Day 2840: It’s for you

It’s for you that I write these blog posts. But it’s also for me. As I encounter so many ups and downs in life, blogging every morning strengthens me for the day ahead.

It’s for you that I share today’s music, by Pat Metheny and the late Lyle Mays.

At the same time, sharing “It’s For You” from As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls is for me.

It’s for you that I’m trying out a new, unfamiliar-to-me editor as I blog today. But it’s also for me (to increase my confidence about using new technology as I prepare to host my 50th high school reunion on Zoom).

It’s for you that I captured all these images, but it’s also for me.

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It’s for you and for me that I realize that “It’s for you” would make a good caption for this:

It’s for you that I have a comments section but it’s also for me.

It’s for you and for me that I collect images of gratitude to end these posts.

I’m grateful that writing this post with the new editor was much easier than I expected! This reminds me of the helpful cognition I’m working on in EMDR therapy:

I can trust myself, which allows me to figure out who else to trust.

Thanks to Pat, Lyle, Harley, Michael (for the burritos), the South Shore of Boston, our neighborhood church, our neighbors, snowy and not-so-snowy egrets, WordPress, and YOU.

Day 2801: Remarkable

It’s remarkable how many remarkably comforting and thoughtful remarks people have been leaving on this blog about the recent loss of our remarkable kitty, Oscar.

It’s also remarkable, to me, how anybody can still support our remarkable U.S. President, who thinks it remarkable that he passed a cognitive test and remembered the words “Person Woman Man Camera TV.”  I don’t think it’s that remarkable that I still remember those words in order, days after hearing them.

Recently, I remarked to my husband that I found it remarkable that somebody had used a marker to mark up a nearby wall with this:

Yesterday, I brought a marker with me on my walk, with the intent to re-mark that wall.  However, my marker was remarkably thin, so I couldn’t remark the MAGA marks, even though I tried. Instead,  I marked up the wall directly above, like so:

As I re-marked that wall, I listened for remarks from people nearby on the beach,  who were enjoying the remarkable day. Everything was remarkably quiet. When I was done re-marking, I resumed my remarkable walk.

Which of my photos today are the most remarkable?

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I find these images particularly remarkable, here and now.

 

 

 

 

It’s remarkable how comforting it is to have Harley around as we grieve the loss of our remarkable Oscar , who looked like this:

After I saw that cat food bag at the supermarket yesterday, I showed that photo to my remarkable husband Michael, who has so often remarked in many remarkable situations, “Look, Ann!  That cat looks just like Oscar!”

It’s remarkable what we remember.

Here is Jaheim‘s  “Remarkable” featuring Terry Dexter:

It’s remarkable how much I’m looking forward to your remarks, below.

Remarkable thanks to all, including YOU.

 

Day 2794: What’s the title of this post?

Over my many years of blogging, I’ve created other posts with titles similar to today’s (including this, this, and this).

Today’s post could be titled Day 2974: Packed With Kindness …

…  Day 2794: Party Animals …

… Day 2794: Anticipatory Grief …

… Day 2794: Celebrate Everyday Moments …

… Day 2794: Stronger Together …

… Day 2794: You’re probably going to regret a lot of things …

… or Day 2794: No Day But Today.

What do you think the title of this post is?

Of course, all my posts could be titled  Day ___: Thanks.  So, thanks to our amazing kitty Oscar, party animals, The Daily Bitch Calendar, Stop & Shop, Hallmark Cards, Idina Menzel,  Dr. Seuss, Jane Austen,  and YOU (no matter what your title is).

 

Day 2773: Your participation is requested

Your participation is requested, as stated here:

Your participation is requested in this blog post, as I share these photos from yesterday.

How do you tend to participate?  Do you participate more when your participation is requested?

Your participation is requested in answering this question:

When I was participating in the flow of love yesterday by taking one of the photos above, somebody came out of  their house and asked, “Can I help you?”  When I said, “I’m taking a picture of this because I thought it was funny,” she nodded, went back in her house while saying, ‘We are big skiers.”  Which photo was it?

 

When I search YouTube for “your participation is requested” I find this:

Your participation is requested in appreciation and gratitude!

Day 2744: Life Choices

Every day, we make life choices which affect outcomes in ways we might not expect. Some of us are privileged enough to have more choices than others.

Today, I’m making the choice to share all these moments of my life from yesterday:

I like life choices that Jimmy Kimmel made on his show on Friday night.

My life choices always include gratitude, so thanks to all who visited this blog, here and now.

 

Day 2710: Jaw Dropping

It’s jaw dropping to me that I forgot about the invitation (which I included in yesterday’s  post)  to stream Stephen Sondheim’s 90th birthday celebration last night, with its jaw-dropping lineup of stars:

I have found many things jaw-dropping lately, including

• American leadership’s responses to the pandemic crisis,
• racism, sexism, ageism, and homophobia,
• how difficult it is for people to get what they need,
• how little there is to celebrate these days, and
• people’s ability to celebrate, anyway.

Do you see anything jaw-dropping in my photos from yesterday?

It’s jaw dropping

• that there was no spinach, parsley, or flour at the supermarket yesterday,
• the delicious meal Michael made anyway,
• how hard nurses work for us every day of the year,
• the level of suffering out there, and
• how lucky I am, here and now.

 

Here‘s the jaw-dropping celebration of Stephen Sondheim from last night:

I look forward to your jaw-dropping comments with (of course!) jaw-dropping gratitude.

Day 2647: LIVE TODAY LIKE

 

Live today like you’re getting fried tomorrow (or like you’re getting stir fry today).

Here’s Tim McGraw, live, telling us to live today like you’re getting fried tomorrow with “Live Like You Were Dying.”

 

Live today with gratitude that, most likely, you (and Harley) are not getting fried tomorrow.

Day 2641: Feet First

Yesterday, when I was walking down the street with my feet first, I heard “Feet First” from the album Street Dreams by the late, great keyboardist Lyle Mays.

My first thought was “Tomorrow’s blog is going to include ‘Feet First’ and photos with feet!”

The first photo I took was of my own feet on the street.

And as I walked through the day with my feet first, I realized, again, how much it helps to take life one step at a time.

Here are the other feet I captured yesterday:

Now it’s time for me to step through another day, feet first.

Thanks to Lyle Mays, artists,  cats, and all who help me step through life feet first, including YOU!

Day 2640: Be your own hero.

No matter what is going on in your life right now, be your own hero.

Even when your blogging platform (a metaphor for LIFE) throws changes at you that you cannot control* which make things more confusing and difficult, be your own hero.

Even if your eye turns red frequently because you’re on anticoagulants …

… be your own hero.

Even when you have trouble remembering things, be your own hero.

Even when you have a strangely-shaped heart (or anything else that’s unique, different, or weird), be your own hero.

Even when you have to rush, be your own hero.

Even when you have all sorts of feelings …

… like when $&@^!!?&%£!! WordPress makes it MUCH harder and time consuming to add photos and is probably totally screwing up the formatting of this post, be your own hero.

Even when you can’t always be first class …

… be your own hero.

Even when you have trouble making decisions …

… be your own hero.

Even when you are planning a 50th high school reunion in an ageist culture, be your own hero.

Even when you have to rely on other heroes to get things done, be your own hero.

Even when you have no idea how people are going to receive what you send out into the world (like this blog post), be your own hero.

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 * After I published this post (which was formatted FINE), I discovered that I can switch to the old WordPress editor if I choose, so I have more control than I thought. Even when you find out new information,

 

Day 2632: Best Gift Ever

What is the best gift ever?

Is it

• sweets,
• flowers,
• clothes,
• jewelry,
• a book,
• art,
• music,
• words,
• comfort,
• a pet,
• friendship,
• kindness,
• love,
• home,
• the Earth,
• the sky, or
• pictures?

Is the best gift being happy together?

For me, the best gift, here and now, would be a comment from you.

Finally, I hope you accept my gift of gratitude.