Day 2954: Reading

What have you been reading lately, besides blog posts?

On the recommendation of many people, I’m reading the excellent “How to be an Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi. Soon I’ll be discussing it in the same reading group that was reading “Me and White Supremacy” last year.

I notice what people are reading and also what they’re NOT reading. That’s why I tweeted this yesterday:

Reading that now, I notice I used a cognitive distortion (all-or-nothing thinking) for effect. Interested in reading more about cognitive distortions? Click here.

For those who want to be reading more of my lyrics for the song “Vaccine,” here they are:

VACCINE

by Ann Koplow

Stadiums and CVS

And other places you might guess

Are where they’ll send

each life-protecting vial.

But if you’re under 70

and want this precious remedy,

Chances are you’ll have to wait a while.

©️Ann Koplow, 2021

If you’d rather be hearing those lyrics than reading them, you can sign up for the Jam’n Java Open Mic for this Friday, February 5.

https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/9040b4eadaa23a2f49-jamn20

If you’re reading joy and relaxation in this post, that’s because I’m on my birthweek staycation! I’ll be reading more and working much less all week.

I hope you enjoy reading the rest of my images today.

In all my years of reading films, I’ve never seen anything quite like “Sittin’ on a Backyard Fence” from Footlight Parade:

I look forward to reading your comments, below.

If you’re used to reading my daily posts, you know I always end with gratitude, so thanks to all my awesome readers, including YOU!

Day 2795: At this point

At this point, I am

• in charge of planning a high school reunion on Zoom for September 12,
• prepared to share a new original song “We Grew Up in the Sixties and We’re in Our Sixties Now,”
• looking forward to asking questions, answering questions, and sharing memories at the reunion,
• letting go of any anxiety and worry about the event,
• worried less about what other people think about me,
• understanding more about category theory, thanks to my son Aaron,
• more knowledgable about local plants and flowers,
• on Day 5 of my Seventeen-Day staycation,
• aware that I am the one who is counting,
• stably within therapeutic range on Warfarin for my mechanical heart valve,
• wishing the U.S. Presidential election was over already,
• done letting bullies bother me,
• confused and distressed by some things I see around me,
• hopeful about people’s better natures,
• back in EMDR therapy for old and new traumas,
• exhausted from all the local and global disasters,
• wanting to do what I can to make things better for the future, and
• ready to share my latest photos.

 

At this point, we have some great pictures of Harley.

At this point, I’m going to share this hopeful video about the future:

At this point, you can leave a comment below.

At this point in my blog posts, I always express gratitude for everything, including YOU!

Day 2792: Achievable next steps

In therapy, I often ask people to think about achievable next steps, especially if they feel overwhelmed, powerless, and uncertain about the future.  (Sound familiar, anybody?)  Identifying an achievable next step can promote a sense of control and hope.

Here and now, my achievable next steps include

• asking for more help in planning a high school reunion on Zoom,
• going for a socially distanced walk on Day 2 of my 17-day staycation, and
• writing my next blog post.

Do you see any achievable next steps in my photos from yesterday?

Those last four photos show my son Aaron taking some initial steps to explain category theory to me.  He took some prior steps of describing category theory while we were stepping out on a neighborhood walk (pictured above).

My comprehending category theory

1. will take many next steps over my staycation and
2. is definitely achievable, because my son is an excellent teacher.

An achievable next step is to choose a YouTube video for today’s post. Here‘s one explaining John Coltrane‘s Giant Steps, “the most feared song in jazz history.”

Here‘s Giant Steps with somebody taking steps to add animated sheet music (but not for the piano solo):

People took the achievable steps of posting these comments on that YouTube video:

luis Bazan
5 years ago
It looks like I was watching a Tom and Jerry chase sequence, I like it

.
Skippy the Magnificent
1 year ago
“What key is this in?”
“Yes.”

Does leaving a comment here feel like a giant step or an achievable next step to you?

Expressing gratitude is always an achievable next step, so thanks to all (including YOU!) who helped me take achievable next steps to complete this achievable next blog post.

Day 2752: Do one thing every day to better yourself

On my staycation this week, I am trying to better myself every day by

• going on long walks,
• wearing a mask when I leave the house,
• appreciating the beauty around me,
• spending time with my son, who is home from college,
• getting enough sleep,
• eating relatively healthily,
• showing patience,
• letting go of judgment,
• being aware of others’ pain and suffering without losing myself in it,
• taking achievable next steps towards personal and universal goals,
• coexisting in harmony,
• speaking up against injustice,
• expressing my truth,
• appreciating kindness,
• taking one day at a time,
• having fun,
• listening to music I love,
• learning new things,
• reading,
• writing,
• laughing,
• crying,
• watching enjoyable shows and movies on TV,
• balancing time for myself with connection to others,
• maintaining healthy boundaries,
• letting go of whatever is not serving me well,
• accepting with serenity what cannot be changed,
• having the courage to change what can be changed,
• acquiring the wisdom to know the difference,
• being in the moment, and
• sharing photographs.

Our ailing cat Oscar and my husband Michael (who does not like his picture taken) are bettering themselves every day by spending precious moments together.  I better myself every day by listening to Michael, who said about himself earlier this week: “I can talk a dead monkey down from a tree.” I better explain that’s why I took this photo yesterday:

Here‘s “Getting Better” by the Beatles, performed live in 2002 by Paul McCartney and others:

If you were to do one thing every day to better yourself, what might that be?

One thing I do every day to better myself is to express gratitude, so thanks to everybody, including YOU.

Day 1222: Be proud of who you are

Yesterday —  on another cold and rainy May stay-cation day — I saw my old friend Ada. We shared many memories, hopes,  and a cup of tea.

Be proud of who you are, even if

• you forget to take a picture of your fabulous friend Ada,
• you fall asleep before answering all the comments on your blog,
• the universe conspires to give you miserable weather throughout your long-awaited May stay-cation,
• you make mistakes every day,
• your memory and your endurance fade as you age,
• you go for walks when other people have the good sense to stay inside,
• you dance and sing out loud in public,
• you sometimes forget the words,
• you let your childhood piano go untuned for over 15 years,
• you’re living with a guy who collects snow globes,
• you haven’t done any of the cooking, cleaning, or laundry since that snow-globe-collecting guy moved in,
• you make messes,
• you have trouble making some decisions,
• you get impatient sometimes,
• you show and express all your feelings, including fear, anger, sadness, and joy, and
• you can’t always explain why you snap and share the photos you do.

 

I’m proud of who I was yesterday, dancing  and singing out loud to this:

Be proud of who you are, no matter how you respond to this post.

Proud thanks to all who help me blog every day and to you — of course! — for being proud of who you are (I hope).