Monthly Archives: May 2020

Day 2698: What’s eating you?

Posted on May 21, 2020 by Ann Koplow

One thousand, six hundred and four days ago (I‘M counting, okay?), I created the post Day 1094: What are you eating/What’s eating you.

Is it eating you that

I like to start posts by referring to my previous posts?
Your weight has changed during the pandemic because of what you’re eating?
People aren’t wearing masks?
Bicyclists behind you are still yelling “BEHIND YOU!” even though that might spread the coronavirus?
The wrong people are constantly apologizing?
There is such disparity in who is suffering more from the pandemic?
It’s difficult to know who to believe these days?
There’s so much uncertainty about the future?
Pets have such short life spans?
People don’t seem to know what a span of six feet is?
So many people support corrupt and incompetent leaders?
So many familiar things are disappearing?
The good is often hidden from view?
I take and share so many photos?

Here‘s “What’s Eating You?” from the BBC production of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy:

What’s eating you? Please share in a comment, below.

Whatever’s eating me, a little gratitude helps me face the day ahead.

Categories: life during the pandemic, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: annoying behaviors, Believe in Yourself, ice cream, Marina Bay, masks, pork chop, social distancing, The Daily Bitch Calendar, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the South Shore of Boston | 19 Comments

Day 2697: Signature moves

Posted on May 20, 2020 by Ann Koplow

One of my signature moves is sharing the Daily Bitch calendar:

Unfortunately, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we all need to practice this signature move of pushing everyone away. At least, however, we don’t have to wonder why we’re alone.

Another one of my signature moves is taking photos of what moves me.

Harley and Oscar have very different signature moves (as you can see in this post).

Another one of my signature moves is to choose a song related to one of my images.

My signature moves these days also include:

Working from home.
Going on socially distanced walks.
Facilitating five online “Coping and Healing” groups every week.
Winding up my Presidency for the Northeastern Society for Group Psychotherapy.
Spending quality time with those I love.
Rewriting my original songs to fit current realities.
Expressing gratitude and appreciation.

What are your signature moves?

Categories: life during the pandemic, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: "I Won't Back Down", cats, coping and healing groups, gratitude, group therapy, isolation, Nancy Pelosi, The Daily Bitch Calendar, the South Shore of Boston, Tom Petty | 26 Comments

Day 2696: Go back to your dreams.

Posted on May 19, 2020 by Ann Koplow

If you go back to my previous blogs, you’ll find

many posts about dreams (going back to here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here) and
that I have trouble going back to sleep when I wake up too early, which I almost always do.

Last night, I woke up too early (AGAIN!) and I was able to go back to sleep by reciting this phrase to myself, over and over:

Go back to your dreams.

Now, I shall go back to all the photos I took yesterday, to see if there are any dreams there.

Oscar could only dream about eating that flounder last night.

Go back to YouTube if you want to find the official music video of “Dreams” by The Cranberries:

Now I have to go back to another Zoom-y meeting — this one with my fellow behavioral health workers, in which we will discuss our dreams of going back to work in person.

My dream is that going back to gratitude will help us achieve our dreams.

Categories: life during the pandemic, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: behavioral health workers, Blue Q socks, dreams, Flounder dish, getting back to sleep, gratitude, posts about dreams, The Cranberries, The Daily Bitch Calendar, the South Shore of Boston | 27 Comments

Since my nature is to observe nature (including human nature), it’s natural that I would write posts with nature in the title. However, this is only my fifth post out of two thousand seven hundred and thirty-one to use the word “nature” (see the other ones here, here, here, and here) and the first one where “nature” stands alone.

Is it your nature to guess why I chose the title “nature”after looking at my photos from yesterday?

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Is it your nature to choose your favorite photos of all of those? My nature is that it’s sometimes difficult to choose, but this one — with its gentleness, kindness, love, and self control — appeals most to my nature:

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When I wasn’t out & about observing human nature & nature, I watched the beautiful Chinese animated film Big Fish & Begonia, which is about nature, human nature, and the call of the ocean.

It is my nature to include the official trailer for Big Fish & Begonia:

It is also my nature to collect hearts & thank you’s, so here is the natural end to today’s post:

Categories: life during the pandemic, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: Big Fish & Begonia, coronavirus, COVID-19, first responders, gratitude, human nature, nature, rules of behavior, South Shore of Boston, the call of the ocean | 28 Comments

Day 2694: Rulers of the House

Posted on May 17, 2020 by Ann Koplow

If you saw the headline “Rulers of the House” (which I’m recreating in my house, here and now), what would your immediate association be?

Might “Rulers of the House” be

Men?
Women?
Adults?
Children?
Monarchs?
Elected officials?
Appointed officials?
Democrats?
Conservatives?
Corporations?
People with money?
People with privilege?
Sports figures?
Animals?
Deities?
Emotions?
Conscious thoughts?
Unconscious thoughts?
Dreams?
The weather?
Nature?
Technology?
Television?
Planets?

Do you see any Rulers of the House in my photos from yesterday?

Here’s what I find when I search YouTube for “Rulers of the House”:

More rulers of the house:

I love the way Jewel Gilchrist rules her house.

Christine Baranski, Meryl Streep, and Audra McDonald are Rulers of the House in this version of “The Ladies Who Lunch” (from the 90th birthday celebration for Stephen Sondheim):

If you want to be one of the Rulers of the House of Living Non-Judgmentally, please leave a comment below.

As always, the rules of this house include expressing gratitude for all those in my life with hearts of gold, including YOU.

Categories: gratitude, life during the pandemic, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: Audra McDonald, cats, Christine Baranski, Jewel Gilchrist, Life Magazine, Meryl Streep, rulers, South Shore of Boston, Stephen Sondheim, Stop & Shop | 28 Comments

Day 2693: Whatever it takes.

Posted on May 16, 2020 by Ann Koplow

Whatever it takes, I will

post a daily blog,
create spaces for healing,
continue my therapy groups,
support better leadership,
look for the good in people,
try to have fun,
enjoy literature, art, film, and music,
spend time in nature,
show up,
be gentle,
tell the truth,
remember the past,
embrace the present moment,
hold hope for the future,
improve the quality of life for those I love,
maintain my ideals,
welcome all thoughts and feelings,
look for the helpers,
seek answers to important questions,
find my voice,
be creative,
keep growing, and
take photos of whatever catches my eye.

Whatever it takes, we’re going to spend quality time with our cat Oscar, even when I’m sharing an original song on a Zoom-based Open Mic.

Whatever it takes to share your thoughts and feelings, consider leaving a comment below.

What would it take to show my gratitude to all, including YOU?

Categories: life during the pandemic, original song, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: "If ... Questions for the Soul", coping and healing groups, hope, Jam'n Java Open Mic, Oscar the cat, South Shore of Boston, spaghetti and meatballs, Spring 2020, triggers | 24 Comments

Day 2692: News you can use

Posted on May 15, 2020 by Ann Koplow

Since so many people are telling me that they are avoiding the news these days, I’m hoping to provide some news you can use, here and now, including these headlines:

My panel discussion of providing therapy groups remotely during the pandemic went very well yesterday.
I’ll be performing my original song “Triggers” at an online Open Mic tonight.
As always, I’m doing my best to lose my investment in the outcome while remaining totally committed to the process.
I take selfies with my cat.

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Is there any news you can use in these new photos?

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More news you can use:

Michael made a new dish last night — flank steak with cherries and wheat berries –and
John Krasinski has a new installment of “Some Good News.”

This may be more news you can use. My husband Michael and I have an old private joke, where we have this exchange:

Me: Michael! This (and I describe some thing that occurred that day) happened and guess what I did?

Michael: You cried.

I cry at lots of things, including Some Good News.

We can all use gratitude, so thanks to all who help me create these daily blogs, including YOU.

Categories: group therapy, life during the pandemic, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: expressing gratitude, good news, health care workers, Jam'n Java Open Mic, John Krasinski, love, Some Good News, The Office, triggers, weddings | 20 Comments

Day 2691: Numbers

Posted on May 14, 2020 by Ann Koplow

When I first published this post, seven, which is a common lucky number, appeared twice in the number of today’s blog. (Since then, I discovered my numbers were off and I had to do a recount.) Seven is also the number of my previous blog posts about numbers (here, here, here, here, here, here, and here).

It’s been quite a number of days since I last wrote a post about numbers (one thousand and eighty-two days,, but who’s counting?) I think “numbers” is a good topic, here and now, because there is so much in the news about numbers (number of new coronavirus cases, number of deaths, number of jobs lost, etc. etc.)

Also, this is today’s Daily Bitch:

Please take a number for your favorite photo from today’s post. That first photo, above, is, of course, #1.

#10

#11

#12

#13

#14

#15

#16

#17

#18

#19

#20

#21

#22

#23

I think there are a number of people who would not allow a cat to be on the dining room table.

The Ranker website has a list of the best songs with a number in the title. What’s your favorite song about numbers? Here‘s one of mine:

And another one:

And one more:

Now I have to prepare for a panel discussion about doing therapy groups remotely during the age of the coronavirus. There are four people on the panel and I have eight minutes to talk about my Coping and Healing groups. I don’t know if that will be too much, too little, or just right.

I’ll let you know how it goes in post # 2728.

I have a large number of photos indicating gratitude, and here are just a few of them:

Categories: group therapy, life during the pandemic, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: 1999, 2020 graduates, 25 or 6 to 4, Chicago, chicken and spaetzle, Eight Days a Week, Prince, the Beatles, The Daily Bitch Calendar, the South Shore of Boston | 21 Comments

Day 2690: Masks

Posted on May 13, 2020 by Ann Koplow

Four years ago and six months ago (but who’s counting, especially these days?), I wrote two other blog posts with the title “Masks.” I shall not mask my wish that you check out those two posts by clicking on the links in that previous sentence.

Why am I writing about “masks” today?

Are you kidding? If you don’t know why, you must have been masked and ear-plugged in a locked room for a dozen weeks (but who’s counting?).

Let’s see if there are any masks in my photos from yesterday.

There are MANY videos on YouTube about masks, and here’s one of them:

Masks

Wearing masks,

Is just one of those tasks,

We need to do for now.

If you wear glasses,

Are one of the masses,

Are one of the asses,

Or simply don’t know how.

Please find and wear a mask.

I really hate to ask,

Or take you to task.

(And now I take a bow.)

I can’t mask my need to write blog posts, poems, songs, whatever, because THAT is what keeps me going in masked times like these. If you can write a different final line to my new poem “Masks,” please unmask that in a comment, below.

Here is the “Masks” section from Prokofiev‘s Romeo and Juliet:

I hope my gratitude for all shines through, even when I’m wearing masks.

Categories: life during the pandemic, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: "How to wear a face mask without fogging up your glasses, Cod dish, different kinds of masks, gratitude, May 2020, Romeo and Juliet, Sergei Polunin, Sergei Prokofiev, South Shore of Boston, The National | 25 Comments

Day 2689: Savor the moment

Posted on May 12, 2020 by Ann Koplow

Savor the moment, especially when the moment provides wise guidance for every moment.

Savor the moments I captured during a moment-filled and rare day off from work yesterday.

The best part of knowing that I’ll be dead someday is it helps me savor the moment.

Here‘s “Savor the Moment” by Sara Renner.

I’m savoring the moments in “Savor the Moment” that are a perfect match for the moments in today’s blog post.

Now I’m looking forward to savoring your comments and I hope you savor my gratitude for everyone who helps me savor and share moments on this blog, including YOU.