Day 3594: What the hell is wrong?

Lately, I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night unable to get back to sleep. What the hell is wrong?

The polls in the United States, the week before Election Day, are indicating that fear, anger, and short-term reactivity can too often win out over long-term context and reasoning. What the hell is wrong?

There is evidence everywhere about the devastating effects of climate change, but individuals and governments are not focusing on working together to mitigate this. What the hell is wrong?

Other countries in the world have instituted effective solutions to the issue of gun violence and yet the USA is unable to follow suit despite the unassailable data about this. What the hell is wrong?

Speaking of unassailable data, so many people are swayed more by conspiracy theories and lies than by data and facts. What the hell is wrong?

In the last week, every time I check my Twitter account, I’ve lost more followers. What the hell is wrong?

In the last month, because of intermittent problems starting my yellow Honda Fit, I’ve replaced the key battery, the car battery, AND the alternator, and now my mechanic says I need a new starter. What the hell is wrong?

I apparently have redirected my anxiety about all the above (and other things I can’t control) to obsessing about trivial decisions related to our shower repair and remodel. What the hell is wrong?

I help others develop effective coping strategies to manage stress and yet I often have trouble practicing what I preach. What the hell is wrong?

What the hell is wrong with my images for today?

What the hell is wrong with men making dinner most days? As you can see from my husband Michael’s latest delicious concoction …

… nothing is wrong with that.

Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “what the hell is wrong?”

What the hell is wrong with asking for comments about this what-the-hell-is-wrong post?

What the hell is wrong with my expressing gratitude for all those who help me create this daily blog, including YOU?

Day 2500: It’s My Least Favorite Time of the Year

It’s My Least Favorite Time of the Year

(to the tune of “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”)

 

It’s my least favorite time of the year.

The events I remember

in the month of November put a dent in my cheer.

It’s my least favorite time of the year.

 

It’s those dark, time-changey days of the fall

When my sleep is disrupted,

Politicians corrupted can make my skin crawl.

It’s my least favorite time of them all.

 

People’s moods will be changing

There’s the stress of arranging

Parties that need lots of work.

There’ll be cooking and baking

And the need to be faking

A smile when encountering a jerk.

 

It’s my least favorite time of the year.

I know I’ll get through it

I’ve been able to do it without drinking beer,

Through my least favorite time of the year.

© Ann Koplow, 2019

Thanks to all who help me go new places with hope every day I’m given, including YOU!

Day 2293: All ________

I’m going to ask all my readers, how would you fill in the blank “All _______”?

Some, but not all, of my photos from yesterday have the word “all” in them. Are you all in to see all of my photos from yesterday?

Notice that two my stress relievers, above, included “accepting all feelings” and “you have all the time you need.”  All-so, the words “ballpark” and “baseball” have the word “all” in them.

Here are just two of the songs that have the word “all” in them, and you can find all two on YouTube here and here.

That’s all from me for today, except for gratitude to all who helped me create today’s post and — of course! — to all of you.

Day 1646: Very Doubtful

After all these years of blogging daily, it’s very doubtful I would start a post without a relevant photo.

I’m very doubtful that any of my readers have a fortune-telling Magic 8-Ball as old as mine. My old Magic 8-Ball  responded “Very Doubtful” yesterday when I asked it a question about our upcoming move to a new home.

Big changes like a move can make people very doubtful, because of all the stress involved. Right now, I’m very doubtful about a lot of things.  Are you?

Are you very doubtful about any of my other photos from yesterday?

I’m very doubtful  you can see the excellent piece of halibut on the plate that Michael served last night.

I’m also very doubtful that you noticed the question “What is Fruitcake Anyway?” in one of my other photos above. Most people I know are very doubtful about fruitcake.

While I may be very doubtful about many things these days, I’m not very doubtful that my health today is better than it was a year ago.  On July 4th 2016, I was in a hospital Emergency Room with fevers that turned out to be from pneumonia and heart failure and it was very doubtful  I’d be able to see the Boston fireworks at all. Today, it’s very doubtful I won’t have a view of the fireworks much better than that from a hospital window.

I’m very doubtful  I’ll get lots of comments about this post. Why?  Because it’s a holiday in the U.S. and as I expressed above

 Right now, I’m very doubtful about a lot of things.  Are you?

I’m very doubtful  any other blog writer would quote herself.

It’s very doubtful I would forget to include a very doubtful YouTube video

or my non-doubtful thanks to all, including YOU, my guests.

 

Day 1352: Forget it!

I forgot my phone at work last night, so if you expected to see any photos from yesterday, forget it!

I tend to forget:

• my phone,
• umbrellas,
• numbers,
• song lyrics,
• people’s names,
• dates,
• details about movies I’ve only seen once,
• grudges, and
• I forget what else.

Stress often increases forgetfulness.  I’m forgetting more than usual this week. If you want me to explain why that is, forget it!   I’d rather focus on what I wish I could forget, which includes:

• past hurts,
• past disappointments,
• past illnesses,
• past surgeries,
• cruelty, and
• politics, if only for a moment.

But forget it! I can’t control what I forget and what I remember. Right now, I remember talking to my friend Megan yesterday about the ups and downs of life and how we wished we could remember to ride them, like surfers riding waves.

I’m sure there are recent photos I’ve forgotten to include in this blog.

Here’s one!

I forget why I took that.  Actually, I think I took it accidentally.

If you want me to come up with a reason for why that photo is a good match for today’s blog, forget it!  I have to leave early because I forgot to get an inspection sticker for my car, and if a cop stops me about having an expired sticker, forget it!

I wonder if there’s anything titled “Forget It” on YouTube?

Forget it!  There’s too many Forget Its on YouTube!  Here’s the first “Forget It” I found:

Here‘s a song I’ll never forget and which I heard yesterday on my way to work:

If you want me to explain why “Love is the Answer” by Todd Rundgren is unforgettable, forget it!

If you leave a comment, I won’t forget it. And I can’t forget to thank all who helped me create today’s post or you — of course! — for remembering to visit, here and now.

Day 194: Personal Power

Dear Reader,

I would like to share some Random Thoughts on personal power, on a Saturday morning (after an exhausting week at work and during a morning where I have just re-read two of my blog posts from earlier this year — Post One and Post Two).

(Why did I re-read those particular blog posts? Because I noticed that somebody in Finland had just read the first one and there was a link — or ping-back — in the first one to the second one.) (Talk about random ….)

Without further ado … (Jerry Seinfeld — or perhaps Garry Shandling — once said, “What is ‘ado’, anyway, and why should there be no further of it?”):

Random Thoughts About Personal Power

(“Random,” in this context, means, “I have no friggin’ clue how I am going to organize or choose among all the thoughts I am having about this, right now.”)

1. There are times, in our lives, when our personal power is greatly restricted or non-existent, to our detriment and pain.

Obviously, this is true if we are subjugated to unjust laws that restrict freedom and cause suffering.

This is also true if our role or position intrinsically has less power. (Being a child is just one example.)

2. Sometimes, it is difficult to figure out how much personal power we have in a situation. When we perceive that we are powerless, it is difficult to act. We might focus our energy and thoughts on survival, rather than on the possibility of change.

3. Often, we need the help of others to leverage and support our personal power.

And on a more personal note …

4. The Tiger (which has shown up in my blog posts here and — what amazed me this morning — in both the blog posts I referred to, above) might stand for anger…. or it might stand for Personal Power.

_________

Before I end this post for the day (so I can go out into the world and, perhaps, exercise some personal power, in some small way), I would like to tell you about a Worksheet I use in my groups.

I hand out worksheets, about topics that often come up in groups. These worksheets have a few questions on them. The participants write their thoughts down and then the group members share these thoughts and discuss them.

One of these worksheets is on the topic of Personal Power. The questions are something like this (I can’t access the exact language, because I am not at work today):

Worksheet on Personal Power

1. What does “personal power” mean to you?

2. What are some examples of times when you were able to exercise personal power? What are some times when you were not?

3. What gets in the way of you having personal power?

4. What helps you recognize and use your personal power?

_______________

(I am now letting go of judgment about how well I was able to remember those questions as well as judgment about the questions themselves.)

Okay, I now need to end this post, to obey the rules of time and space (and get to an appointment on time).

Thanks to all,
Ann

Day 102: How to stop and tie your shoe

Yesterday, I wrote about Bill Rodgers, who won many marathons during the 70’s, and how he stopped during an important race to tie his shoe.

This story spoke to me about my current need to take care of myself.  To slow down.  Because I am definitely doing too much (work) with too little (external resources), right now.  And that can be a self-perpetuating cycle, because the longer this kind of stressful situation continues, the less internal resources (stamina, health, enthusiasm, focus) I’ll have to drawn on.

So, the first question I would like to ask myself, right now, is this:

What helps me, in the moment, when I am feeling that level of stress?

Here is what is coming to mind right now:

1. Asking for help and support.
2.  Allowing room for all my feelings, even if those feelings include anger — new AND old. (Most of us have certain feelings we “don’t like” or “disown.”  And  repressing those feelings — which is an old habit — does NOT help.) (I’ve been screaming in the car lately, which is actually fun.)
3. Setting limits, clearly and firmly.
4. Recognizing and owning my personal power (for me, that includes realizing that I am not helpless and small, like I was when I was a child) (it also includes realizing that I have options — that I am not trapped in a current situation).
5. Realizing that I am not going to do a great job at everything. I just can’t.
6. Setting priorities (because of #5).
7. Letting go of past regrets and future worries, to be in the moment with all my senses (especially since the trees are starting to flower!!!

And there is one more:

8.  Writing down my thoughts and feelings.

Voila.

Thanks for reading (as I stop and tie that shoe).