Day 2765: Stoned

You might think, from looking at this photo,

that somebody was stoned when Michael and I gathered with my son Aaron and my ex-in-laws for my first social gathering since March. I don’t think so, but who knows? And even though it might not look like it, I kept a stone’s throw distance from my son Aaron and my ex-in-laws, too.

You might think that I chose the title for today’s post because I took these photos of stones yesterday:

You might think I was stoned when I took some of these photos, but I was not.

 

Who needs to get stoned when I  can look at scenes like these?

 

Do Harley or Oscar look stoned?

I wonder if Oscar will feel stoned when I bring him out for a walk in his new stroller.

Here‘s Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and many others performing “Everybody Must Get Stoned” at Farm Aid in 1986:

Please don’t throw any stones when you comment on this “Stoned” post, below.

Finally, stoned gratitude from me to you!

 

Day 2733: Signature moves

One of my signature moves is sharing the Daily Bitch calendar:

Unfortunately, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we all need to practice this signature move of pushing everyone away. At least, however, we don’t have to wonder why we’re alone.

Another one of my signature moves is taking photos of what moves me.

Harley and Oscar have very different signature moves (as you can see in this post).

Another one of my signature moves is to choose a song related to one of my images.

My signature moves these days also include:

• Working from home.
• Going on socially distanced walks.
• Facilitating five online “Coping and Healing” groups every week.
• Winding up my Presidency for the Northeastern Society for Group Psychotherapy.
• Spending quality time with those I love.
• Rewriting my original songs to fit current realities.
• Expressing gratitude and appreciation.

What are your signature moves?

Day 2275: Petty

When I’m petty, I feel guilty.  When I observe other people being petty, I get scared, because I’ve observed pettiness wreaking havoc with relationships.

Here’s a definition of petty:

pet·ty
/ˈpedē/
adjective
1. of little importance; trivial.
“the petty divisions of party politics”
synonyms: trivial, trifling, minor, small, slight, unimportant, insignificant, inessential, inconsequential, inconsiderable, negligible, paltry, footling, fiddling, niggling, pettifogging, nugatory, of little account
2. of secondary or lesser importance, rank, or scale; minor.
“a petty official”

My personal goal for today is to make other people being petty of little importance, trivial, minor, small, slight, insignificant, inconsequential, and negligible to me.

Here are some “petty” quotes:

I fly because it releases my mind from petty things. — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Our thoughts are broadcasts of the soul, not secrets of the brain. Kind ones bring us happiness; petty ones, untold pain. –– Ritu Ghatourey

Party loyalty lowers the greatest men to the petty level of the masses. — Jean de la Bruyère

Guilt is petty; I am above guilt. — Susan Cheever

Reproof should not exhaust its power on petty failings. — Samuel Johnson

More than jealousy or  possessiveness pettiness kills love. — Marty Rubin

Don’t be afraid of failure; be afraid of petty success. — Maude Adams

Be master of your petty annoyances and conserve your energies for the big, worthwhile things. It isn’t the mountain ahead that wears you out — it’s the grain of sand in your shoe. — Robert Service

The art of giving orders is not to try to rectify the minor blunders and not to be swayed by petty doubts. — Sun Tzu

The constant petty behests of life permit few opportunities for major satisfactions, and when one is offered it should be seized.  — Rex Stout

Petty things don’t bother me as much as they used to  — Rebecca Lobo

Mankind accepts good fortune as his due, but when bad occurs, he thinks it was aimed at him, done to him, a hex, a curse, a punishment by his deity for some transgression, as though his god were a petty storekeeper, counting up the day’s receipts. — Sheri S. Tepper

Great necessity elevates man.  Petty necessity casts him down. — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

It is better to lose everything you have to keep the balance of justice level, than to live a life of petty privilege devoid of true freedom. — Bryant H. McGill

Beware of those who attribute petty instructions to God. — Abdul Sattar Edhi

Petty laws breed great crimes. — Ouida

Never fear being a petty fool it means you ain’t dying.  — Timothy Spall

Don’t sweat the petty things and don’t pet the sweaty things. — George Carlin

In the Wikipedia entry about Ouida, it says she “dressed expensively but not tastefully.”  That seems rather petty, doesn’t it?

Do you see anything petty in my photos from yesterday?

 

That puppy at Pet Express was very pet-ty and here’s a quote from me:

Petty is the enemy of friendship. — Ann Koplow

Here‘s a Petty Song:

 

Here‘s  the Petty Song I was looking for:

 

It’s not petty for me express my gratitude to all who helped me create todays “Petty” post and — of course! — to YOU.

 

 

 

Day 1927: I’m so sick of …

I’m so sick of …

• winter weather,

• my fears,

• unpleasant surprises,

• worry,

• photos from my phone not loading on my laptop, like these:

• writing blog posts on my phone because that’s where the photos are,
• waking up  multiple times during the night,
• people who don’t listen,
• politicians who start a sentence with “What the American people want is …”,
• dishonesty,
• greed,
• name calling,
• injustice,
• racism,
• sexism,
• homophobia
• ageism, and
• physical therapy at 7:30 in the morning.

What are you so sick of?

I’m not sick of this Tom Petty song.

 

I hope you’re not so sick of my gratitude because I have lots of that for all those who helped me write this blog post and — of course! — for YOU.

Day 1890: Just breathe

Let’s just breathe as I own that  Oscar and I always watch the Oscars together.

What helps you just breathe?  For 22-year-old Oscar nominee Timothee Chalamet last night, it was this video message from his high school drama teacher, Mr. Shifman:

Shifman here. I’m here with a few of LaGuardia High School’s future Oscar contenders to leave you with a few familiar words: Just breathe. You always know where home is, pal.

I always know where home is, too, especially when I just breathe.

Just breathe as you take a look at two more photos.

It’s easier to love this day when I just breathe.

I watched Eddie Vedder just breathe and sing  Tom Petty’s “Room at the Top”  during  last night’s  “In Memoriam” section.  Here‘s Eddie Vedder singing “Just Breathe.”

Just breathe and take in my gratitude for all who helped me create this “Just Breathe” post and — (taking a breath) — YOU!

Day 1777: It’s good to be tough

It’s good to be tough

when things get rough

but it’s good to be vulnerable, too.

In every location

I see invitation

to huddle and muddle things through.

After every bad storm

it’s important to mourn

and also find strength in your heart.

So put on your mittens

and play with some kittens

and […it’s tough to come up with a good last line, so could you do your part?]

 

It’s good to see Tom Petty sing

“It’s Good to Be King.”

 

Thanks for reading and helping my rhymes.

I’ll now express thanks several times.

 

Day 1737: It’s too much to process

“It’s too much to process”  is something I hear people say, in my therapy groups and elsewhere.

“It’s too much to even process” is something Jimmy Kimmel said in his monologue last night about the Las Vegas mass shooting:

What do you do when it’s too much to process?  Do you cry, like Jimmy Kimmel did?  Is it numbing, a word Conan O’Brien used in his monologue about the largest mass shooting in U.S. history?

Do you ask, “How could this happen?” as Conan did there?  Do you say, “It makes no sense to me”? “Something needs to change”?  “I am truly heartbroken”?

When it’s too much to process, do you try to somehow make meaning of what’s happened? Do you try to get people to see things your way?  Do you get angry? Do you give up? Do you take action? Do you try to block things from your mind?  Do you distract yourself any way you can? Do you look for the good in people? Do you isolate? Do you blame? Do you pray?   Do you look for any humor you can find, for moments of relief?

Here are more (usually) humorous people responding to the same  too-much-to-process mass shooting:

It’s too much to process that Tom Petty is dead at age 66.

What do you do when it’s too much to process?

When it’s too much to process, I reach out to others.

I’m reaching out to you, here and now.

Feel free to process in a comment, below.

Thanks to all for processing with me today.