In two thousand, one hundred, and fifty days of daily blogging, I’ve never written a post with “animals” in the title. That seems strange to this blogging animal, since there are so many animals in my blog posts.
I don’t know about you, but I’m good and tired of trying to understand how bad people think. How about understanding how good people think?
My good friend and good person Jeanette thinks this way: She wanted to celebrate — with other good people — turning 55 in November (even though her birthday is in April). Other good people thought that was a great idea. Here are some photos from that good celebration, yesterday:
Good people like Jeanette think of dressing their good dog in a Princess outfit and calling it a “pink wave.”
Good people like Jeanette think a black unicorn would be wonderful and good people like our good friend Carol create one, just for Jeanette.
Good people like our good friend Janet like to pose like this and good people like me post this photo with this caption: “You can pick your friends and you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your friend’s nose.”
Also, I think I there’s some good Vitamin K stuck in my teeth there.
Yesterday morning, before leaving our dramatic New York City airbnb to attend the second and final day of a dramatic group therapy conference, I didn’t miss the drama of this sign on the wall:
I didn’t miss the fact that “Don’t miss the drama” was a perfect invitation for a day of learning, connection, and participation in the human drama of group therapy.
In those groups, I learned, again, how the dramas, traumas, thoughts, feelings, and actions of all the individuals present can dramatically form and transform a group experience. I’m so glad I didn’t miss the drama of that group therapy conference, despite the drama of our traumatic drive from Boston to NYC through white-out conditions on Thursday night.
Don’t miss the drama in my other photos from yesterday.
Did you pick up or miss the dramatic thanks I’m giving to the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society and everyone else who contributed to the wonderful drama of my days in New York? Also, don’t miss the drama of my thanks to you — of course! — for participating in this blog.
At our Airbnb home-away-from-home in NYC, I noticed this on a signed photograph:
It says, “Bravo! Great voice!”
In the groups I observed and participated in yesterday (at the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society annual conference), I heard variations of “Bravo!” when people were brave, authentic, went beneath the surface,and gave great voice to their thoughts and feelings.
What helped people do all this in those groups? Perhaps it was this clear message (which I saw at the church where the conference took place):
“You are safe here.”
Bravo!
Do any of my other photos from yesterday deserve a “Bravo!” ?
Here‘s the Goedicke Concert Etude, played by Julia Bravo:
Thanks to all who helped me create today’s post and — Bravo! — to YOU.
I’m writing this post (which will probably reach just beneath the surface) in the back seat of a car traveling on the surface of the highway to a group therapy conference in New York City. Earlier tonight, when a fierce snowstorm surfaced and obliterated any view of the road surface, the slippery surfaces almost caused us to give up the trip. Just as we were about to seek shelter from the storm at a motel (which on the surface seemed depressing and suspiciously overpriced), we decided to try navigating the road surfaces one more time. Amazingly, the surface of the roads suddenly changed from snow to rain.
When the snow was covering all the surfaces, we stopped and this surfaced beneath a slice of pizza:
Since we are now going to make it to the conference, I know we’ll be going far beneath the surface in the groups there.
Earlier in the day, I facilitated two groups where many topics came to the surface.
The topics of “gifts” and “self-forgiveness” rose to the surface in those groups.
This is what it looked like on the surface in Boston when we started our trip:
What’s going on for you, just beneath the surface?
For me, gratitude is always just beneath the surface, so thanks to all who helped me create all the surfaces of this post and — of course — YOU.
What does “come as you are” (which I saw in a magazine yesterday while waiting for an echocardiogram) mean to you?
Here comes an online discussion of “Come as you are”:
Best Answer: Come as you are on a party invitation indicates that the host or hostess is having a very informal party and Dress is not important. Now, if you were thinking about going naked to the party you might want to determine if it would be the best option. Things to consider might be 1. do you look good naked,2. are you secure enough in your looks to go to a party naked,3. how much importance do you put on shock and surprise of the other guests. Generally, come as you are means, if you have on jeans and a Polo and deck shoes, or in the summer if you have on shorts, a tee shirt, and sandals, you will be in acceptable attire. It simply means what it says come as you are, no need to dress up.
Only hell mama ever raised · 1 decade ago
Come as yourself and don’t try to make any false characteristics about yourself.
♥Caribbean American Princess♥ · 1 decade ago
In my Coping and Healing groups, I often say at the end, “I’m grateful that everybody showed up exactly the way they showed up today.” I hope that’s an invitation for people to come as they are.
It’s time for my other photos from yesterday to come as they are.
As I’m creating this blog post as I am, this message keeps coming at me from WordPress:
A new editor is coming to level-up your layout.
I don’t know if I want a new editor coming to level-up my layout. I’d prefer my blog posts to come as they are.
Here’s another entry from that online discussion about “Come as you are”:
it think that whoever has invited u listens to Nirvana, a lot…wear a Nirnana t-shirt or go naked.
If you’re coming here as you are from outside the USA, you may not be able to watch that video.
For the next two days, I’ll be coming as I am to a group therapy conference in New York. I assume I’ll come away from that experience as a better group therapist.
Here’s thanks coming from me to all those who helped me create this come-as-you-are post and — of course — to YOU, for coming as you are.
I can safely say that this is my third blog post titled “Safety” (see here and here for the previous two). Each time I’ve posted a “Safety” blog, it’s been preceded by a therapy group where we focused on safety.
Yesterday, somebody in my Tuesday “Coping and Healing” group suggested we choose safety as the focus. Here’s what I wrote about my personal experience of safety:
I do my best to create safety in these groups. There is no such thing as complete or perfect safety. I like the phrase ‘safe enough.”
I understand why safety is such a concern for people. When the environment seems paralyzingly dangerous, I sometimes suggest the helpful phrase “It’s safer than it feels.” Sometimes, however, it’s not safer than it feels.
What are your thoughts and feelings about safety, here and now?
Do you see safety or danger in my other recent photos?
Here are some non-perfect servings of my thoughts about that:
Who got to register the trademark of “”Perfect Servings”? Are they the only ones allowed to claim perfect servings now?
Every morning, I work to create a perfect-enough serving of words, images, and music to share here on WordPress.
This week was Veterans Day, honoring those who have served to perfect and preserve our freedoms.
Even though I believe that most people are wonderful, some people serving my country in leadership roles are as far from perfect as I have ever witnessed.
I see myself as serving the patients at the hospital and often tell them, “I work for you.” Those verbal servings are my attempt to perfect, adjust, and challenge the power differential in medical systems.
So many firefighters and other first responders are desperately serving in California, right now.
I’m still trying to perfect my photography skills, so I can present perfect servings of recent pictures:
Here‘s a perfect serving of Neil Young, whose birthday was yesterday:
Finally here’s a perfect serving of thanks for all those who helped me create this post and — of course! — for YOU.
Most people dealing with a raging wild fire wouldn’t tweet “Most people are wonderful,” but Joel Engel did.
I liked that wonderful tweet and retweeted it.
Do you believe, like Joel Engel, that most people are wonderful? For the past two years, I’ve been having more trouble believing that most people are wonderful, but wonderful people like Joel Engel help me believe that, over and over again.
Are any of the photos I took yesterday wonderful?
I am full of wonder about how few people there are in those photos. However, the one I can see is wonderful, so ALL the people in this post are wonderful.
Here‘s “Wonderful World, Beautiful People” from the wonderful Jimmy Cliff.
As always, I give thanks for the wonderful people who helped me create today’s post and — of course! — for wonderful you.
Did you pick up or miss the dramatic thanks I’m giving to the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society and everyone else who contributed to the wonderful drama of my days in New York? Also, don’t miss the drama of my thanks to you — of course! — for participating in this blog.
