Day 1811: Throw Aways

Let’s start this throw-away post with a  definition of “throw away.”

throw·a·way

ˈTHrōəˌwā
adjective
adjective: throw-away
1. denoting or relating to products that are intended to be discarded after being used once or a few times.
“a throwaway camera”
synonyms: disposable, single-use, nonreturnable, unrecyclable
“throwaway packaging”
2. (of a remark) expressed in a casual or understated way.
“some people overreacted to a few throwaway lines”
synonyms: casual, passing, careless, unthinking, unstudied, unconsidered, offhand; underemphasized
“throwaway remarks”
noun
noun: throw-away
1. a thing intended or destined to be discarded after brief use or appeal.

Here are a few throwaway lines from me:

• Some years ago I asked Michael, “Did you throw away the cards and letters I received from clients when I left my previous job?”
• Michael said he would not throw away anything valuable and he was sure they’d show up some day.
• The cards and letters have never shown up, so I assume they were accidentally thrown away.
• My memories of my previous clients remain in my heart and mind, never to be thrown away.
• It looks like Michael did throw away my favorite boots.

 

• I don’t think Michael meant to throw away my boots. I think he temporarily threw them in the wastebasket while he was cleaning.
• I fear that the new U.S. tax bill is going to throw away a lot of valuable things.
• If my fears are true, I’m hoping the “careless, unthinking, unstudied, unconsidered”  parts of the tax bill that Congress is almost certainly “passing” will be “discarded after a brief use.”
• Yesterday,  I won a box of chocolates that I will not throw away.

Here are some more throw-away photos  from my non-throwaway camera.

If everything I’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear, I guess it’s time to throw away fear.

The FCC has thrown away Net Neutrality and I wonder how that’s going to affect my throwing in YouTube videos like this one (which came up when I searched on “throw away”):

 

Let’s not throw away our shots.

Please leave any throwaway remarks below.

As always, thanks for reading my throwaway lines, here and now.

 

Day 1356: Important

Yesterday, while I was waiting for an important appointment at an important Boston hospital, I saw this important book:

After I saw that important book, I saw my important cardiologist Dr. Deeb Salem, who thought it important to tell me about two important people fainting when observing open heart surgery. It’s probably important for me to share now that I’m having important open heart surgery in four days at the important Mayo Clinic in important Rochester, Minnesota. That surgery is so important to me that I asked for an important hug from the important Dr. Salem yesterday for the first time in our important 34-year doctor/patient relationship. I also told Dr. Salem that I’m so important to his important colleague and fellow cardiologist Dr. Mark Estes that Dr. Estes had promised to importantly greet me with his important medical team at Boston’s important airport when I return in two weeks from my important surgery.

Then I went back to my important job at another important Boston hospital, where many important people wished me well.

Here are more of my important shots from yesterday:

It’s important to note that those last two important shots include important lyrics from the important musical, Hamilton. Here‘s the important Hamilton number “(I Am Not Throwing Away) My Shot.”

Another important fact in today’s important post: last night I gave myself my first important injection of twice-daily anti-coagulant before my important surgery …

… and then I threw away my shot.

What’s important, here and now, to you?

Gratitude is important to me, so ….

Day 1321: I strongly recommend

In my life, I have encountered many strong recommendations.

These strong recommendations have included the following:

I strongly recommend you get a third litter box for your two cats.

I strongly recommend you bring Oscar to a cat eye specialist because when I look in his eyes, I can’t see the back of his eyes.

I strongly recommend you make an appointment with our cat ophthamologist before you go away on vacation, because she books up way in advance.

I strongly recommend you do not send in financial statements when applying for a student visa.

I strongly recommend you make an appointment for the one-day super priority visa service as soon as possible.

I strongly recommend you use a professional visa service company to help Aaron get his visa.

I strongly recommend  you don’t worry about Aaron getting a student visa in time to start his studies at University of Edinburgh in September.

I strongly recommend you bring your Lasix pills with you to Scotland, in case you eat food that has too much salt.

I strongly recommend that you wear a mask on the plane, since you recently had pneumonia.

I strongly recommend that you choose a more comfortable mask.

I strongly recommend you forget about work when you’re away on vacation.

I strongly recommend that you have heart valve replacement surgery as soon as possible, despite all the conflicting recommendations you’ve gotten from other doctors.

I strongly recommend that you notice that some of those recent strong recommendations contradict other strong recommendations.

I strongly recommend that when people make strong recommendations conflicting with other recommendations or with your own intuition and experience, that you get other recommendations until you feel comfortable.

I strongly recommend that you look at my photos from yesterday:

I strongly recommend that if you want explanations for any of those photos, that you ask.

I strongly recommend that people listen to the musical Hamilton, because it is awesome.

 

I  also strongly recommend that everybody balance your needs with other people’s needs, putting your needs somewhat higher.

I strongly recommend that you leave a comment, but only if you feel comfortable.

I strongly recommend gratitude as a great way to end anything, including this post.  So thanks to all who helped me create it and to you — of course! — for reading  it.

Day 1246: Focus

Often, when I focus on starting a post,  I like to focus on past times I’ve focused on a similar subject.

Here’s how I’ve previously focused on Focus:

Day 13: Focus on what you’re doing (rather than on what you’re not doing)

Day 249: If you are having trouble focusing

If you focus on the numbers in those posts, you might focus on the fact that I wrote both previous posts about “focus” in the first year of my several years of daily focused blogging.

I’m focusing on “Focus” today because I wrote this quote about focus last week:

There is nothing like imminent heart surgery to beautifully focus the mind.

I’m now wondering about the focus of the latest focused photos on my phone.

Let’s all focus on them together, shall we?

 

What do you think about the focus in those photos?

What music am I going to focus on  in this focused post?

Ready to focus in on the next two paragraphs to find out?

When my sister Ellen and I drove to and from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota last week, we focused on the album of the musical Hamilton.

After Lin-Manual Miranda had focused on the idea of writing a hip hop musical about Alexander Hamilton for about a year, he was able to present his first focused musical number at the White House Evening of Poetry, Music, and the Spoken Word on May 12, 2009. Here‘s Lin-Manual Miranda and his piano accompanist Alex Lacamoire, wonderfully focused at that 2009 event.

If you’d like to focus any thoughts or feelings you have, here and now, in a comment below, please give it a shot.

Focused thanks to all those who helped me create this post about focus and to you — of course!  — for focusing enough to read it.