Last night, on the day after the horrific shootings at a Texas elementary school (and the typical, infuriating reactions from those opposed to sane gun laws), I asked a question on Twitter about finding some measure of comfort through music.
Here’s how I would answer my own question:
It gives me some measure of comfort to share a few images with you today.
No matter what day it is, I’m always grateful for the measure of comfort I experience here with you.
Yesterday, the vet told us that Joan the cat’s skin problem is actually getting better.
With that in mind, I asked this question on Twitter last night:
Some people had many ideas about something that is actually getting better; others couldn’t think of a thing. Someone who reads this blog actually made me feel better with this comment:
Something else that is actually getting better for me is my immunity to COVID 19 and its variants, because I got my booster shot yesterday. As usual, I’m experiencing arm soreness and a fever the day after, but I’m sure that will actually be getting better very soon.
Yesterday, my son Aaron, my husband Michael, and I celebrated my job actually getting better by visiting an actually better gelato cafe.
Michael thinks Aaron looks like Rasputin these days so he thought it would actually be better if I added a sepia tinge to a photo of him.
I took all the photos in this post with my loaner phone from the Apple store, which I have while my phone is actually getting better.
Are my photographic and blogging skills actually getting better?
If we observed National Love People Day, I believe this world would actually be getting better.
This post is actually getting better with the addition of this song …
… and with any comment you choose to leave.
Every day is actually getting better whenever I express gratitude, so thanks to all who help my life get better, including YOU!
Yesterday, as I was balancing my needs with other people’s needs while working at home, I asked this question on Twitter:
The answers were balanced, and many people cited the Oxygen Mask Metaphor: you can’t effectively take care of other people’s needs if you ignore your own.
I continue to learn more about this balancing act for myself, as I witness other people struggling to balance their needs with others’.
What balancing needs do you see in my other images for today?
It’s might be challenging balancing the needs of fajita day with ice cream pie day, etc.
Here and now, I need to share a favorite tune from this CD I picked up on one of my balanced and needed walks yesterday:
How do you balance your needs with other people’s needs? You don’t need to reply, but I look forward to all the comments that will be balancing below.
As always, I need to express my gratitude to all who give me what I need to stay balanced blogging every day, including YOU.
What gets in the way of you celebrating every new day?
Is it not knowing what to celebrate?
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Is it anxiety?
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Is it grief?
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Is it a battle between your heart and your brain? Or bad decisions from the past?
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Is it creepy people with too much power?
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Is it people telling you what to do?
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Is it too much responsibility?
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Is it weird animals?
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Is it dreary weather?
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Is it painful experiences?
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Is it sleep problems?
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Is it parts of yourself you have trouble accepting?
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Is it barriers in your way that you can’t control?
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No matter what might get in the way, I hope my other images help you celebrate the new day.
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This is what I find on YouTube when I search for “celebrate the new day.”
Consider celebrating the new day by leaving a comment, below.
Thanks to all who help me celebrate every new day, including YOU.
My very good friend Megan, who has appeared in several moving blog posts (including here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here) is moving to Connecticut with her beautiful family. Yesterday, I got moving in my little yellow car to say goodbye to Megan in person.
Megan and I hugged each other twice yesterday, which was very moving after all these months of moving through this hugless and otherwise horrifying pandemic.
Megan and I are telling each other that her moving away doesn’t matter. We will stay friends no matter how life is moving us. We will be moving to other kinds of communication, including regular zooming.
I know that Megan and her family are moving on to better opportunities and I am truly happy for her. And yet, I had trouble moving through a sense of loss yesterday, knowing that Megan would be moving further away. As I said to her yesterday “It has helped so much knowing you’re nearby” and what’s always so moving to me is that Megan ALWAYS gets me. We both spoke about moving through and accepting all of our feelings about her moving. We said we were “happy sad” while moving through her neighborhood on a walk.
Now it’s time for me to be moving on to the other photos I took while I was moving through yesterday:
The Daily Bitch helps me as I’m moving through these moving days, especially when I’m feeling bitchy.
I didn’t snap a photo of Megan yesterday as we were moving through our feelings and her neighborhood, but I’m sure if I spend a little time moving through the almost 41,000 photos I have on my phone that I’ll find one to share with you now.
Megan told me yesterday that she and her family are moving next month to a new home within walking distance of a beach. After staying there for a year, they might be moving to another new home on the campus of the school where her husband Paul will be working. If they will be moving to that new home, they will need to host some parties for people during the year and also maintain that house’s skating pond, which means that I might be getting moving pictures in the future of Paul, Megan, and their two children moving around on a Zamboni.
If you don’t know what a Zamboni is, let me see if I can find one moving around on the internet.
Here‘s a moving rendition of “I Want to Drive the Zamboni” by Gear Daddies.
If you want to leave a comment on this “Moving” post, please be moving to the comments section below.
No matter where I and others are moving, I’m always expressing gratitude to those who are moving with me here, including YOU.
What the hell are these things that showed up overnight in our shower?
In the morning, I texted my excellent ex-sister-in-law Deborah, who knows what the hell is going on in architecture, construction, and remodeling, and here’s part of our conversation:
Me: I found these in the shower this morning and they’re not mushrooms and should we move out immediately?
Deborah: that is pretty interesting! can’t say I have ever seen that happen before.
Me: Didn’t “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” start out like this?
Deborah: if it didn’t it should have. was there an occasion of extreme heat in that space?
Me: Nope
Deborah: are the bubbles hard? or sticky?
Me: Michael has been power washing the decks.
Deborah: is there a deck behind that wall?
Me: No. Weird.
Deborah: is the adhesive water soluble? if you break a bubble off will it get soft in water?
Me:
Me: Doesn’t seem to. Maybe there’s a portal to hell there.
Deborah couldn’t explain what the hell those are, but she thinks there is probably water getting in where the shower wall meets the seat, which could easily be solved with some clear caulking.
Later in the day, I took it to Twitter:
I showed the photos last night to people at Home Depot and they all said, “What the hell?” and asked why I didn’t bring a sample with me and my only response was “What the hell was I thinking?”
What the hell is happening in the rest of my images today?
What the hell are people thinking on Twitter?
What the hell am I going to sing at an Open Mic in Nashville next week, if I actually get a slot?
What the hell am I thinking, presenting all my original songs in a playlist here?
What the hell kinds of comments am I going to get about this post?
What the hell are we doing if we don’t express gratitude for each other?
Is it difficult for you to talk about how awesome you are?
While I used to be afraid of seeming immodest, these days I talk about how awesome I am and I also invite you and others to talk about how awesome you are.
If it’s hard for you to see how awesome you are, keep looking. Ask people you know to talk about how awesome you are. (Many people find it easier to talk about how awesome you are than to talk about how awesome they are.)
It may be difficult to talk about how awesome you are when you’re not feeling your best, but who IS feeling their best these days? Even when you’re not feeling your best, you’re still awesome.
Maybe some of these images will help you talk about how awesome you are.
I won’t stop talking about group therapy, which is an awesome place to talk about how awesome you are.
Here‘s what I find when I search YouTube for “Talk about how awesome you are.”
We all need pep talks, from others (like Kid President) and from ourselves. So please talk about how awesome you are in the comments section, below.
Thanks to all who help me talk about how awesome we are, including YOU!
“Take a breath” is something I often say to myself and to others in therapy. Take a breath to
Take a breath as we look at all my images for the day.
It’s like the world is taking breath after justice has been served for George Floyd, who was deprived of his right to take a breath and live.
Here‘s “Take a Breath” by Raffi.
Take a breath and leave a comment, if you choose.
Take a breath and experience my gratitude for all who help me take a breath and blog every day, including YOU.
“How are y’all feeling right now?“ is a question I responded to yesterday on Twitter.
How are y’all feeling right now as you look at these other images?
Unlike the Daily Bitch, if I used either kale or vodka, I wouldn’t be feeling that great.
Here‘s “How Do You Feel Today” by Ryan Olmstead.
Please tell us how y’all are feeling right now in the comments section, below.
How am I feeling right now? I’m feeling thankful for all who help me create these daily blogs, including YOU.
Yesterday, when I discovered it’s possible to return to a place like Home Depot without having a panic attack, I saw this:
As advertised at Home Depot, Michael and I discovered what’s possible, including:
Earlier in the day, I discovered what’s possible if I venture some place new: down some stairs to a different stretch of rocky beach near where we’ve lived for three years.
And last night, I discovered it’s possible to dream and think about a patient who doesn’t exist, trying to figure out a way to help them heal.
It seems like I’m constantly discovering what’s possible, every day.
Let’s discover what’s possible in my other images from yesterday.
Yesterday, I didn’t think it was possible to sit at an impossible height for 2 hours for $2 million, but who knows about the future?
Let’s discover what’s possible in “The Last Ship” by Sting.
Let’s discover what’s possible when you express your thoughts and feelings in a comment, below.
I discover what’s possible every day when I express gratitude, so thanks to all who help me create this blog, including YOU.
The Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally 