Why, I love this card that I saw yesterday in a hospital gift shop!
I love those reasons for why somebody loves somebody else. Here’s why I love that pie chart: it gives the most pie to “You Make Me Laugh.”
I also love the idea of making a pie chart of why you love yourself, because as RuPaul says at the end of every episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race,
If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else?
I love that video of the lovely and loving RuPaul advocating self-love over and over again, because it bears repeating. I also love that Denes Fernando‘s compilation video has unanimous love — NO thumbs down on YouTube, at this lovely moment.
Here are more reasons why I love taking pictures for this blog:
I love blogging and I love inviting you, here and now, to share why you love anything, anyone, and especially YOU.
… might seem like a logical extension of yesterday’s post, if logic is something you value.
I also value this opportunity to explore what we value and devalue in our culture, including older people. During the last few months, I have
heard and read many jokes about older people, focusing on lack of ability, attractiveness, and other things we value,
defended the benefits of growing older to groups of younger people expressing nothing but fear about aging,
been told by an otherwise culturally sensitive younger person that “people of my generation” think and act a certain way, and
experienced my own internalized ageism, as I struggle against devaluing myself for looking and growing older.
What do I value about my photos from yesterday?
I value our home, so I took this photo yesterday of a water stain on the ceiling. We want to watch that stain, so our home doesn’t decrease in value as we and our home age.
My friend Jenn values pugs and I value Jenn, so I take pug-related photos and send them to her.
I value cats, so I took this photo at the supermarket yesterday evening. I also noticed a Life Magazine about Dogs and remarked to my valued boyfriend Michael that the Dogs Life Magazine cover did not promise a feature on “DOGS vs. CATS.” Michael — who values dogs and cats and who doesn’t value conflict — had nothing to say about that.
I took this photo because I value expressing joy, and I assumed I would be able to use that image very soon. Sure enough, people I value shared some good news within the hour and I sent that image in an email.
I value great people and I value puns, so I knew I could use this in today’s blog post, no matter what the topic.
I value myself and other people, even when we’re procrastinating. As is usual for me during this time of the year, I am procrastinating completing my taxes, because I value doing almost anything else more.
I value all the meals Michael makes for me, even leftovers, because they are so delicious!
I value this video I found on Youtube by searching for “what do we value ageism”:
Michael, who matters to me, was matter-of-factly wearing this t-shirt yesterday:
“You matter to me” is a slogan at the hospital-based Primary Care Practice where I work. Patients matter to me — that’s why I’m so happy to be part of a Patient Experience Task Force there. One of the other members of that task force, who is a patient, came up with the slogan “You matter to me.”
Here and now, who and what matters to you?
I looked at my other photos from yesterday and realized that “You matter to me” applies to all of them.
It matters to me that Harley — our white and tiger kitty who is very shy — didn’t run away while I was taking matters (and my iPhone camera) into my own hands yesterday.
Someone I know once said she thought she mattered less to her family than the family’s cat. Family matters. We all matter, whether or not we know it.
If you had been all about when Michael and I were having that conversation, what might you have said about all of THAT?
When I searched all my previous blog posts for “What was that all about?” the second thing that came up was Day 967: The meaning of life.What was THAT all about?
What were all my photos from yesterday all about?
What is that last photo all about? It’s all about where I park my car (near Fenway Park). It’s also all about how I’m going to spend this evening — at a game night with other group therapists. I’m game and all about that, although I’m also all about spending the weekend with Michael, as much as I can.
I’m all about my son Aaron, so here’s his second “Misheard Lyrics” video from many years ago:
I’m all about your comments, so please leave one below.
I’m all about gratitude, so thanks to all who were all about helping me create today’s post and — of course! — to all of you!!
Even though I’m up for anything these days, sometimes I get exhausted, especially on Thursdays, when I
work from 10 to 9,
facilitate two therapy groups,
orient new people for my groups,
see several people for individual therapy,
go to a meeting of social workers,
have about 20 minutes for lunch,
try to decide whether to look at or avoid the news,
practice my latest song, and
practice self-care.
In one of those therapy groups, a person exhausted by a major and unexpected loss shared that she practices self care by taking breaks, even if it’s a break for a moment. I wasn’t too exhausted to hear that she had learned that skill in my groups.
I was so exhausted by the end of the day that I added a new emotion to the emotions chart on my door:
Here and now, I’m exhausted by the possibility that somebody might tell me that “exhausted” is not really an emotion.
Here and now, I’m NOT too exhausted to share my other photos from yesterday.
I hope you’re not too exhausted to share what exhausts you and what energizes you, in a comment below.
I’m up for anything, including sharing this first attempt by Nat and me to create harmonies for “Nobody’s Perfect.”
I’m up for telling you that Nat wrote the melody for “Nobody’s Perfect.” I may not be up for singing that high when we perform it, so we may have to lower it.
Now I’m up for your comments, which you can make below.
I’m definitely up for thanking those who helped me create this up-for-anything post (especially Nat), and — of course! — YOU, for being up for anything in this blog.
Last night, my boyfriend Michael and I were experiencing cognitive distortions when we were both making overgeneralizations about human beings. Our cognitive distortions have increased since the last U.S. Presidential election as we both try to make sense of the human behavior described in the media, by cognitively debating and trying to understand what people are really like and why they say what they say and do what they do.
Do you see any cognitive distortions in this part of our discussion last night?
Michael: I think people who say “I believe in him” or “I believe in that” know, on some level, that those things are not true.
Me: Michael, this is the same disagreement we constantly have. I think that a lot of people really believe what they say. How do you know what they really believe? That’s overgeneralization and mind reading.
Michael: How do YOU know what they really believe?
Me: I don’t really know, but I’ve encountered so many people in individual and group therapy who seem to really believe what they say they believe.
Michael: And I’ve encountered thousands of people through my work in the food industry.
Me: THOUSANDS?
Michael: Let me tell you a story that sums up my experience of people. There was this woman I used to work with. One day, somebody asked her if she believed in ghosts. She said, “No.” And then she added, “But I’ve seen one.”
Me (laughing): I’m putting that in tomorrow’s blog.
Do you see any cognitive distortions in today’s photos?
I just searched YouTube for “cognitive distortions” to see if any musical group already has that name. This is what I found:
Feel free to express your cognitions and feelings about Cognitive Distortions, below.
Thanks and appreciation to all who helped me express the cognitive distortions in today’s post and — of course! — thanks and appreciation to YOU.
