Here’s a definition of “relish” (for those who relish such things).
Here and now, I relish being alive and well 59 years after my unexpected heart surgery on the same day that President John F. Kennedy was killed. I definitely do not relish what happened on that day, but I’ve learned to relish many, many precious moments since.
Do you see relish in my images for today?
Today, on National Cranberry Relish Day, I shall do my best to relish every moment. I also relish the progress I’ve made over my 10 years of blogging (click here for the post I wrote on November 22, 2013).
Here’s what I find when I search YouTube for “relish.”
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I relish all who make my life better, including YOU!
poop noun (1) Definition of poop 1 informal : FECES, EXCREMENT As a brand-new father, a new substance plays a big role in my life: poop. — Scott Kramer As the years go by, there’s trouble in paradise, and it isn’t just the ubiquitous goose poop. — Katherine Lanpher 2 informal : the act of defecating I have a complaint against dog owners that take their dogs for a walk but do not take a bag, then let their dog stop by people’s mailboxes and take a poop. — Billie Johnston
Do you see any poop in my other photos from yesterday?
I wonder how much poop we’ll have to deal with in 2021?!
Today is November 22, a day which usually makes me feel like poop (and you can get the poop on that here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here). I guess I’ve gotten my poop together over the years, because I feel like the opposite of poop today.
Here’s the poop about all the poop songs I found on YouTube: all have comments turned off. However, comments for this poop post are NOT turned off, so — if you’re not too pooped — please share your thoughts and feelings, below.
Thanks to all who help me share the latest poop in this daily blog, including YOU!
My late father, seen in this photograph of my family which was taken the week before November 22, 1963 …
… used the expression “for the birds” to mean “bad, lousy, unfortunate.”
As my family posed for that picture, we were unaware of some bad, lousy, and unfortunate events that were looming in the future — the assassination of John F. Kennedy and my emergency heart surgery on November 22, 1963.
On this 53rd anniversary of that day, it occurs to me that:
the U.S. is dealing with many things, right now, that my father would characterize as “for the birds,”
I like birds, and
I coincidentally took several photos of birds yesterday.
So we could say that this blog post is for the birds.
Please leave a comment for the bird who created this blog post.
It would be for the birds, according to my father, if I did not express gratitude to all the birds and humans who helped me create this for-the-birds post and to my wonderful flock of readers, including you!
Today’s post title triggers a wish to define “triggers.”
trig·ger
ˈtriɡər/
noun
plural noun: triggers
a small device that releases a spring or catch and so sets off a mechanism, especially in order to fire a gun.
“he pulled the trigger of the shotgun”
verb
3rd person present: triggers
cause (an event or situation) to happen or exist.
“an allergy can be triggered by stress or overwork”
synonyms: precipitate, prompt, elicit, trigger off, set off, spark (off), touch off, provoke, stir up
In the strictest sense of the term, trigger is used to refer to experiences that “re-trigger” trauma in the form of flashbacks or overwhelming feelings of sadness, anxiety, or panic. The brain forms a connection between a trigger and the feelings with which it is associated, and some triggers are quite innocuous.
Today’s date, November 22, is a trigger for me. Because my thoughts and feelings have triggered a daily blog post since 1/1/13, November 22 has triggered two previous posts (here and here).
This triggers a question and an answer:
Q. Why is November 22 a trigger for me?
A. On November 22, 1963 — when I and modern medical technology were both very young — President John F. Kennedy was shot and killed AND I underwent my first heart surgery, receiving my first of many cardiac pacemakers.
This photo of my family, taken shortly before November 22, 1963, triggers many memories for me.
Looking at those faces, here and now, triggers this thought:
We didn’t know what was coming.
Yesterday, I was triggered to capture lots of photos. Which ones trigger reactions in you?
This fish bowl, which triggered my taking two photos …
… triggered this reaction in me:
OMG. They designed this so that the world looks right TO THE FISH.
November 22, 1963, doesn’t trigger any particular music for me, since I was out of it, the whole day. If this post triggers any music in you, feel free to share that (and anything else) below.
I wonder how many more times I’ll write one of these?
Every time I have a thought like that last one, above, I think of time running out.
The time between my finishing that last sentence and starting this one = approximately two minutes.
Swarn Gill, who has commented on this blog many times and who has not visited for some time (I think the last time was here), often thinks and writes about time. I haven’t visited his blog for some time, either, but I just took the time to do that.
I wish I had more time to visit Swarn’s excellent blog and other ones here, too.
In the time I spend as an individual and group therapist, I invite people to give less time to guilt and shame. Many times, I’ve told people “You’re doing the best you can.” However, I continue to spend time having those feelings (although less time than I used to).
This reminds me that when I spent time yesterday writing a blog post, I did not include any time for music. I’m making up for that, today, times two.
(“No Absolute Time” by Jean-Luc Ponty is absolutely here on YouTube now.)
Is there time for you to comment, perhaps telling me your favorite song about time?
Today, I won’t have time to walk to and from work, listening to music, because I need to get to parent-teacher conferences at my son’s high school, on time. The first meeting starts, according to them, at
12:10:00
I wonder what that says about my son Aaron’s school’s concept of time?
Last year, around this time, I spent a lot of time thinking, feeling, and writing about November 22, 1963, the exact time when
John F. Kennedy was assassinated and
I got my first heart surgery and cardiac pacemaker, at age 10.
This year, that time will not be out of mind for me. However, I know my experience will be different, this time around.
Each time we go around and over old experiences, we do it differently.
Absolutely, I invite you to take the time to read this post, about that. People tell me, all the time, that “The Ascending Coil” a/k/a “The Spiral” helps them heal and grow. (The last time I heard that was yesterday.)
Yesterday, I was not thinking about writing a post about time, until I heard both “Time Out of Mind” and “No Absolute Time” during the time it took me to walk away from work. Nevertheless, before that time, I took the time to take these photos:
I took the time to snap that last picture when I thought that beloved time-keeper was broken, because that was NOT the correct time. It was the third time, since the time change this month, that clock had stopped.
Not for the first time, I felt fear: was my time with that wonderful clock over and done?
When I got some down time, I was able to make some changes to that clock.
I wonder what time I’ll see on its face when I walk into my office today?
Use Helpful Reminders. Use helpful phrases to challenge habitual distortions. For example, for mind-reading or fortune telling, remind yourself “I’m not psychic.” Make a list of other phrases that help you, such as “I am doing the best I can,” “One step at a time,” etc. Consider sticking these reminders where you can see them.
In therapy groups, I often put up a list of helpful phrases. The group members and I add to it, as we choose. In other words, the list is a work in progress (like everyone who comes to the groups).
I can remember a few of the phrases on that list, right now:
You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.
The pain of the loss is directly related to the importance of the connection.
Less is more.
That last one was easy for me to remember, because somebody suggested it last night.
Here’s why I’m writing about this topic, today.
I want to include, in this post, some helpful reminders that people have written to me, lately.
If you wish to “connect” with me, please do.
While you are observing the anniversary of your 1st [pacemaker] implant, is it possible to view it as a celebration ( not painful) of life…YOUR life…& your continued presence in my life and the life of your other readers & friends & family.
Take heart, Ann.
Thanks to all, for every helpful reminder, phrase, or thought. Quoted or not. Expressed or unexpressed.
Here’s one more phrase, before I end.
Rest in peace.
Rest in peace, John Kennedy.
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Rest in peace, all those I love, who have passed on before me.
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I want to use that phrase for the living, now.
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Here’s my wish, for all my “readers & friends & family.” (And for me, too.)
May we all rest, in peace, while still here on this earth.
Not perfectly. Not all the time. But as best we can.
The Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally 