Day 3484: What Helps

In my office at the hospital, I have two giant lists of What Helps.

What helps me is remembering facilitating therapy groups in that room years ago and continually adding to that list of “What Helps.”

What helps is to know that people in groups can be creative, supportive, and resilient despite trauma, losses, and diagnoses like anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other “disorders.”

What helps in my other images for today?

What helps is knowing that I don’t have to pretend to give a shit (because I love my work so much).

Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “what helps.”

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Pema Chödrön definitely helps me. What helps you?

What also helps is expressing gratitude and appreciation, so thanks to all who help, including YOU.

Day 3483: National Thread The Needle Day

Today is National Thread The Needle Day! Here’s what the National Day Calendar website has to say about that:

Coincidentally, I recently threaded the needle to restore a ripped off tail to one of Joan’s favorite mouse toys.

I have to admit it took me a lot longer to literally thread the needle than in times past. I’m trying to metaphorically thread the needle between blaming this on my age or the tiny-holed needles in that sewing kit.

Thinking ahead to the mid-term elections, I hope my country can thread the needle between self-interest and justice for all. Otherwise, we’re all going to get stuck.

Should we thread the needle by finding a path through the rest of today’s post?

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“Thread the Needle” is also a song by Clarence Carter:

I’ll be threading the needle through traffic soon as I head downtown for my once-a-week in-person appearance at work.

Thanks to all who help me thread the needle every day, including YOU.

Day 3482: Introductions

The introduction to today’s post is going to be my random thoughts about introductions:

• I’m working on the introduction to the first book I’ve ever written — “How to Make Your Brain Shut Up.”
• My introduction of a new member into my Coping and Healing groups always includes inviting the other people to remember what it felt like when they were new to the group.
• When I was giving a talk about my groups and was asked what I wanted as an introduction, I replied, “Just say, this is Ann Koplow. She knows what she’s talking about.”
• Before the introduction in 2016 of a mechanical heart valve and the need to take Coumadin/Warfarin for the rest of my life, I was very anxious about the impact of those things, but now it’s all second nature to me.
• My husband Michael and I feared that the introduction of a new cat, Joan, would bother our old cat Harley, but after a brief introductory period of hissing and him adjusting to her, everybody’s fine.

Now that we’ve finished the introduction, do you see introductions in my images for today?

To celebrate National Cousins Day, I want to tell my cousin Lani (who’s being reading this blog since its introduction in 2013) how much I love and appreciate her. I’m looking forward to our introduction to Viking River cruises in May 2023.

Here are the two songs I think have especially great introductions:

I feel fine about ending this post about introductions with gratitude for all the wonderful people I’m been introduced to over the years, including YOU!

Day 3460: Creative

Yesterday, because it was National Creative Ice Cream Flavor Day, I tweeted this:

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I don’t know how you feel about Mac & Cheese ice cream but how creative are the rest of my images for today?

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I think The Daily Bitch is very creative.

There are many creative people on YouTube.

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I look forward to your creative comments, below.

Thanks to all the creative people who help me create these daily blog posts, including YOU!