Day 2869: Dancing in the streets!

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!

Day 2856: Feeling blue ?

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.

Day 2843: Sarcasm

Sarcasm is

• “the use of irony to mock or convey contempt,”
• “an ironic or satirical statement tempered by humor,”
• saying “the opposite of what’s true in an attempt to make someone look or feel foolish,”
• something my son requested that I stop using when he was young,
• difficult to avoid in certain situations, and
• the subject of today’s Daily Bitch Calendar.

Do you detect sarcasm in any of the following statements?

• The people in power care about the rest of us so much.
• Politicians try really hard to keep their promises.
• Everybody in the United States has equal rights.
• The United States citizenry always does a great job exercising the precious right to vote.
• People are so well versed on the real issues that are going to affect them.
• The squeaky wheel not only gets the most grease, it also deserves more attention than the quieter wheels (and the wheels that have trouble being heard).
• Everyone agrees with me and my late mother that honesty is the best policy.

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?

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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!

Day 2821: Fall

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?

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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.

Day 2814: The Heat of the Day

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

• uncontrolled wild fires,
• climate change,
• the pandemic,
• elections,
• unrest,
• injustice,
• distrust,
• lies,
• ignorance,
• personal attacks, and
• panic about the future.

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?

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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.

Day 2778: Scream

Last week, I asked people in a socially-distanced Coping and Healing group if they wanted to scream.  Some said they did want to scream, but nobody screamed in group.  When people are angry and frustrated, I sometimes suggest that they scream

• together,
• alone,
• into a pillow,
• in their cars,
• along to music, or
• other ways that work for them.

Yesterday,  I almost screamed with joy when this long-awaited mask arrived in the mail:

I wore the Scream mask yesterday when we shopped at a local Whole Foods Market (which my friend Jenn calls “Whole Paycheck”). The week before, I wanted to scream at our local Stop & Shop because a shopper was walking around with no mask, unchallenged, and several employees (INCLUDING A STORE MANAGER!) had their noses hanging out of their masks.  I might scream about that to our local Board of Health.

Do you see anything in these other photos from yesterday that makes you want to scream?

IF YOU WANT TO ENLARGE ANY OF THOSE PHOTOS, PLEASE CLICK ON IT!

Here’s another photo from Whole Foods:

People who party together these days without obeying social distancing make me want to SCREAM!

During the month of August, people usually scream with laughter at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, but not this year (which is screamingly apparent in this video by Laurie Black):

Here’s how Laurie Black introduces that video on YouTube:

This is Laurie Black, reporting from Edinburgh. Scenes on the ground here are unheard of – the streets are empty, shutters down, the silent discos are actually silent, and pipers are wearing facemasks… For the first time in 73 years, Edinburgh will *not* be welcoming performers and audiences from around the world, for 25 days in 300+ venues. That doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy and support the arts – get involved at https://crowdfund.edfringe.com/fringe… and make an effort to look up some of your favourite Fringe artists and venues; follow them on social media; buy their merch; donate to their crowdfunder pages; and tune into their live-streamed performances. The show isn’t over, it’s just a dark day. See you in 2021!

Here‘s a video from my Edinburgh Fringe show last year:

Feel free to scream about anything you choose in the comments section, below.

Thanks for following and supporting one of your favourite Fringe artists here.

 

Day 2716: Working it

Since I recovered from COVID-19 in March, I’ve been working non-stop.

Yesterday, a hard-working friend texted me that I should take a vacation and I replied “What is this ‘vacation’ that you speak of?”

As foreign as the concept seems, I will be getting a vacation from work to spend time with my son, who has finished up his school work for the year in Scotland.

Now it’s time to work this post with photos that show different ways of working it.

I had trouble working that dish by Michael into a recent post, so there it is, working it here and now.

There are several versions of the Beatles’ “We Can Work it Out” working it on YouTube, including here and here.

I’m looking forward to seeing our government working it better in future months and I’m looking forward to people working it in a comment, below.

As always, gratitude is working it in this blog.

Day 2694: Rulers of the House

If you saw the headline “Rulers of the House” (which I’m recreating in my house, here and now), what would your immediate association be?

Might “Rulers of the House” be

• Men?
• Women?
• Adults?
• Children?
• Monarchs?
• Elected officials?
• Appointed officials?
• Democrats?
• Conservatives?
• Corporations?
• People with money?
• People with privilege?
• Sports figures?
• Animals?
• Deities?
• Emotions?
• Conscious thoughts?
• Unconscious thoughts?
• Dreams?
• The weather?
• Nature?
• Technology?
• Television?
• Planets?

Do you see any Rulers of the House in my photos from yesterday?

Here’s what I find when I search YouTube for “Rulers of the House”:

More rulers of the house:

I love the way Jewel Gilchrist rules her house.

Christine Baranski,  Meryl Streep, and Audra McDonald are Rulers of the House in this version of “The Ladies Who Lunch” (from the 90th birthday celebration for Stephen Sondheim):

If you want to be one of the Rulers of the House of Living Non-Judgmentally, please leave a comment below.

As always, the rules of this house include expressing gratitude for all those in my life with hearts of gold, including YOU.

Day 2569: I’m so done

Yesterday, after I was so done creating my daily blog post and reading the latest news, I decided “I’m so done” with

• politics as usual,
• war,
• worry,
• paralyzing fear,
• insomnia,
• shame,
• guilt,
• personalization,
• catastrophizing,
• assumptions,
• negativity, and
• other unhelpful thoughts.

I searched the internet for “I’m so done” and found these:

Apparently, I’m not the only who is thinking “I’m so done.”

I’m so done sharing other people’s images in this post, so here’s a bunch of my “I’m so done” images from yesterday.

I’m so done with the glittery nail polish from our wedding on December 27, but I can’t get it all off,  no matter what nail polish remover I try.

I’m so done caring about stupid little things like that.

What are you so done with?

Here‘s “I’m So Done” by Lain Roy:

 

I’m never done expressing gratitude to all who help me create these daily posts and — of course! — to YOU.

 

 

 

 

Day 2555: What is this place?

What is this place?  It’s The Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally on WordPress, a place where I started blogging daily seven years ago. It’s a place I try to make special and safe.

It’s a place where I share stories and photos of places I’ve been.

What is this place? It’s a place where

• all creatures are welcome (no matter what they do or say),
• I create things (including  songs about Ferrero Rocher), and
• I share my thoughts and feelings, hoping that also helps you in some way.

This is the place for me to say this: before you step into 2020, be sure to cancel  your subscriptions to other people’s drama and negativity, but please do not cancel your subscription to The Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally.

I found “What Is This Place” playing in place on YouTube.

As always, there’s a place for you and your comments here.

What is this place?  It’s a place for gratitude, every day.