Yesterday, as I was looking around me, I posted this on Twitter:
As I expected, the answers to my question opened up new and wonderful windows for me to look through.
Here’s what I saw when I looked around me yesterday:
When you look around you, what do you see? I’ll look for your comments later.
I looked around YouTube and saw this:
When I look around me, I see and feel gratitude, so thanks to everyone who helps me see more and more each day, including you!
Now is the perfect time to be brave and courageous, because why wait? Life is short, my brave and courageous friends.
Now is the perfect time to look at all my images for now.
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Now is the perfect time to be brave and courageous and now is the perfect time for peace.
Now is the perfect time to tell you that I rocked my workshop and my speech yesterday!
Now is the perfect time to share what I find when I search YouTube for “now is the perfect time to be brave and courageous.”
Now is the perfect time to leave a comment and now is the perfect time to express my thanks and appreciation for all of you!
Today’s post is titled “Strong Encouragement” because (1) we could all use some and (2) I captured these two images at my local supermarket last night:
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Do you see strong encouragement in my other images for today?
In college, I needed strong encouragement to read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, which included horrific scenes about how the sausage is made.
Do you need strong encouragement to watch and listen to the twins hearing Steely Dan’s “Do It Again” for the first time?
If so, I strongly encourage you to read this comment:
What does strong encouragement mean to you?
In case you didn’t know, I’m always grateful for the strong encouragement you give me to keep on blogging, every day.
Two nights ago, when my very busy brain woke me up and prevented me from getting back to sleep, I tweeted this …
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I received very many helpful responses about very busy brains.
My very busy brain did come up with this mantra a month ago: “I am at peace. We are all one, connected.“ However, when my very busy brain is interfering with my sleep, I have trouble remembering it! This reminds me of the very first time I ever noticed the very busy Jeff Goldblum.
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Do you see evidence of very busy brains in my other images for today?
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Just like Scorpio Rising …
… I calm my very busy brain by spending time in nature and photographing it. Here are some photos I took within 20 busy miles from where I grew up:
Very busy brains tend to go into the future, often with worry about what will be. We need to refocus, over and over again, on the precious present moment.
My very-busy-brained husband, Michael, suggested yesterday that we calm our very busy brains by committing, once again, to no worry for a year. We tried that once before, starting in April 2019, and, unfortunately, our brains got very busy with worry in March of 2020, when I and very many other people came down with COVID.
Do any other very busy brains want to join me and Michael in committing to no worry for a year?
My very busy brain goes into the future and the past, so here’s one of my very favorite TV show theme songs from the distant past:
My very busy brain looks forward to some very busy activity in the comments section, below.
Finally, here’s some very busy gratitude for all who help me create these very busy posts, including YOU!
In all the time zones of the USA, today is Mother’s Day, and I am comforted by good memories of my late mother. My mother tried her best to give comfort to others and created many comfort zones during her long life.
Here’s my mother creating a comfort zone for my late father when they were young…
and for my father and their two best friends many years later:
Memories of my mother are comfort zones for me. And as you can see, we both experienced zones near the ocean as comfort zones.
Trying to make Twitter more of a comfort zone, I posted this tweet a few minutes ago:
Today, I’m getting ready to travel for the first time since the pandemic created so many discomfort zones. I’m expecting some discomfort flying tomorrow to an unfamiliar place in a different time zone — Nashville.
Last night, I had discomforting dreams about singing my original songs in Nashville. One of them — “I Left the House Before I Felt Ready” — is about comfort and discomfort zones. Strangely, I woke up comforted after that dream, thinking, “Well, I doubt things will go THAT badly.”
Tweeting used to be out of my comfort zone, but no longer.
Do you see comfort zones in my photos from yesterday?
Here’s where my thoughts are going — to my debut performance of “I Left the House Before I Felt Ready” when I FORGOT my own words, which always throws me out of my comfort zone:
Sharing vulnerabilities can create comfort zones for yourself and others.
I just increased my comfort zone by booking my 6:30 AM Lyft to the airport for tomorrow.
Also, the person who created Mother’s Day for me just contacted me from Scotland, which really expanded my comfort zone.
Please make this blog more of a comfort zone by expressing your thoughts and feelings in the comments zone below.
Gratitude always increases my comfort zones, so thanks to all who help me get into the blogging zone every day, including YOU!
Yesterday, after Joe Biden was finally projected to be the next President of the United States, there was dancing in the streets!
While there was dancing in the streets all around the world, I took these photos on a gorgeous day:
Michael didn’t dance in the streets with my friend Barbara and me, but he danced in his own way yesterday.
I’m looking forward to many more days of dancing in the streets (which I do when I listen to music, no matter what day it is). There’s sure to be a lot more hope and joy in my street dancing now.
Thanks to Barbara, Michael, everybody dancing in the streets, and YOU!
Last week I wrote a blog post about how much I’ll be feeling blue if the USA does not turn blue this next election. Yesterday, I saw this at a supermarket in the very blue state of Massachusetts:
Under that “FEELING BLUE?” headline, it says “You’re not alone” — which is one of the major healing factors of group therapy.
Michael was feeling blue soon after I took that photo when he noticed a grocery bagger wearing a mask BELOW his nose. Conflict makes Michael feel blue, but he still asked that supermarket employee to pull his mask up properly. We both feel blue when we go to this supermarket, because we almost always notice employees with their noses hanging out. When we see these kinds of behaviors, we talk ourselves blue in the face trying to figure out what people are thinking and why mask wearing isn’t better enforced in SUPERMARKETS, for heaven’s sake.
Before that blue period, I took this photo at that supermarket yesterday because these rubber ducks looked like they were feeling blue, hanging in the frozen foods section in this netting.
I didn’t know until later that Michael was feeling blue enough to buy those ducks and set them free.
If you’re feeling blue, you might enjoy some of the other images I captured yesterday near the very blue city of Boston.
Harley has not been feeling blue lately. Have you?
Here’s “Feelin’ Blue” by Creedence Clearwater Revival …
… and “Feelin’ Blue” by Earth, Wind & Fire.
Whenever I’m feelin’ blue, gratitude helps, so thanks to all who are reading these daily pre-election posts, including YOU.
Sarcasm is
Do you detect sarcasm in any of the following statements?
To help you detect sarcasm in those statements, here is “Lie Witness News — 2019 Year End Edition” from Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Do you detect sarcasm in any of these images?
What are your thoughts and feelings about sarcasm in this age of anxiety?
These days, I am never sarcastic when expressing gratitude (although some people are), so thanks for everything!
As we approach the fall of 2020, I’m wondering what is going to fall apart and what is going to fall together.
Do you see fall in these recent images?
Those who forget history are doomed, period, so VOTE this fall.
Here‘s a tribute to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg which falls beautifully into place:
I look forward to reading whatever thoughts and feelings fall into the comments section, below.
Gratitude prevents me from falling every day, so thanks to all who help me create these fall, winter, spring, and summer posts, including YOU.
Yesterday, when I was walking around in the heat of the day, I heard “The Heat of the Day” by the Pat Metheny Group.
The music of the Pat Metheny Group has helped me get through a lot of heat of many days, but I can never remember there being so much heat to get through before. Here and now, there’s the heat of
In all that heat of many days, it feels like we’re heading to the end of the world.
In the heat of my writing this post, the ironically soothing “To the End of the World” is playing, which is helping me deal with the heat of a new day.
Can you see the heat of the day in these images?
I do believe we’re stronger together, but the heat of these days seems to be driving us apart.
In the heat of this day, I will be providing crisis services remotely and training a new social work intern to withstand the heat of the day at the hospital.
In the heat of the moment, I shall chill by looking for your comments on this “Heat of the Day” post.
In the heat of your day, please remember my gratitude for all, including YOU.
