Monthly Archives: February 2017

Day 1500: Mistakes

In the one thousand and five hundred consecutive posts for this daily blog, mistakes have been the main topic at least five times, if I am not mistaken.

You can check for mistakes in previous posts about mistakes here, here, here, and here.

Yesterday, in therapy, somebody was focusing on mistakes.  Make no mistake, lots of people who come to see me for individual or group therapy focus on and feel bad about mistakes.  They often make the common mistake of believing that only they make mistakes every day.

Everybody makes mistakes every day.  Why?  Because we’re human.

Was it a mistake for me to take only four photos yesterday?

 

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I may be mistaken, but I believe that first photo shows people  on their way to yesterday’s victory parade for the New England Patriots. And make no mistake, that last photo shows my boyfriend Michael’s latest victorious meal. Michael was afraid he’d made  mistakes by soaking the monkfish before trying to bread it (unsuccessfully) and then poaching the fish instead.  I thought those “mistakes” resulted in a perfectly delicious meal.

When I look at the news these days, I can get upset about what I see as other people’s mistakes. Sometimes I make the common mistake of forgetting that the only behaviors I can control are my own.

It’s never a mistake for me to look for music on YouTube I want to share.

What are your thoughts and feelings about mistakes?

Time for me to end this post so I can make more mistakes!

No mistake: I am grateful for Michael, my work, my blog, patriots of all kind,  Amanda Joy, good food, the opportunity to make mistakes, and — of course! — you, my readers.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism, Psychotherapy | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

Day 1499: I have always depended on the kindness of strangers

I have always depended on the kindness of strangers — in hospitals, in unfamiliar territories, and elsewhere. And it’s strange how often strangers have been kind, even though we’re taught to fear strangers.

“I have always depended on the kindness of strangers” is a quote from A Streetcar Named Desire.

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Have you depended on the kindness of strangers?  When you’ve depended on the kindness of strangers, what happened?

Throughout my day yesterday, I depended on the kindness of strangers and  I showed kindness to strangers, too.

Would it be strange to look for strangers or kindness in the strange kinds of photos I took yesterday?

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I have always depended on the kindness of strangers at YouTube to share music I want to include in my posts.

Yesterday, kind people at cardiac rehab played the theme from Rocky to inspire us to work harder AND to celebrate the New England Patriots’ Super Bowl win, which was stranger than fiction.

I have always depended on the kindness of strangers here in the blog-o-sphere.  For over four years of daily posts, no stranger has ever been unkind.

Kindly leave a comment about kindness and I will kindly respond.

Kind thanks to all those who helped me create this post about the kindness of strangers and to you — of course! — for your kindness,, here and now.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 25 Comments

Day 1498: It’s not over until it’s over

I’m still not over the New England Patriots’ unprecedented come-back win last night in the  Super Bowl, which reminded me of a lesson I’ve learned over and over again:

It’s not over until it’s over.

It’s not over until it’s over, despite experts saying “It’s never been done before” and quoting numbers demonstrating the extreme improbability of the task.

Earlier in the day, I  was reminded of that lesson over and over again when I drove over to Boston and walked over to Chinatown to see an old friend who finally  became a father when he was over 60 years old.  As we talked over the past, we discussed how I had my first and only child when I was well over 40. The opportunity of becoming a parent was not over for me at that advanced age, despite my having a congenital heart condition.

My posts aren’t over until I show how I’ve recently snapped photos, over and over.

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Sundays aren’t over until my boyfriend and my son, who is over in Edinburgh, cook a meal together by communicating over the phone. Last night, they both cooked a super bowl of soup which we ate while watching the Super Bowl.

My blog posts aren’t over until I share music  …

 

… and express gratitude, over and over.

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Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 33 Comments

Day 1497: Why wait?

Why wait?  Why not just act, here and now, and deal with the consequences?

Why wait to

  • move?
  • change?
  • grow?
  • love?

Why wait for two signs I saw yesterday about waiting?

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Why wait to move to a new place and leave the old place behind?

Why wait, when we are all mortal?

Why wait, when we don’t know what tomorrow will bring?

Why wait to share confusion about two opposite sayings about waiting?

He who hesitates is lost.

Look before you leap.

Why wait to show you my other photos from yesterday?

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Why wait for Tom Petty and this great song about waiting?

Did you wait for “The Waiting”?

Why wait to express your thoughts and feelings in a comment?

Why wait to show gratitude and appreciation?

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Categories: personal growth | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

Day 1496: Where values and value meet

These days, I am looking for a new home, where values and value meet.

In other words, I’m looking for a home that meets the values of  me, my boyfriend, and my son and that also has solid monetary value.

Does such a place exist?

Is it near this sign I saw yesterday?

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My values include being near water — an ocean, a river, or a lake. My boyfriend’s values include enough space to stretch out. My son’s values include getting a great education in Edinburgh, Scotland.

How do I weigh and prioritize different value(s) to make a decision?

Might I get some guidance from the other photo I took yesterday?

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If I give love to

  • myself,
  • my loved ones, and
  • a home I love,

I’ll get love.

And what has more value than love?

Here’s a valuable tune I love about a river:

What are your thoughts and feelings about values and value? You know I’d value any comment you leave, below.

Valuable thanks to all who helped me create this post and to you — of course! — for the value you bring, here and now.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Day 1495: Look!

Look!  I changed my WordPress avatar yesterday, in honor of my 64th birthday.

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Look!  My son took that photo at last year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Look!  It’s me as a camel.  Look!  It matches the banner of this blog.

Look!  Everywhere I looked yesterday, it was my birthday.

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Look!  I got lots of great presents yesterday!

Look!  It’s a song co-written and performed by Doris Troy!

Look!  It’s almost time for me to go to cardiac rehab.

Look!  It’s me, your grateful blogger, thanking all who helped me create this post and thanking you — of course! — for taking a look, today.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , | 50 Comments

Day 1494: Groundhog Day

Today is Groundhog Day!

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Groundhog Day is my birthday.  Can you guess how old I am today? Here‘s a hint:

While there are many things out there on Groundhog Day 2017 that are making me afraid of my own shadow, there’s still a lot of sunshine.

Do you see shadows or sunshine in the photos I took the day before Groundhog Day?

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Happy Groundhog Day to all my readers and Happy Birthday to me!

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 72 Comments

Day 1493: Lists

Yesterday, I made several lists, including:

  1. a list of questions to ask my cardiologist, Dr. Deeb Salem, at our appointment today,
  2. a list of the roles I occupy in my life, because we were discussing roles in my therapy group yesterday, and
  3. a list of the things that make me feel bad, because I was feeling bad last night.

Well, at least I wasn’t listless.

Do you make lists?  What kinds of lists do you make?

On my list of “How to Create a Daily Blog Post” is sharing my latest photos.

 

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On my list of favorite classical composers is Franz Liszt.  Did you know his last name is pronounced “List”?  My son, who is always on my gratitude list, likes to play this Liszt composition on the piano:

When I was my son’s age, that was on my playlist, too.

On my gratitude list this morning are my son Aaron, my boyfriend Michael (for the delicious bluefish last night and so much more), Dr. Salem, Franz Liszt, Valentina Lisitsa, people who heal in groups, orchids, lists that help me move on, and — of course! — YOU.

Categories: group therapy, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , | 33 Comments

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