Day 3372: What is it? And why

What is it and why did I take a photo of this yesterday?

I took that photo in CVS because it spoke to me. I ask lots of questions on Twitter and maybe I’ll ask that someday.

What is it with me and why did I ask this question last night on Twitter?

What is it about these questions that have no answers and why don’t they?

What is it and why did I not tape my husband Michael driving our cat Joan crazy yesterday by whispering “what is it? What is it? What is it?” over and over again when she was on top of the microwave?

What is it and why does Joan flail around so much when Michael is whispering “What is it? What is it? What is it?” to her?

What is it and why do I share so many images on my blog?

What is it and why do these National Days exist? What is National Spinach Day and why is that every day for me? It’s because I need to eat the same amount of Vitamin K daily as I take Coumadin because of my mechanical heart valve, and I do that by eating spinach.

Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “what is it and why.”

What is it and why am I saying thank you?

It’s because I’m grateful to all who help me blog every day, including YOU.

Day 3296: Numbers

I’ve written numbers of blog posts about numbers during the last 3,296 days, although I am not sure what that exact number is.

I was thinking about numbers today because of the rising numbers of COVID cases worldwide. Because the Omicron variant is so highly contagious, those numbers seem very scary.

I was also thinking of numbers today because every other Sunday I need to check my INR numbers. I check those numbers every other week because I have a mechanical heart valve, so I need to take a number of anti-coagulant pills every day.

The INR numbers, for me, are supposed to be between 2.5 – 3.5. (The INR number for a typical person is supposed to be 1.) If the numbers are too low, my mechanical heart valve might clog and need to be replaced. If the numbers are too high, I might bruise and even bleed internally.

My numbers are usually pretty steady, but sometimes they are a little too high or low. There are very few numbers that have been really scary. But I still get nervous whenever I’m waiting a number of seconds for my home testing machine to give me those numbers every other Sunday.

Here is the number I got this morning:

That is outside the ideal numbers of 2.5 – 3.5, but not by much. My anticoagulant nurse, Veronica, will call my cell phone number tomorrow and, I assume, tell me to eat higher numbers of spinach leaves this week and/or reduce the numbers of pills I take.

Do you see numbers in my other images for today?

Out of those numbers of National Days, I’ll be celebrating National Sunday Supper Day at home with my husband Michael and my son Aaron.

Here’s “Numbers” by Kraftwerk.

Over the years, I’ve taken countless numbers of photos, just so I can end these blog posts with thanks to YOU.

Day 3160: How not to be wrong

How not to be wrong starting a blog post? I’m just repeating today’s title and letting it flow from there.

“How Not to Be Wrong” is one of the books I’m reading/not reading on my two-week vacation from work.

Personally, I think I spend too much time thinking about how not to be wrong, which can inhibit what I say and do. These days, I’m embracing mistakes as learning experiences and spending less time worrying about the consequences of being wrong.

Granted, it’s very important for us not to be wrong about our health and safety — for ourselves and others. For example, if I forget to take my Coumadin and if I don’t eat a consistent amount of vitamin K, my mechanical heart valve might clog and fail. So I need to think about not being wrong about THAT every day. Also, there are a lot of creatures that depend on me, so I don’t want to be wrong in such a way that jeopardizes their future.

However, I’m not wrong about knowing myself well enough to choose to focus on accepting that I WILL be wrong, every day, and that not every mistake will result in disaster.

Do you see any examples of how not to be wrong in my other images for today?

How not to be wrong on August 26, 2021 MIGHT include having a cherry popsicle, but I don’t think I’m wrong in saying that women’s equality day should be every day.

By the way, usually I spend more time arranging the order of the images in my blog posts — is it wrong that today I’m not worrying about how not to be wrong in creating a good enough post for you?

Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “how not to be wrong”:

How not to be wrong about guessing how much time you have to watch a video today:

How not to be wrong about sharing your thoughts and feelings about any of my blog posts? Leave a comment, below.

How not to be wrong about any interaction with other people? Express gratitude when you can.

Day 1826: Be nervous but don’t be afraid.

I’m nervous but I won’t be afraid of pointing out that this is my second blog post in a row where I’m telling my readers how to be. Yesterday, I quoted the sign “Be Visible” and today I’m quoting this, by graphic designer and artist Sam Lee.

On this last day of 2017, I’m doing my best to be nervous but not afraid of 2018.

Be nervous but don’t be afraid of today’s other photos.

A Zen cat I know (my son Aaron) recently told me: “Don’t be afraid of using more words in your posts, instead of relying so much on your photos.”  Every morning, I nervously resolve to write more words here but, somehow, my photos seem to say so much.   For example, I am nervous but not afraid of

• IDs,
• traffic,
• running,
• being extraordinary,
• being chicken,
• unlikely friendships, and
• cats peeing on things.

For five years, this daily blog has helped me be nervous but not afraid of many challenges of life, including getting a mechanical heart valve

and moving to a new home by the sea.

Be nervous but don’t be afraid of expressing your thoughts and feelings in a comment, if you choose.

As usual, I’m nervous but not afraid of expressing how grateful I am to all those who help me create this blog and — of course! — to YOU.

Day 1552: Health

Despite this daily blog’s focus on health, I’ve written only one previous post with the word “health” or “healthy”  in the title.

I think it’s time for a healthy focus on health.

health

noun

1. the general condition of the body or mind with reference to soundness and vigor:
good health; poor health.
2. soundness of body or mind; freedom from disease or ailment:
to have one’s health; to lose one’s health.
3. a polite or complimentary wish for a person’s health, happiness, etc., especially as a toast:
We drank a health to our guest of honor.

Yesterday, I focused on my health by

• spending time with people who are good for my health,
• getting my blood INR checked at a hospital, so I can maintain my health with my mechanical heart valve,
• talking to people who are helping me realize my dream of improving my health by moving near the water,
• listening to the Stephen Sondheim musical Passion, about a woman who is in love and in very poor health, and
• eating well.

Do you see health in any of my photos from yesterday?

 

Trust, compassion, and forgiveness are very good for the health. Music and love are, too, so here‘s “Loving You” from Passion.

Comments are also good for my health, because I love hearing from you.

Here’s to the health of all who helped me create today’s healthy post and — of course! — to YOU.

Day 1547: Every beat of my heart

Ever since I got a mechanical heart valve on September 21, 2016, I can hear and feel the beat of my heart.  That’s why I appreciated every beat of this heart-felt message:

I know, with every beat of my heart, that sharing your thoughts and feelings with a group can be good for your heart and soul. So, yesterday, I  posted this on the Facebook page of the Zipper Sisters (a private group for women born with heart conditions):

To my sisters with a mechanical heart valve: Can you hear and/or feel the valve (like I do)? What’s that like for you?

All the different hearts that answered my questions helped my heart and my soul feel heard, connected, supported, and quieter.

As my heart was beating yesterday, I noticed and captured every image in today’s post.

Because every beat of my heart values honesty and authenticity, I confess that I did not take those last two photos — I found them here and here.

Every beat of my heart loves this performance by Gladys Knight & the Pips:

 

Every beat of my heart feels gratitude for all who helped me create this post and — of course! — for you.

Day 1542: Exclamation points!

At one point yesterday morning, I exclaimed, “There’s the topic for my next blog post! Exclamation points!”

Exclamation points are valuable!

I now exclaim that I saw exclamation points at many points throughout the day!

 

 

I shall now exclaim all these points!

• I love my work!
• When things suck, it’s important to remember that you don’t suck!
• I love Egyptian Licorice Yogi tea!
• Fear of commitment and fear of failure are very common human fears!
• I often write helpful phrases up on my white board!
• I love ice cream!
• I’ve stopped eating kale because it has so much vitamin K, it screws up my INR blood levels!
• I don’t miss kale!
• I love spring!
• Spring is here!
• Today is going to be very cold in Boston!
• The cold doesn’t bother me when I know it’s going to end soon!
• I’m not going to have chips and dips on National Chip and Dip day because I’ll be working late leading a therapy group!
• Yesterday, somebody said to me, “We all say the same thing about you — Ann is a great group leader!”
• I love compliments!
• It helps to exclaim positive points because we tend to forget them!
• I love the Beatles!
• Help!

I hope you exclaim some points in a comment!

Thanks to all  who helped me create this post and to you — of course!

 

 

Day 1513: What’s in your heart?

What’s in your heart as you’re reading this?

What’s in my heart as I’m writing this?

• Love.
• Hope.
• Fear.
• Acceptance.
• Anticipation.
• Curiosity.
• Blood.
• Muscle.
• A mechanical valve.
• Wires from a 1966 cardiac pacemaker.
• Wires from a 1987 cardiac pacemaker.
• Arteries.
• Veins.
• Everything I experienced yesterday, including this big heart in the heart of Belmont, Massachusetts:

• Music (which is on the left in that big heart).

• Groove.
• Delight.
• Fun.
• Mysteries.
• Wisdom.

• Completeness.
• The results of decades of eating all sorts of food.

• Appreciation for all who helped me create this post and for you — of course!

Day 1502: Opening the heart

I’m going to  open my heart to you, here and now, and tell you about a dream I had last night. In that dream, my open-hearted cardiologist, Dr. Deeb Salem, told me that my new mechanical valve (which I got during open heart surgery in September) wasn’t working correctly and that they were going to have open up my heart again to fix it.

I wonder if that dream about reopening my heart was triggered by this image I saw yesterday morning, at the beginning of a blizzard here in Boston?

When I saw that opening-the-heart image yesterday morning on my way to work,  it opened my heart in a good way. My heart opened up with appreciation for all those things that are key to opening my heart to love and to new possibilities. And when I  opened my heart (and my iPhone camera) to other images during the day, I continued to think about that first open-hearted image.

As you open your heart to my other photos, do you see any keys to opening the heart in them?

Today, I’ll be opening my heart to patients on the first Friday I’ve worked since my Open Heart surgery in September. But first, I have to open my heart to cardiac rehab at 7:30 AM.

Do I have time to open our hearts to an Opening-the-Heart song?

As usual, I end every post by opening my heart with gratitude to all who helped me create this post and to you — of course! — for opening your heart to me, today.

Day 1489: When we wake up in the middle of the night

When you wake up in the middle of the night, what do you do?

When I wake up in the middle of the night, I

• think about the past,
• worry about the future,
• go to the bathroom,
• try to get back to sleep,
• listen to the sound of my new mechanical heart valve,
• tell myself that I am safe enough in the moment,
• answer outstanding comments on my blog,
• compose a new blog post,
• try to compose myself,
• look at my latest photos:

• remember things I forgot to do (like put a worry doll under my pillow),
• listen to music,

• and feel gratitude for all that I have, including my amazing readers!