Day 3556: Strike while the iron is hot

I’m going to strike while the iron is hot and immediately share the meaning of that idiom.

I like to strike while the iron is hot and right now I’m trying to figure out how to take advantage of a travel opportunity with free airfare, which is expiring on June 30.

Striking while the iron is hot can be

• adventurous,
• effective,
• ineffective,
• fun,
• anxiety-provoking,
• smart,
• dangerous (ouch! hot iron!)
• invigorating, and/or
• exhausting.

Let’s strike while the iron is hot and look at my images for today.

On National Logistics Day, I’m trying to strike while the iron is hot to figure out the logistics to make this trip work.

When I strike while the iron is hot on YouTube, this is what I find:

Finally, I’m going to strike while the gratitude iron is hot and thank all who help me create this daily blog, including YOU!

Day 3554: Belonging

As a group therapist and as a human being, I think a lot about belonging. Here’s a definition of belonging:

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Now I be longing for a longer definition, so here’s a definition of “belong.”

From what I’m reading and experiencing, more people, here and now, are feeling like they do not belong in the USA because of a vocal minority gaining more power over the majority. It’s difficult belonging to a country where gun rights are protected more than human rights.

Do you see belonging in my images for today?

My sense of belonging is all about being with those I love, so happy National Beautician’s day to Mia, the beloved beautician for my friend Barbara (pictured above), my friend Deb, and me!

Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “belonging.”

I look forward to reading the comments, belonging below, about this belonging post.

Thanks to all belonging here, including YOU!

Day 3553: I should have known better

I didn’t think that hard-won rights for women in the United States would be taken away, but I should have known better.

I didn’t think that greedy and dishonest men would take control of major parts of our government, but I should have known better.

I didn’t think I would ever be writing this post when I started blogging in 2013, but I should have known better.

I didn’t think the Daily Bitch would give me the title for today’s post, but I should have known better.

I’ve encouraged people in my Coping and Healing groups, who want to feel better, to keep a journal of “what helps” and “what doesn’t help.” In my Coping and Healing journal, #1 on my list of “what doesn’t help” is “telling myself I should have known better.” I should tell you that I created that journal before 2016, the year that a toxic narcissist became one of the most powerful people in the world. I didn’t think that was possible and I should have known better. I should have known better, also, what chaos and destruction would ensue.

I should have known better that on days that I’m feeling despair that I would have very few images to share.

I should have known better that my wonderful son’s father, Leon, would have his own day. Also, I should have known better that Summersgiving doesn’t mean giving to a vitally important organization, but I feel better on this day starting a recurring contribution to Planned Parenthood. If you want to join me, click here.

I should have known better when I wrote this song about the Supreme Court back in 2018 how many times I would have the occasion to share it.

My son Aaron thinks that’s the best song I’ve written, which I didn’t know but maybe he knows better.

I should have known better that sharing my thoughts and feelings with you would help me feel a little better (as it always does), so many thanks for being here, now.

Day 3552: You never know

You never know exactly what the day will bring, but you know the Daily Bitch will have something to say about it.

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You never know what images I’m going to share in these posts and I hope you enjoy these (with or without a stick of butter).

You never know. I thought I knew that there would never be a National Take Your CAT to Work Day. However …

I’ll never know why that didn’t show up in the list of National Days on Monday.

You never know what you’re going to find on YouTube.

You never know how I’ll express my thanks to all who help me blog every day, including YOU!

Day 3546: Better than expected

Yesterday was a day that turned out much better than expected.

Let’s see if my photos are better than expected.

That cookie might be better than expected and that slogan was better than expected.

Capturing two bunnies in a photo was better than expected. Also, the weather during our evening walk was better than expected because it had been humid earlier in the day.

This photo of a big orange cat in a window was better than expected.

If this sweet lost kitty is ever found, that would be better than expected.

This typical still life in our neighborhood is better than expected.

What my husband Michael said about this combination of restaurants was better than expected. He said it was Mex-Ken. His reaction to his own pun was better than expected because he hates puns unless he makes them. Then they’re not puns, they’re “shmuns.”

Harley’s reactions to Joan are much better than expected.

We thought we would never get over the loss of our beloved cat Oscar, but Joan has made everything much better than expected.

If these three photos of Harley and Joan are better than expected, that’s because Michael took them, not me.

I’m curious about things that are better than expected, in case you haven’t noticed.

Michael’s homemade dinners are better than donuts, which might be better than expected for some.

These National Days are better than expected so I think I’ll splurge and get away today by visiting my ex-sister-in-law, Deborah, whose dog Casey’s recovery from heartworms was better than expected.

Brian Regan (a comedian I found out about thanks to my Twitter followers) was better than expected.

When I searched for information about Brian Regan just now, I found out that he’s appearing at a great venue near me next week, which was better than expected. I just splurged on National Splurge Day and got two better-than-expected tickets for that show.

If Michael agrees to go with me, that will be better than expected.

What’s been better than expected for you?

Thanks to all who are reading this better-than-expected blog post, including YOU!

Day 3545: Wear BLUE Day

Today is Wear BLUE Day.

I will wear blue, because I support the men in my life to lead a healthy lifestyle, and I care about their well-being.

For example, I tell my husband Michael that I wish he would stop vaping, although I recognize that nicotine is very addictive.

Michael, who does all the cleaning and the cooking here, gets blue when he finds the shells of unsalted sunflower seeds (my chosen snack to lead a healthy lifestyle) around the house, so I’ve told him I will give up my beloved sunflower seeds forever if he stops vaping. I hope he takes me up on my offer, because I want Michael to live a long, long time.

Last night, over a delicious and healthy lifestyle dinner that Michael cooked …

… we talked about hiccups. Michael, who gets them when he eats bread, stated his opinion that everybody hates getting hiccups except for me. I thought of something that Michael often says to me: “Hate’s a strong word.” I told Michael that while I don’t love getting the hiccups, I find them a mild annoyance and assumed I was not alone. (I assume everyone is not alone about anything, which might be why I love being a group therapist.)

I realized that because I have so many followers on Twitter I could test my assumption about hiccups by asking this question:

And sure enough, many people hated having the hiccups but several found them only a mild annoyance. Michael laughed when I told him that somebody on Twitter got mad at me for asking what he thought was such a stupid question. (Being on Twitter has helped me get over my fear of people getting mad at me, which is good for my healthy lifestyle.)

I sometimes get blue when I think about how my wonderful late parents never got to meet true-blue Michael. I like to imagine all of us sitting around the dinner table — my father and Michael both being hilarious and my mother and Michael bonding about so many things, including cats and keeping a clean house.

Here are more images I want to share on Wear BLUE Day.

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On Wear BLUE Day, I choose to share “12 String Blues” by Jimi Hendrix (who many people wish had lived a much longer life).

Thanks to you for reading this Wear BLUE Day blog and to all the men whose well-being I care about, including this one:

Day 3543: Sense of humor

I really like River Butcher’s sense of humor, so I’m going to share their full Comedy Central special, “A Different Kind of Dude.”

I especially love their bit about pronouns and white ladies, which I hope demonstrates that my sense of humor includes the ability to laugh at myself.

Do you see a sense of humor (or any kind of sense) in my images for today?

I’m glad I had the sense to write about sense of humor on National Smile Power Day.

I’m not kidding when I end this post with a sense of gratitude for River Butcher and for all those who have the sense of humor to enjoy my blog, including YOU.

Day 3539: Freaking Adorable

I think the Daily Bitch is freaking adorable and that’s why I share that calendar with freaking adorable people.

Today I’m going to attend a Zoom conference with some fellow freaking adorable group therapists. Tonight, for the first time since the start of the freaking pandemic, I’m going to attend an in-person party for the freaking adorable Northeastern Society for Group Psychotherapy. I’m not freaking out about that because the party is mostly outside and I’ll wear this freaking adorable mask whenever I’m inside:

After all we’ve been through, we’re probably not as freaking adorable as we used to be, but I think we’re freaking adorable enough.

I hope you enjoy my other freaking adorable images for today.

It’s freaking adorable that the National Day Calendar sends you a puppy when you ask about a National Day that doesn’t exist (like National Fred Day or National Ann Day).

Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “freaking adorable.”

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I think this comment about that video is freaking adorable:

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By the way, I’m very close to 30,000 freaking adorable followers on Twitter and I’ll be sharing this video when I hit that freaking amazing number.

I look forward to your freaking adorable comments, below.

Thanks to everyone who is freaking adorable, including YOU!

Day 3538: Learning

I keep learning every day and I try to share some of that learning in this blog.

Yesterday, in a therapy session, somebody compared learning self-acceptance to maintaining a home. While we might wish that our hard work is finally done, we learn to keep recommitting to the upkeep, which is never finished.

This weekend I’ll be learning more about facilitating groups at the annual conference of the Northeastern Society for Group Psychotherapy. I’m never done learning more about groups, too.

I have to say that what I’m learning about my country can be very scary and discouraging. I hope that people in the USA are learning that they have to vote in November if they care about the future of their country and the world.

Do you see learning in my images for today?

Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “learning.”

Thanks to all who support my learning, including YOU.

Day 3537: Solutions

If you don’t know the definition of “solutions,” there’s a solution for that.

When people come to individual therapy seeking solutions, they sometimes discover they also have marital problems that have “no easy solutions” (see definition above for quote).

Do you see solutions in any of my other images for today?

Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “solutions”:

I look forward to your thoughts and feelings about solutions, below.

Gratitude is an all-purpose daily solution, so thanks to all who are here now, including YOU.