What is the best gift ever?
Is it
Is the best gift being happy together?
For me, the best gift, here and now, would be a comment from you.
Finally, I hope you accept my gift of gratitude.
My attempts to be super at blogging this morning resulted in my finding this headline:
Moon attempts to be ‘super’ on Saturday night, settles for mediocrity
I think this is a super example of anthropomorphism (ascribing human characteristics to non-human objects).
It might also be a super example of projection. In attempts to be super in psychotherapy, we notice that when people see characteristics in others, that’s often a reflection of themselves. Hence my super response to compliments: “It takes one to know one.”
In case you haven’t noticed, I’m trying to suggest that perhaps the writer of that headline attempted to be super and settled for mediocrity.
Let’s see if there are any attempts to be super in today’s photos.
Harley and Oscar sometimes attempt to be super tolerant of each other.
Here‘s super Stevie Wonder with “Superwoman.”
I’m looking forward to your super comments, below.
Here’s today’s attempt to show my super gratitude for YOU:
Yesterday I stuck this up on my white board at work:
We then made a list of people we were stuck with, including family members, co-workers, neighbors, and the current President of the United States.
Who are the people you’re stuck with? How do you deal with them?
Does it help to know that
Now you’re stuck with my other photos from yesterday.
I don’t mind being stuck with my husband Michael, who sticks healthy and delicious meals on our plates.
I also don’t mind being stuck in traffic listening to Bernadette Peters singing “Some People” from Gypsy:
Now I’m hoping some people stick some comments, below, about this “People You’re Stuck With” post.
Thanks for sticking with me, people, through so much!
Yesterday, when I was fresh from a very good meeting with my cardiologist Dr. Deeb Salem, I saw this:
There so many levels of meaning for the word “fresh.”
FRESH adjective
\ ˈfresh \
Definition of fresh
1a : having its original qualities unimpaired: such as
(1): full of or renewed in vigor : REFRESHED
rose fresh from a good night’s sleep
(2): not stale, sour, or decayed
fresh bread
(3): not faded
lessons fresh in her memory
(4): not worn or rumpled
a fresh white shirtb: not altered by processing
fresh vegetables
2a: not salt
fresh water
b(1): free from taint : PURE
fresh air
(2)of wind : moderately strong
a fresh breeze3a(1): experienced, made, or received newly or anew
form fresh friendships
(2): ADDITIONAL, ANOTHER
a fresh start
b: ORIGINAL, VIVID
a fresh portrayal
c: lacking experience : RAW
coming fresh to the job
— Helen Howe
d: just come or arrived
fresh from school
e: having the milk flow recently established
a fresh cow
4[ probably by folk etymology from German frech] : disposed to take liberties : IMPUDENT
don’t get fresh with me
5 slang : FASHIONABLE, COOL
I hope my other photos in today’s fresh post are fresh on so many levels.
Here‘s a song I remember that used the word “fresh”.
I’ll be looking for so many levels in your fresh comments, below.
I’m grateful on so many levels, here and now.
Where are you on the scale of keeping it together?
According to that scale I drew in my office, if you’ve got 100% worry, you’re a wreck; if you’ve got 0% worry you’re
My best guess is that I’m at 51% worry and I’m keeping it together by blogging and sharing photos like these:
Michael was keeping it together yesterday as he filleted and cooked a goby for the very first time, together with fried ginger, string beans, and polenta. When we were eating together, he said, “It will be quite some time before we have goby again.”
There are many “Keeping it Together” songs on YouTube. Here‘s one of them:
Your comments help me keep it together so keep them coming!
I’m keeping expressions of gratitude together at the end of every blog post.
In my third year of blogging, when I was heading into dealing with more heart problems, I published Day 1074: The Head and the Heart. My head notices, here and now, that I didn’t mention those heart problems in that post (although I mentioned them in many other posts, including Day 1178: What is heart failure?).
Yesterday, at the beginning of the week when I’m seeing my two cardiologists, I saw this:
This reminds me of how I often say this to people who are in therapy with me:
You know this here (pointing to my head) but you don’t know it here (pointing to my heart).
Let us try to combine our heads and hearts together as we move forward in 2020.
What do your head and heart combined tell you about my other photos today?
My head and heart are noticing that so many people are disappointed with yesterday’s Iowa caucuses, as you can read here.
For your head and heart, here‘s a Quincy Jones version of a tune from Hair:
My head and heart are both looking forward to your comments, below.
Thanks, from my head and heart, to all who help me create these blog posts and to all who read them, including YOU.
Yesterday, on my birthday (which was the first international palindrome day in 909 years) …
… I saw this at a local performance of Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical:
That reminded me of seeing plays and movies with my parents when I was a kid, when we always had questions and discussions on the ride (or walk) home.
Here’s how I would answer that second question for the ride home:
I’m already angry or concerned enough to speak up, protest, march, or become an activist for change. MY question is, “Why aren’t YOU?”
Do you have any questions for the ride or walk home about my new cover photo on Facebook?
Do you have any questions about my other photos from yesterday?
Do you have any sitting-on-the-sofa questions for Harley?
Some people on Facebook had questions about what I posted there the day before my birthday:
On my last day of being 66, it occurs to me that I am now entering the time of life that when I die, nobody will say, “Oh no! She was so young!”
I answered those questions by writing these lyrics for a new song:
NOT TOO YOUNG TO DIE
I’m not too young to die,
’cause I’m over 65,
Yet I plan to stay around for lots more years.
Young is not a word
That is regularly heard
By my aging but still operating ears.
You might call me old,
But I’ll just be staying bold
And enjoying every moment left to me.
No one knows how long
I’ll be here to sing my song,
So I guess we’ll all just have to wait and see.
© Ann Koplow, 2020
There are questions in this song from Hair.
How can people be so heartless? How can people be so cold? How can people have no feelings?
I don’t have the answers to those questions but I am unquestionably grateful for every day I’m alive and for YOU.
Today is
In 2018, I wrote a song titled “Shameless Appeals for Applause” which starts out
I’ve made it to age 65,
Nothing gets in the way of my passion and drive,
I was born with heart problems but I’m still alive.
I wonder if I need to rewrite that opening? If so, not today. Today I’m going to
I have all I need in this corner of the world on my birthday, including YOU!
Yesterday, in a Coping and Healing therapy group, which people attend as they need, we talked about needs.
When somebody in the group said they needed kindness, I needed to ask, “Who else in this room needs kindness?” Everybody needed to raise their hand, including me.
If you were in that group and I asked you, “What do you need, here and now?” what would you need to answer?
Kindness?
Appreciation?
I don’t know what I need right now, so I need to think about it?
Something else?
My needs (in case you need to know) include blogging and sharing photos.
Now I need to
If you want or need to comment, please do so below.
As always, I need to express my gratitude for all who help me create this daily blog, including YOU.
