What’s awesome is that when I’m looking for what’s awesome, I find it.
What’s awesome in today’s blog post?
What’s awesome is that I’ve finished writing my latest song “I’d Like to Win a Grammy for Best New Artist” and I’ll be posting an awesome-enough version on YouTube soon.
Speaking of YouTube, here’s what I find when I search for “what’s awesome.”
And here’s the awesome “I’m Just Ken” from last night’s Academy Awards show.
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What’s awesome is that awesome people are here, now, including YOU!
Last night, after we went to several highly automated, touch-screen-dominated, and hard-surfaced establishments at a local mall, my husband Michael said, “These places seem like a parody of the future.”
I love the phrase “Parody of the Future” although I’m not sure I can explain why. We make up the future, so how can there be a parody of our own imaginings?
As usual, Michael makes me think, laugh, and appreciate my past, present, and future with him. And I predicted the future last night by telling Michael, “That’s my blog post title for tomorrow.”
Do you see a parody of the future in my images for today?
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Last night I dreamt that our beloved cat Joan climbed up on the roof of a very high building, was grabbed by a hawk who embraced her in the air and then flew away with her in its talons, and as I was yelling, “the hawk has Joan!,” she fell from the hawk’s grasp. I woke up, relieved that Joan was okay, and now I’m wondering if that dream was a parody of the future.
Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “parody of the future.”
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Thanks to Michael, Joan, and all who help me deal with the future (parody or otherwise), including YOU!
I have this thing about being heard. Maybe it’s because I’m a woman. Maybe it’s because I’m aging, or maybe it’s because I was in the hospital a lot when I was a kid.
Being heard, to me, is part of surviving. If nobody hears me asking for help, I might die.
Last night, after a day when I was struggling mightily to be heard (because my Internet went out minutes before I was supposed to sing at a hospital event and later facilitate two on-line therapy groups), I asked this question on Twitter:
I heard all the answers to that question, although I’m not posting them all here.
When our Internet failed yesterday, my rants and ravings were being heard by my husband, Michael, who suggested that I quickly go somewhere that had Wi-Fi. Because I really wanted to be heard at the hospital event where I was scheduled to be the opener, I ran out with my laptop and no coat to the nearest Dunkin’ Donuts and sang the song standing outside in the rain. (Inside there was very loud music, so I wouldn’t have been heard there). Then, I realized that I could connect to the Dunkin’ Donuts wi-fi from my car, so I was able to be heard by my Coping and Healing group at 3 PM. The group members expressed their appreciation at my efforts to guarantee that their voices would be heard by each other, on schedule.
Sometimes I wish I weren’t so frantic about the need to be heard.
Do you see anything else that needs to be heard in this blog post?
I think women need to be heard and on this day that celebrates women in so many ways, Happy Birthday to my first and still best friend, Barbara!
Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “being heard.”
Thanks to all who help my being heard, including YOU!
Here’s something that shouldn’t exist, according to somebody:
That caught my eye yesterday, perhaps because I spend so much time, as a psychotherapist, hearing stories about things that shouldn’t exist, including child abuse, discrimination, physical pain, emotional pain, and social injustice.
What helps me and others deal with things that shouldn’t exist? Radical acceptance.
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Do you see things in today’s blog post that shouldn’t exist?
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Speaking of being annoying, I’ve noticed that the readership for this blog has been way down lately — does that mean this blog shouldn’t exist?
Here’s my answer: I blog primarily for my own self care and resilience during challenging times, so I work on radically accepting whatever happens when I send each daily post out into the world.
Here’s what I find when I search for “shouldn’t exist” on YouTube.
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Maybe there are reasons why gratitude shouldn’t exist, but it always exists here!
I think we should give ourselves permission to feel all our feelings, to make mistakes, to be kind to ourselves and others, to be uncomfortable, to accept everything (including compliments), to face the unknown, to risk rejection, and to be our authentic selves.
Nobody gave me permission to write these words or capture these images, but I’m doing it anyway.
I don’t know who gave permission for all those different holidays and observances for March 5, but I’m going to give myself permission to vote for Joe Biden today.
Yesterday, I gave myself permission to start writing another song.
