Monthly Archives: September 2022

Day 3551: Ruminating

Posted on September 21, 2022 by Ann Koplow

Here and now, I’m ruminating about

my health, after I had a TIA last week on vacation,
my anticoagulant medication,
travel insurance,
my dental appointment today,
those aspects of my job I really dislike doing,
our upstairs bathroom, which has been out of commission for over a year because of water damage,
the change of seasons from warmer to colder,
the USA midterm November elections,
the death of Queen Elizabeth,
pain and suffering in the world, and
things I cannot control.

I guess it makes sense that I’m ruminating over things I can’t control, because otherwise I could friggin’ do something about them!

When I am ruminating, it helps to identify a simple next step I can take (including sharing my thoughts so I’m not alone with them).

Do you see ruminating in my images for today?

I was also ruminating about getting good tickets on National New York day for a new NYC production of the Sondheim musical Merrily We Roll Along, but tickets actually don’t go on sale until October.

Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “ruminating.”

I also find this …

… and this:

I look forward to ruminating on your comments about this Ruminating post.

Thanks to all who know something about ruminating, including YOU!

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: animals, Dr. Tracey Marks, letting go of anxiety, Medasin, National Days September 21 2022, Peter Su, quotes about ruminating, The Daily Bitch Calendar, the South Shore of Boston, Twitter, Yogi Tea | 7 Comments

Day 3550: Who speaks to you?

Posted on September 20, 2022 by Ann Koplow

Last night, after listening to many Todd Rundgren songs that spoke to me, I asked a question on Twitter about who speaks to you:

I love reading about who speaks to other people.

Do you know who does NOT speak to me (which I’ve never spoken about before on this blog)? My sister. People who speak in my therapy groups often reveal that siblings in their families have trouble speaking to each other.

Here’s someone who constantly speaks to me, although I don’t know what she’s saying.

Do any of my images today speak to you?

The Daily Bitch always speaks to me (even if some people in Real Life and on Twitter don’t speak to me).

Here’s one of the Todd Rundgren songs that spoke to me yesterday:

Who is speaking to you now? Hello, it’s me, with gratitude for YOU.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: being blocked, Can We Still Be Friends?, cats, National Days September 20 2022, salmon dish, siblings, songwriters, The Daily Bitch Calendar, the South Shore of Boston, Todd Rundgren, Twitter | 11 Comments

Day 3549: I Saw the Light

Posted on September 19, 2022 by Ann Koplow

“I Saw the Light” is a song I love by Todd Rundgren.

My husband Michael and I danced to “I Saw the Light” after I got home from a trip where I saw the light at Disney World, the gorgeous islands off the Southeast coast of Georgia, and (unexpectedly) a Georgia hospital after I had a TIA.

During a long and restorative walk in my neighborhood yesterday, I Saw the Light.

For me, I Saw the Light means that I’m in the moment, observing the beauty surrounding me, and realizing again an important lesson I learned when I was young: life is short and every day is precious.

I Saw the Light when I was capturing all these other images for today’s blog post.

On this precious day when people might be talking like pirates while eating butterscotch pudding, what does “I saw the light” mean to you?

I saw the light while gathering expressions of gratitude for all those who have helped me see the light, including YOU!

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: cats, gratitude, Halloween decorations, mortality, National Days September 19 2022, T.I.A., The Daily Bitch Calendar, the South Shore of Boston, Todd Rundgren, Twitter, Yogi Tea | 13 Comments

Day 3548: Still alive

Posted on September 18, 2022 by Ann Koplow

Despite the many close calls I’ve had since I was born in 1953 with a very unusual heart, I’m still alive to blog another day and to share my latest images with you.

Tomorrow (which is National Talk Like a Pirate and National Butterscotch Day), this wife will be working from home providing psychotherapy for people who are still alive. (Usually I’m in-person at the hospital on Mondays, but since I’m still alive after my T.I.A. last week, staying home seems like the smart thing to do.) Because my love of group therapy is still alive, my plan is to keep doing this work for as long as I’m still alive.

Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “still alive.“

As long as I’m still alive, I’ll be expressing gratitude for YOU.

Categories: adult congenital heart, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: close calls, Congenitally Corrected Transposition of the Great Arteries, Dorchester, Jonathan Coulton with Sara Quin and Dorit Chrysler, National Days September 18 and September 19, psychotherapy, self-care, T.I.A., the South Shore of Boston, Twitter | 20 Comments

Day 3547: What a mess!

Posted on September 17, 2022 by Ann Koplow

“What a mess!” I’m thinking as I …

start to unpack after returning home from my trip to Florida and Georgia,
continue to recover from my unexpected hospital trip when I was on vacation,
try to figure out how to avoid having another another messy mini stroke/TIA in the future,
try to avoid a mess when taking my blood to check my INR (which was too low at 2.4 last week, which likely caused the TIA),
readjust to being home with Michael and the cats, who can make a mes,
think about our long-overdue bathroom remodel, which is quite a mess, and
let go of any shame I have about messes of any kind.

What a mess as I try to organize my images for today.

What a mess of National Days there are today! I like that I’m publishing this what-a-mess post on National CleanUp Day.

What a mess of videos there are on YouTube!

Thanks to all who deal with messes, including YOU!

Categories: health care, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: bathroom remodel, cats, gratitude, INR, Jekyll Island club hotel, letting go of shame, National Days September 17 2022, The Daily Bitch Calendar, TIA, Twitter | 18 Comments

Day 3546: Scholars

Posted on September 16, 2022 by Ann Koplow

Looking at all the images I have to share with you on my last day of a terrific and illuminating Road Scholar adventure, I think “Scholars” is a good title for this blog post.

Do you scholars agree?

Thanks to all the wonderful scholars who help me blog every precious day, including YOU!

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism, quotes | Tags: Georgia Island Hopping Tour, gratitude, Nannygoat Beach, National Days September 16 2022, Road Scholar, Sapelo Island, The Daily Bitch Calendar, Twitter | 15 Comments

Day 3545: Making up for lost time

Posted on September 15, 2022 by Ann Koplow

After I got out of the hospital yesterday and rejoined the tour of the Georgia islands, I’ve been making up for lost time, which you can probably tell by my images for today.

Even as I’m making up for lost time, there is no way I have the time today to observe all those National Days. I don’t even have the time to check YouTube for a video.

There’s always time for me to express gratitude to you!

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: Georgia Sea Turtle Center, gratitude, Jekyll Island, living with a heart condition, Road Scholar, sharks, The Daily Bitch Calendar, Twitter | 13 Comments

Day 3544: Never seen

Posted on September 14, 2022 by Ann Koplow

Before this vacation, I’d never seen

the islands off the southeastern coast of Georgia,
the inside of a brain CT scan machine, and
the inside of a Georgia hospital.

You’ve never seen anybody as happy as I’ll be when I get out of this hospital and rejoin my vacation tour of the Georgia islands, which MIGHT be today.

Here are some images I assume you’ve never seen:

I’ve actually never seen the world through another’s eyes but I try to do that, every day.

Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “never seen.”

I’ve never seen Limoblaze before, but I’m very glad to see that video today.

You’ve most likely seen gratitude from me before, but you’ve never seen this particular image of thanks:

Categories: heart condition, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: David Okit, gratitude, hospitals, Limoblaze, National Days September 14 2022, National Live Creative Day, popular movies and tv shows never seen, Road Scholar, southeastern Georgia, Twitter | 15 Comments

Day 3543: What does T.I.A. stand for?

Posted on September 13, 2022 by Ann Koplow

This Is Ann, Telling It As it is on a Tuesday In A hospital room, Thankful I’m Alive.

T.I.A. stands for Transient Ischemic Attack. The Incredible And Thorough Investigators At This Institution Are Thinking I, Ann, had a T.I.A. yesterday.

Terrifying Incident, Actually, That Included All The Indications of A stroke. This Is Absolutely not how This Individual Anticipated spending her vacation.

These Images Are what This Insomniac Accumulated yesterday:

This Is A T.I.A. video on youTube, I Assume:

Thanks In Admiration to Those Intrepidly Assisting yesterday — my Terrifically Intelligent Amiga Deb, the Emergency responders on Jekyll Island, the staff at this wonderful Georgia hospital, my Boston cardiologist Deeb Salem (who called in response to my email and talked to the doctor here) — and to Those I Adore (That Includes All of you!)

Categories: heart condition, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: cats, Faith Chapel, gratitude, Jekyll Island, Mosaic Museum, National Days September 13 2022, signs of stroke, Southeast Georgia Health System, Tiffany stained glass window, Transient Ischemic Attack | 58 Comments

Day 3542: Craving

Posted on September 12, 2022 by Ann Koplow

My craving for travel has only intensified during the pandemic, so it’s been wonderful traveling to Disney World and now to Jekyll Island in Georgia.

At the same time, I’ve been craving contact with our cats back at home, so I really appreciate my husband Michael sending me these photos he took yesterday.