Day 3179: Don’t Give Up

Yesterday, when I went to my medical office to work in-person for the first time in 18 months, I noticed this 2020 Daily Bitch calendar on my desk:

Throughout the day, which was stressful, overwhelming, intimidating, confusing, AND very rewarding, I kept telling myself “Don’t give up.”

“Don’t give up. Even though it feels unfamiliar and scary, you’ve been doing this work long-distance for months.”

“Don’t give up. Working in person is like riding a bicycle. You’ll get used to it really soon.”

“Don’t give up. Everyone is masked and it’s safe enough.”

“Don’t give up. Even though you have an automatic, initial negative response to masks because you can’t see people’s expressions and it reminds you of being in the hospital when you were a kid, it’s going to be okay.”

“Don’t give up, people can connect with each other using their eyes.”

“Don’t give up. Even though there’s a huge file cabinet in your office that you asked to be removed months ago, people can move it out very quickly.”

“Don’t give up. There are lots of great things in your office to help people heal.”

“Don’t give up. Even if you have a momentary sense of panic in the hospital cafeteria, you can express that to a kind server, bond with them and feel sustained for the rest of the day.”

“Don’t give up. In many ways, it’s wonderful to be in the same room with 3-dimensional people.”

“Don’t give up. It will be easier and more familiar from here on out.”

“Don’t give up. At the end of the day you get to go home to be with your husband, your son, and your two cats.”

It’s time for me to give up all the other images for today’s post.

Don’t give up. You don’t have to do all of those things today. And tomorrow is another day.

Here’s “Don’t Give Up” by Peter Gabriel, performing live with Tracy Chapman.

Don’t give up on gratitude, which is always here at the end of my posts.

Day 3006: The secret

What is the secret of

• success?
• happiness?
• peace of mind?
• peace on earth?
• the past?
• the future?
• the present moment?
• life?
• this post?

The secret, for me, includes a good-enough night’s sleep.

Is there a secret in any of my other images today?

There is at least one secret in those photos. After years of living here and trying many times, I cannot figure out how to get to this intriguing location:

I have faith that the secret will be revealed some day, just not yet.

Here’s what comes up on YouTube when I search for “the secret”:

What do you think is the best song with “secret” in the title? Here’s “My Secret Place” by Joni Mitchell (with Peter Gabriel):

Feel free to share any secret in the comments section, below.

One secret to life is finding gratitude, every day.

Day 2749: Don’t give up

Don’t give up on

• yourself,
• other people,
• animals,
• nature,
• human nature,
• art,
• creativity,
• ingenuity,
• imagination,
• intuition,
• resiliency,
• acceptance,
• awareness,
• contemplation,
• achievable next steps,
• self-care,
• care for others,
• hope,
• kindness,
• empathy,
• the present,
• the future, or
• The Daily Bitch Calendar.

I won’t give up my iPhone, because it lets me easily take photos like these:

Don’t give up on your ability to perceive.  What do you see in that photo (or any other one)?

Here‘s “Don’t Give Up” by Peter Gabriel, featuring Kate Bush:

Don’t give up on future hugs. In the meantime, hug yourself (it helps!).

Don’t give up on gratitude — try to experience and express it, every day.

 

Day 2221: Dirty looks

The other day, I thought somebody gave me a dirty look.  When I perceive somebody giving me a dirty look, I can feel dirty.  That’s why I wrote these lyrics for my latest original song, What are Other People Thinking About You?

Was that person’s dirty look about you?

Was that person annoyed by something you did?

Could it be he’s thinking instead of his family,

Like his most distressing and stressing kid?

© Ann Koplow, 2019

I hope that I don’t get a lot of dirty looks from the audience when I debut that song in two days at an Open Mic.

Do you see any dirty looks in my photos from yesterday?

Do you see any dirty looks in these other recent photos?

While dirty looks can feel like laser beams, we can protect ourselves with mindfulness mantras like “It’s safer than it feels” and playfulness, as explained on this mindfulness card:

 

I playfully gave a look at this sign  on my way home from work last night:

I looked for the 1965 UK TV debut of the Who on YouTube. I couldn’t find it, but look at what is there!

 

Look at this Peter Gabriel song with the lyric “if looks could kill they probably will.”

What are your thoughts about dirty looks and the other looks in this pos?  I will give a non-dirty look at all your comments, later.

I look at the world with gratitude, every day, so thanks to all who helped me create this “dirty looks” post and — of course! — to YOU, for looking at it.