, present, and future in today’s National Days. For example, ice cream 🍨🍦is in my future, even if the lottery isn’t.

Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “the past, present, and future.”

I also find this:

In the present, I’m smiling at one of the comments about that video on YouTube: “Try telling your boss that time is an illusion.”

Thanks to all who read this blog in the past, the present, and future, including YOU!

Day 3230: The _____ Game

Let’s start this blog post with a guessing game: how would people fill in the blank in today’s title?

I’m playing the waiting game as you come up with an answer.

I had a particular game in mind when I tweeted this yesterday:

I’m not too young to remember The Name Game, are you?

The Blogging Game here includes songs and also images like these:

With all the games people play, I’m more confused than a chameleon in a bag of Skittles, and it’s National Candy Day!

We still have candy left over from Halloween …

… so we don’t have to play The Crying Game, which is a great song …

… and one of my favorite movies.

How many people will play The Comment Game, below?

The Gratitude Game has simple rules: express thanks to those you appreciate, every day!

Day 3143: Human nature

I’m human and I’m worried about nature.

My concern is that human nature — which resists change, bad news, and working together with people perceived to be different — will not allow for the decisive action needed to avert climate disaster.

Do you see human nature in my other images for today?

On National Rice Pudding, Veep, and Book Lovers Day, this is what I find when I search for “human nature” on YouTube:

While I worry about human nature, I’m also naturally grateful for all the humans who read this blog, including YOU.

Day 3036: Life is renewed

Since I have to renew this blog every day, sometimes I renew the title by reusing something from the news.

That photo from the Boston Globe might renew your memory of this photo from two days ago:

Life is renewed every day, and today I’m renewing

• my hair with a visit to Mialisa salon,
• my travel plans to Nashville, by talking with my friend Jenn in South Carolina,
• my courage about traveling someplace I’ve never been before,
• my hope that I’ll be able to connect with amazing blogger Christopher Waldrop while I’m there, and
• my original song “Everybody’s Somebody’s Asshole,” to make it appropriate for family-friendly Open Mics in Nashville.

Life is renewed whenever I commit to being in the moment, so let’s renew by reviewing these moments together:

Life is renewed when we help another person, take a nap, and listen to music, like this renewal of Bach’s 2 Part Invention in D Minor by Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band:

Life is renewed whenever you authentically express your feelings and thoughts, so consider leaving a comment below.

Life is renewed by gratitude, so thanks to all who help me renew my life by blogging every day, including YOU.

Day 3032: How are y’all feeling right now?

“How are y’all feeling right now?“ is a question I responded to yesterday on Twitter.

How are y’all feeling right now as you look at these other images?

Unlike the Daily Bitch, if I used either kale or vodka, I wouldn’t be feeling that great.

Here‘s “How Do You Feel Today” by Ryan Olmstead.

Please tell us how y’all are feeling right now in the comments section, below.

How am I feeling right now? I’m feeling thankful for all who help me create these daily blogs, including YOU.

Day 3008: Safe enough spaces

Yesterday, I mentioned safe enough spaces at the end of my post. I deliberately did not write “safe spaces” because no spaces are completely safe. In every space, we take risks if we expose our vulnerability and humanity. The more we do that, the more we make the space safe enough for others.

I try to make my Coping and Healing groups safe enough spaces, and yesterday people felt safe enough to share conflicting opinions about getting the COVID vaccines. We all survived our differences and people felt safe enough to stay connected with each other.

Later in the day, I felt safe enough to finally make it to the safe enough sand bar I can see from my home (and which I felt safe enough to write about earlier this week in this post).

Many times, I have tried to get to that safe enough sand bar by unsuccessfully trying to locate its starting point across the safe-enough bay. Yesterday, I had the brilliant and long-overdue idea to walk through some water during low tide and access the sand bar from its end point near me.

Instead of telling myself, “WHY DIDN’T YOU THINK OF THIS BEFORE?”, I made my mind a safe enough space by enjoying the experience, moment by moment.

I hope you feel safe enough to accompany me on this adventure through safe enough spaces.

I discovered that I had been SO CLOSE to discovering the beginning point of the sand bar on a previous exploration, but had turned back when I saw that “no trespassing sign, which made the space not safe enough.

If I had felt safe enough to keep exploring past that scary sign (which referred to something else), I would have discovered the beginning of the sand bar months ago. I feel safe enough to share, here and now, that I trust my process and am happy it happened exactly the way it did.

Do you see safe enough spaces in the rest of my images today?

I assume that this is a safe enough space to share that I am Jewish and that I will start celebrating Passover in an unconventional way starting at sundown tonight.

The Israel Philharmonic was in a safe enough space to create this Passover greeting for 2021:

Contrast this with last year’s greeting from separate safe-enough spaces:

I invite you to leave a comment in the safe enough space, below.

I always feel safe enough to express gratitude to those who help me create these safe enough posts, including YOU!

Day 2933: The cure for my anxiety

My wonderful friend Megan, who is always a cure for my anxiety, sent me this yesterday …

… in response to my sending her this:

These days, my anxiety is up because of animals much scarier than those kittens on the floor. The cure for my increased anxiety is capturing images like these:

Ocean scenes, cats, Michael’s cooking, chocolate, the Daily Bitch Calendar, competent leaders, and kindness are among the cures for my anxiety.

Music and comedy are other cures for my anxiety, so here is Randy Rainbow with his latest song parody:

What is the cure for your anxiety?

Many people say gratitude is the cure for anxiety, so thanks to all who help me create this daily blog, including YOU.

Day 2871: Winter is coming

Winter is coming and there are many cold days ahead.

Can you tell that winter is coming from these images, captured after I was sleepless near Boston?

Winter is coming, so it might be time to stock up on lox, locks, and luck.

Here‘s a “”Winter is Coming” compilation from Game of Thrones:

Here‘s “Winter is Coming” music from Game of Thrones, composed by Ramin Djawadi:

Here’s a comment posted on YouTube about that music, from three weeks ago:

Straywolf – 77 Elections are coming…then its consequences…then winter. As Ned Stark said, “Brace yourselves…”

Winter is coming and so are some comments, below.

Now gratitude is coming for all who help me blog daily through winter, spring, summer, and fall, including YOU!

Day 2854: Red

Yesterday, I wrote about the color blue. My true-blue reader, Maureen, wrote this in a response:

I’m intrigued by how strongly the political parties in the United States are associated with the colors red and blue. Do you think that avid Republicans could ever feel that blue is their favorite color? or do people’s political associations affect their color preferences?

I am an avid Democrat and my favorite color is red, as you can see from the photos I’m sharing today.

If my country doesn’t turn blue this year, I’ll be thinking thoughts like today’s Daily Bitch, turning red in anger and embarrassment.

While I am waiting for the election results, I shall listen to favorite music, including The Red One, featuring some red-hot guitar playing by Pat Metheny and John Scofield.

What are your thoughts and feelings about this red post?

Red thanks to all who help me create these daily posts, read by many, including YOU!

Day 2851: Modern

Here‘s a definition of “modern” from the modern Merriam-Webster website:

1 a : of, relating to, or characteristic of the present or the immediate past : CONTEMPORARY
the modern American family
b : of, relating to, or characteristic of a period extending from a relevant remote past to the present time
modern history
2 : involving recent techniques, methods, or ideas : UP-TO-DATE
modern methods of communication
3 capitalized : of, relating to, or having the characteristics of the present or most recent period of development of a language
Modern English
4 : of or relating to modernism : MODERNIST
Modern art has abandoned the representation of recognizable objects.

Speaking of recognizable objects, do you see anything that represents “modern” in these modern images, as I try to stay sane during these modern times?

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Because I am the model of a very modern group therapist, I used that magic wand in my Coping and Healing group yesterday, so we could make modern wishes for our modern times.

This Randy Rainbow song parody was modern in 2018 and is still relevant today:

I look forward to your modern comments, below.

Modern gratitude in this thoroughly modern blog looks like this: