In therapy, when people feel overwhelmed, I ask them to identify an achievable next step.
For me, here and now, achievable next steps include:
sending an email inviting somebody to connect with me via ZOOM,
opening up 2020 tax preparation software for the first time,
entering some tax data,
sending my video of “Vaccinated Women” to another TV show,
calling my health insurance company about family coverage,
calling a new company about my flexible spending health accountability account,
dancing, and
sharing these images with you:
According to the CDC, achievable next steps are definitely changing. Change is stressful, even those changes you desperately want. I would suggest choosing and practicing an achievable next step for reducing stress.
For me, sharing music I love is an achievable next step. Here are international women taking achievable next dance steps to “So What” by Miles Davis.
Is an achievable next step for you leaving a comment about this achievable-next-step post?
Gratitude is always an achievable next step for me.
That article recommends that we act like happy people — even when we’re not happy — to make ourselves happy and to spread happiness. Arthur C. Brooks suggests asking ourselves this question when we’re down: “What would a happy person do?” In other words, to fake it until we make it.
So, if I give you your first smile of the day even when I don’t feel like smiling, that’s good for both of us.
If what I’ve written so far hasn’t evoked the first smile of the day, perhaps one of these images will.
Perhaps this video of The Pat Metheny Group performing “First Circle” (with dancing parrots) will give you the first smile of the day.
Why, for fake’s sake, would I write a post about “fake” when authenticity is so important to me?
Maybe “fake” has something to do with today’s Daily Bitch calendar.
Maybe it’s because I saw this fake swan yesterday.
I’m not being fake when I write that many people fear that others are being fake when they give them very positive feedback. I hear this in therapy and I thought about it last night when I got these compliments, via ZOOM chat, after performing “Vaccinated Women” at an Open Mic:
I sincerely doubt I could fake my way onto a Boston TV show. I think I need a new manager, instead of the fake one I have now:
Harley doesn’t even fake an interest in making me famous.
Do you see “fake” in any of my other images from yesterday?
Yesterday, in both my Coping and Healing groups, people shared what they were looking forward to.
I’m looking forward to:
another Coping and Healing group today,
Michael’s stroganoff for dinner,
the weekend,
walks by the water,
music,
dancing,
connecting,
being in the moment,
letting go of regrets about the past and worries about the future,
accepting all feelings, and
sharing my images from the last two days.
One of my biggest fears used to be singing and playing imperfectly in front of people. I’ve done so much work on that I am truly looking forward to singing “Vaccinated Women” to the tune of “Fascinating Rhythm” tonight at an Open Mic. I’m also looking forward to sharing that imperfect performance with you tomorrow.
Here’s an imperfect performance of mine from two years ago in LA at the great Ron Lynch’s “Tomorrow” show:
What are you looking forward to? I’m looking forward to your comments, below.
If you’re looking forward to my gratitude to you for showing up here today, here it is!
Nobody likes to be found out, not even one who has made ruthless confession a part of his profession. Any autobiographer, therefore, at least between the lines, spars with his reader and potential judge.
Confession Time! Whenever I present quotes, I arrange them by the birthdate of the person I’m quoting.
Yesterday I declared “Confession Time!” on Twitter:
Confession Time! Here and now, I can’t include any other images and I don’t know if I can publish this blog post. WordPress keeps confessing, “You are probably offline” although I don’t see how that is true. I confess that I can’t upload anything from my laptop or my phone and I confess this has never happened before in all my years of daily blogging.
Confession time! I wanted to write a quick blog post this morning so I could watch a special presentation about the musical “Rent.” Oh well.
Confession Time! No photos doesn’t prevent my from quoting the Daily Bitch Calendar for today: “Why is being alive so expensive? I’m not even having a good time!”
Since it is confession time, are there any confessions you’d like to make in the comments section, below?
It’s always gratitude time, so thanks to all the people I quoted, above, and thanks to YOU.
It’s a sure thing in life that if you have a bright idea (like writing new lyrics to an old song) that somebody wonderful will have the same idea too.
It’s a sure thing that I’ll end each blog post with gratitude, so thanks to Dolly Parton, everyone else who contributed to the development of the COVID vaccines, all the people I follow on Twitter, the Man from U.N.C.L.E., the Daily Bitch, dogs, cats, Brené Brown, Susan David, and YOU!
I have a weakness for Twitter, where somebody recently asked, “Do you think crying is a sign of weakness or strength?” I had the strength to answer as follows:
Do you see weakness or strength in my other images for today?
Is admitting mistakes, like today’s Daily Bitch, a sign of weakness or strength?
When I search for “weakness or strength” on YouTube, I find this:
That reminds me that exactly a year ago, the week before lockdown, I was in Times Square in New York, attending a group therapy conference and contracting COVID. Is it weakness or strength to share that with you, here and now?
Actually, I think it’s helpful to think in terms of AND, not OR, so it’s all weakness AND strength.
Many thanks to those who help me share my weakness and strength in this daily blog, including YOU!
