Monthly Archives: February 2017

Day 1510: Patience

Posted on February 18, 2017 by Ann Koplow

If you’ve had the patience to read all my daily posts (including this one), you might remember that a very helpful aptitude/personality test I took decades ago revealed three high indications of impatience. Therefore, patience is a virtue I work on, every day.

Yesterday, I saw these two indications of patience:

That cup and that bunny are inspiring me to be patient, especially as I look for a new home and continue to heal from heart surgery.

Do you have the patience to look at all my other photos from yesterday?

Do you have the patience to listen to the music I’ve chosen today?

If you have the patience to leave a comment, I have the patience to read it and respond.

Many thanks to all who helped me create this patient post and to you — of course! — for your patience, here and now.

Categories: personal growth | Tags: bunnies, cardiac rehab, Dreamgirls, Easter approaches, home, impatience, patience, PetSmart, Shoulder Overhead Press, T.J. Maxx, What pisses you off? | 35 Comments

Day 1509: What pisses you off?

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Ann Koplow

Last night, people in my therapy group (who do not piss me off) were pissed off about several things, including the weather, politics, useless meetings, insensitive people, pain, greed, and technology that doesn’t work right. As a result, we made lists of “What Pisses You Off?”

What pisses you off?

It pisses me off when I don’t take photos of people I love, including my wonderful college roommate Marcia (who met me for dinner last night after my group).

Is there anything that pisses you off in my other photos from yesterday?

For some reason, this song pisses me off:

It pisses me off when people don’t express gratitude, so thanks to all who helped me create today’s post and to my readers — of course! — who never piss me off.

Categories: group therapy, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: "In the Year 2525", anger, expressing anger, healing in groups, New England weather, spend time with people you love, Zager and Evans | 36 Comments

Day 1508: A quiet home

Posted on February 16, 2017 by Ann Koplow

Yesterday, I returned to the quiet home of my EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapist George after a long, disquieting absence. George and I talked quietly about how difficult it’s been for me to find a quiet home after the multiple traumas of open heart surgery, my pacemaker getting recalled, complications with the pacemaker replacement surgery, all the noise around the U.S. election, the loudness of my mechanical heart valve at night, and the fear and discomfort I’ve been experiencing internally and externally. During my quiet time with George, I realized I could create a quiet home wherever I am, by focusing on whatever helps quiet my mind and my soul.

Soon after that quieting session, I saw this:

I’d love a quiet home, too. How about you?

Can you see any quiet homes in my other photos from yesterday?

While I was looking through windows of hope for quiet homes yesterday, I quietly heard this quiet music from Hamilton:

Thanks to all who helped me create this quiet home today and to you — of course! — wherever your quiet homes are.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: "It's Quiet Uptown", Broken tail rescue, creating safety, EMDR, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, George Sawin, Hamilton, inner peace, open heart surgery, pacemaker recall, PetSmart | 29 Comments

Day 1507: What did I miss?

Posted on February 15, 2017 by Ann Koplow

Whenever I run a therapy group and list the themes I’m hearing in the room, I always ask the group members:

What did I miss?

I never miss asking that question because, as I tell the group, I always miss something.

What did I miss, yesterday, when I was taking pictures?

What did I miss?

I almost missed sharing music not to be missed.

What did you miss in this blog post? Please don’t miss leaving a comment for this Blogging Miss.

I never miss expressing my thanks to all who help me create the day’s blog post and — of course! — to YOU.

Categories: group therapy, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: "What'd I Miss?", Dog booties, group work, Hamilton, love, Russell Stover, Valentine's Day, we always miss something, what we miss, Yogi Tea | 24 Comments

Day 1506: Hearts

Posted on February 14, 2017 by Ann Koplow

Because today is Valentine’s Day, you’re likely to see hearts all around you.

Because I blog about my heart and others’ hearts, you’re likely to see hearts here on any day.

Here’s the first photo I took yesterday, at cardiac rehab.

I told Carla (who had drawn that heart with heart), “Carla! My heart doesn’t look like that!” She agreed, heartily.

Do you see hearts in my other photos from yesterday?

Here‘s a song with heart (which my heart found on Youtube by searching on “heart kalimba“)

Thanks — from the bottom of my unusual heart — to Ruth Akello, Béla Fleck, Carla, Michael, Oscar, Amber, and everyone else I love who helped me create this heart-filled post and to you — of course! — for bringing your heart here, today.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: "Throw Down Your Heart", Bela Fleck, CCTGA, colander lamp, Congenitally Corrected Transposition of the Great Arteries, house hunting, Kalimba, normal heart, Ruth Akello, Thumb Piano, Valentine's Day, Waltham Massachusetts | 38 Comments

Day 1505: The Year of the ______

Posted on February 13, 2017 by Ann Koplow

It’s very early in this ____ year to know what 2017 is going to be the year of. Nevertheless, this _____ post is going to give it the old _____ try.

2017, according to the Chinese horoscope, is The Year of the Rooster, also know as The Year of the Cock, Chicken, or Bird.

Because we’re looking for a new place to live in 2017, it’s also The Year of the Real Estate Agent.

That’s the hard-working Jane C. Hoffmann, standing in front of a house in Winthrop. Jane knows I want 2017 to be The Year of the Water View.

I’m not sure if 2017 is going to be The Year of the Condo or The Year of the House or if it’s going to be The Year of The Winthrop, Quincy, Waltham, Watertown, Wakefield, Belmont, Medford, or Arlington.

I do know that 2017 is going to be The Year of the Heart.

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I assume it’s going to be The Year of The Home-Cooked Meal.

It’s probably going to be The Year of the Teabag.

It might be The Year of the Mermaid.

If this year is like recent ones, it’s going to be The Year of The Music That Fits In My Blog.

Because we have two cats, 2017 will be The Year of The Cat.

What do you think 2017 will be the year of?

Every year, for me, is The Year of The Thanks, so thanks to all who helped me create this post and thanks to you — of course! — on this new day of The Year of the ______.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: "The Year of the Cat", 2017, Al Stewart, decision making, house hunting, Jane C. Hoffmann, The Year of the Bird, The Year of the Chicken, The Year of the Cock, The Year of the Rooster, Winthrop Massachusetts | 43 Comments

Day 1504: Pardon our appearance

Posted on February 12, 2017 by Ann Koplow

Pardon me for noticing, but people seem very concerned about appearances.

Pardon the appearance of two signs of that in today’s blog.

Are there appearances of anything that need pardoning there?

Pardon me for this: When I’m not at my best, I often want to be pardoned for my appearance.

Please pardon the appearance of the ten pounds I’ve gained since my heart surgery in September.

Pardon the appearance, here, of Judd Apatow‘s explanation for recent weight gain:

“It’s very hard to lose weight in the Trump era, I’m trying so hard to have it not turn into 30 pounds. I think it tests our ability to not want to numb out. There’s so many things that are hard to hear every day that you do want to have some Oreos. Like people say, what do you invest in during the Trump era? I feel like, Hostess Cakes. Most of us are just scared and eating ice cream.”

Pardon the appearance of other photos I took yesterday.

Pardon several appearances of a classic tune about pardoning appearances (appearing here, here, here, here, and here on YouTube).

Pardon the appearance of one more photo to express my gratitude to all who have appeared in this post today and to you — of course! — no matter what your appearance, here and now.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: appearances, Chaka Kahn, Chet Baker, Chris Botti, Judd Apatow, Miles Davis, My Funny Valentine, recovering from heart surgery, Sting, the Trump era, weight gain | 49 Comments

Day 1503: Windows of hope

Posted on February 11, 2017 by Ann Koplow

Even when we feel helpless and lost in the dark, we can persist if there are windows of hope. When we open our hearts to those windows of hope, we can tolerate today’s distress and see through those windows to possible solutions in the future.

Do you see any windows of hope in my photos from yesterday?

I hope I soon look through windows to see hopeful scenes like these:

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When you look out your windows today, what hope do you see?

Here‘s a window of hope on YouTube:

Windows of hope and gratitude to all who helped me create today’s window into my hopeful heart and to you — of course! — for the hope you bring, here and now.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: "Window of Hope", Boston Strong, cardiac rehab, holding on to hope, hope in dark times, I ate some pie, Keep calm and carry on, living on the water, macaroni and cheese, Oleta Adams, Yogi Tea | 27 Comments

Day 1502: Opening the heart

Posted on February 10, 2017 by Ann Koplow

I’m going to open my heart to you, here and now, and tell you about a dream I had last night. In that dream, my open-hearted cardiologist, Dr. Deeb Salem, told me that my new mechanical valve (which I got during open heart surgery in September) wasn’t working correctly and that they were going to have open up my heart again to fix it.

I wonder if that dream about reopening my heart was triggered by this image I saw yesterday morning, at the beginning of a blizzard here in Boston?

When I saw that opening-the-heart image yesterday morning on my way to work, it opened my heart in a good way. My heart opened up with appreciation for all those things that are key to opening my heart to love and to new possibilities. And when I opened my heart (and my iPhone camera) to other images during the day, I continued to think about that first open-hearted image.

As you open your heart to my other photos, do you see any keys to opening the heart in them?

Today, I’ll be opening my heart to patients on the first Friday I’ve worked since my Open Heart surgery in September. But first, I have to open my heart to cardiac rehab at 7:30 AM.

Do I have time to open our hearts to an Opening-the-Heart song?

As usual, I end every post by opening my heart with gratitude to all who helped me create this post and to you — of course! — for opening your heart to me, today.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: cardiac rehab, Dr. and Master Sha, Dr. Deeb Salem, dreams, First Boston blizzard of 2017, gratitude, mechanical heart valve, open heart surgery, Tao Song for Opening the Heart | 34 Comments

Day 1501: Persisting

Posted on February 9, 2017 by Ann Koplow

In my persisting need to follow the news, I read that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said this about Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, yesterday:

She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted.

I can see that this statement is persisting in many ways on social media and elsewhere.

Because I have been persisting for so long as a woman with lots of ideas who likes to express them, I have also been warned, given explanations, and nevertheless persisted.

Do I have to give explanations for these persisting images on my iPhone?