Monthly Archives: April 2016

Day 1196: Bunches of things happening all at once

Posted on April 10, 2016 by Ann Koplow

In recent bunches of days, bunches of people in my life have expressed bunches of empathy and sympathy about ..

It happens that bunches of people have expressed bunches of empathy and sympathy to me in bunches of ways, including:

“You have a lot on your plate!”
“You have a lot going on.”
“Your only child is leaving for college soon and you’ve got all this medical stuff to deal with, not to mention a high-stress job.”
“No matter what’s going on with you, you never stop.”
“You do more than any other 63-year-old I know.”

For me, it’s difficult NOT to have

For example, yesterday was definitely a day with

These bunches of things included:

getting a cool new case for my iPhone, which will prevent me from dropping it with bunches of thing happening all at once,
having bunches of delicious brunch food with my son,
stumbling across Open Studios in Newton,
purchasing some fabulous earrings and a necklace made by Deborah Rochman of DLR designs,
visiting “The Villa” in Newton, which was filled with artwork and color,
having bunches of awesome conversations with my son Aaron and my boyfriend Michael,
going to the Burlington Mall, which always has bunches of things happening all at once (including that “Bunches of things happening all at once” sign),
consulting with bunches of geniuses at The Genius Bar at the Apple Store, and
getting bunches of storage space freed up on my computer!!!!

Now, for some photographic proof of

I’m wondering if I’ll get bunches of comments about those

If I do, I’ve got bunches of storage space on my computer.

Bunches of thanks to all who helped me create this post and bunches of gratitude to you — of course! — for reading, even though you might have

Categories: celebrating, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: DLR Designs, Genius Bar, I have so much more computer storage!, living with a congenital cardiac condition, living with cctga, living with chronic medical conditions, Loopy, Newton Massachusetts, Newton Open Studios | 23 Comments

Day 1195: Better late than never

Posted on April 9, 2016 by Ann Koplow

I was late responding to yesterday’s comments.

Better late than never.

I’m late writing and publishing this post.

Better late than never.

More late thoughts, here and now, about today’s post title:

People (including me) can feel shame about being late.
I tell my clients to let go of shame and self-judgment when they’re late for therapy sessions.
I am glad to see people, no matter how late they show up.
My favorite season (spring) is late this year.
Others don’t judge me as harshly for being late as I judge myself.
It’s never too late to have a happy childhood.
It’s never too late to learn and grow.
The word “late” also means “deceased.”
It is better to have lived and died than never to have lived at all.
People who are later along in life sometimes think better of their mortality.

Are any of those “Better Late than Never” thoughts better than others?

Are any of my photos from yesterday better late than never? Are any of them better never than late?

Here are some better late songs (which might be better and later found on YouTube here, here, and here).

Any thoughts about this better-late-than-never post? Of course, a comment from you would be better late than never.

Better late-than-never thanks from me to you!

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: "It's Too Late" by Carole King, "Late in the Evening" by Simon & Garfunkel, "Stay Up Late" by the Talking Heads, Art by Clark Addis, letting go of shame, self improvement, Spring 2016 in New England, Urine Good Company, Urinetown | 22 Comments

Day 1193: Great new things are here!

Posted on April 7, 2016 by Ann Koplow

During a great new yesterday, I was here:

I thought that would make a great new title for a great new post, especially since great new obstacles have recently prevented me from sharing great new photos here.

There were other great new things that were here, yesterday, including

a therapy group at work,
a previously untried ice cream flavor (Brown Butter Hazelnut), and
Steve Martin and Martin Short appearing in “An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life.”

Great new photos are here!

Which of those great new things is the greatest, to you?

To me, the greatest new thing yesterday was seeing the great Martin Short and the great Steve Martin, accompanied by my great son, Aaron.

A great new video — of Steve Martin and Martin Short on the David Letterman Show — is here:

I wonder what great new things will be here today?

Great new thanks are here for all who helped me create this post and for you — of course! — for being great and here.

I just discovered this great old thing, new to me, with David Letterman and Martin Short:

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism, Psychotherapy, staying healthy | Tags: appreciating each day, appreciating the moment, Martin Short and Steve Martin, Steve Martin and Martin Short | 16 Comments

Day 1192: Today’s problem

Posted on April 6, 2016 by Ann Koplow

For the last one thousand, one hundred, and ninety-one days, I’ve written one blog post every day.

Writing each post has not been a problem for me. Indeed, every blog post has helped me face a problem, express it, and move on.

What problem do I wish to face, express, and move on from, today?

Here are some problem choices:

I left my phone at the office, again.
There is snow and ice all around, on April 6.
I’m on the anti-coagulant medicine Xarelto, which makes it dangerous if I slip and fall.
The dental device I’m wearing to relieve my mild sleep apnea is problematically uncomfortable.
I have to travel out to the Mayo Clinic in Minneapolis in May to meet with some new doctors who might recommend major heart surgery.
My heart is so unusual and weird that any operation has a considerably higher risk.
Our 11-year-old cat Oscar has been exhibiting some problem behaviors.
Our other cat, Harley, continues to see me as a scary problem, even though I’m always kind and gentle with him.
My only child, Aaron, is going very far away in the fall, to the University of Edinburgh.
Both I and my laptop are having memory problems (which probably just have to do with age).

Hmmm. No matter what problem I choose, writing that list of problems is already helping me feel better. I’m seeing each one as much less of a problem.

Why?

That’s why.

Also, no matter what the problem is, comedy and humor always help. Tonight, I’ll be seeing Steve Martin and Martin Short with my son Aaron, which should be no problem.

It’s also no problem for me to share some new photos with you:

Ooops! I thought sharing those new photos showing Oscar the cat (and his problems) would be no problem. However, I cannot share any new photos in this post because

My Mac storage is full again (even though I thought I had re-solved that problem last night) and
I left my phone at work.

Instead, here are videos of Martin Short and Steve Martin, dealing with some problems:

Because I know it’s a problem for people who receive these posts via email to see any videos I include, the links are here and here.

Any problems with today’s post? If you share them, you’ll halve them.

It’s no problem for me to thank Martin Short, Steve Martin, Conan O’Brien, and everybody else who helped me write today’s post. It’s also no problem for me to thank you — of course! — no matter what your problem is, here and now.

Categories: blogging, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: CCTGA, Congenitally Corrected Transposition of the Great Arteries, dealing with problems, living with a congenital heart problem, Martin Short and Steve Martin, my Mac storage is full | 38 Comments

Day 1191: You feel like you’re on thin ice, but you’re on solid ground

Posted on April 5, 2016 by Ann Koplow

Recently, I wrote this on my whiteboard at work:

You feel like you’re on thin ice,

But you’re on solid ground.

I wrote that for somebody in a therapy session.

What I wrote also applies to myself and to several people I love.

Why do we feel like we’re on thin ice, when we’re on solid ground?

We all have our reasons to feel that way, but those reasons have to do with what we’ve experienced in THE PAST, when we believed we were safe on solid ground and the unexpected — or even traumatic — happened.

In the moment, we are all on solid ground, even if it doesn’t feel that way.

How do I know we’re all on solid ground?

Well, even though there are plenty of people out there who tell us, every day, that there are dangers all around us, nobody is claiming that all the solid ground is about to

dissolve,
collapse,
blow up, or
otherwise give us nowhere to be.

I wonder if any of the photos I took yesterday will help us believe that we’re on solid ground, no matter how it feels?

I feel like I’m on thin ice (and snow), but I’m on solid ground, April 5, 2016.

How are you feeling now? I hope you know you’re on solid ground here.

Thanks to all who feel like they’re on thin ice and to those who are on solid ground, including you!

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism, Psychotherapy | Tags: April 2016, childhood trauma, healing from trauma, you are safer than it feels | 32 Comments

Day 1190: Inspiring

Posted on April 4, 2016 by Ann Koplow

Lately, several people I find inspiring have called me “inspiring.”

I find that very inspiring.

Would it be inspiring if I told you that the word “inspiring” — because of its Latin roots about breathing — reminds me to pause and breathe deeply?

I’m inspired by people who are brave during anxiety-provoking times. When inspiring people are anxious, they often forget to breathe deeply. Inspired breathing can be very calming, inspiring us to better face our fears.

It would be inspiring to this inspiring blogger if you took an inspiring breath and expressed what you find inspiring (which may or may not include photos I was inspired to take yesterday).

Personally, I find it inspiring that somebody is running for local office who is

good with numbers,
dreams of stars, and
has a famous sign-carrying dog named Bridget.

Here’s an inspiring song I heard yesterday at an inspiring local production of The Boy from Oz.

Inspiring thanks to all who inspire me, including you!

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: Bridget the sign-carrying dog, definition of inspiring, how we inspire others, Hugh Jackman, James Grana, Once Before I Go, Peter Allen, Steve Saar, The Boy from Oz, what inspires us | 29 Comments

Day 1189: Taxing

Posted on April 3, 2016 by Ann Koplow

Here’s a list of things I find taxing:

taxes,
worry,
cruelty,
fear,
guilt,
shame,
regret,
the message “Your Mac Storage is Full,”
trying to export photos to free up storage space and getting failure messages,
deleting lots of stuff and still getting the “Your Mac Storage is Full” message,
solutions that previously worked before not working in the moment,
frustration,
losing sight of hope,
insecurity,
disappointment,
impatience,
cognitive distortions including shoulds, mind-reading, blame, comparisons, labeling, catastrophizing, etc., and
the fact that it is SNOWING, SNOWING, SNOWING on APRIL 3, 2016, here and now, outside of Blogging Central.

I find it less taxing to make lists of what helps me, whenever things are taxing. Those include:

self-care (including nourishing food, water, and sleep)
remembering the saying, “If you don’t like the weather in New England, wait a minute,”
expressing my thoughts and feelings,
letting go of worry,
letting go of fear,
letting go of guilt,
letting go of shame,
faith in my own ability to solve problems,
remembering there are people in my life who can help me solve problems,
doing my best in the moment, and
letting go, again.

Which of these photos do you find particularly taxing or non-taxing?

I hope leaving a comment isn’t too taxing for you.

Here’s a final taxing photo for today:

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: accepting all feelings, cognitive distortions, letting go of fear, snow on April 3 2016, taxes, Your Mac Storage is Full | 36 Comments

Day 1188: So what do you think the meaning of life is?

Posted on April 2, 2016 by Ann Koplow

So what do you think the meaning of life is?

So I (and Merriam-Webster) think the meaning of life is

the ability to grow, change, etc., that separates plants and animals from things like water or rocks
: the period of time when a person is alive
: the experience of being alive

So I think the meaning of life is

what you make it.

So what do you think the meaning of life is, in these photos I took yesterday?

So what do you think the meaning of life is?

So what do you think the meaning of life is, in the following photos?

So I think those photos have special meaning in my life, because they show my son in Edinburgh, Scotland, where he’ll be attending university.

So what do I think the meaning of life is? So I don’t think I could explain it all in one blog post.

… I think it includes giving thanks.

So thanks a million, for reading this post.

Categories: gratitude, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: Aaron is going to the University of Edinburgh, Aaron makes miso happy, definition of life, Edinburgh Scotland, Parenting a young man, the meaning of life, the meaning of life is what you make it, University of Edinburgh, You only live once | 66 Comments

Day 1187: Fools

Posted on April 1, 2016 by Ann Koplow

Here are some foolish associations with the word “Fools,” on April Fools Day, 2016:

On April Fools Day, 2015 (as documented in this foolish post), I was fool enough to meet with an arrogant fool of a cardiologist, who did not fool me or my doctors with his declaration that I was a doomed fool for not consulting with him earlier.
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.
My son, Aaron, born of a foolish mother, is foolishly happy he will soon be attending the University of Edinburgh , whose alumni include fools like Charles Darwin, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, and J.M. Barrie.
Because I’m a foolish mother, I naturally believe that any college admissions offices that do not accept my son into their schools are fools.
According to psychologist Carl Jung, the most developed and highly evolved archetype is The Fool, as described at a website discovered by this foolish daily blogger:

The Fool/Jester archetype urges us to enjoy the process of our lives. Although the Fool/Jester can be prone to laziness and dissipation, the positive Fool/Jester invites us all out to play–showing us how to turn our work, our interactions with others, and even the most mundane tasks into FUN. The goal of the Fool/Jester is perhaps the wisest goal of all, which is just to enjoy life as it is, with all its paradoxes and dilemmas. What causes most dread in the Fool/Jester is a lack of stimulation and being ‘not alive’.

I have no foolish photos to show you today.