Monthly Archives: December 2024

Day 4382: When you’re feeling down

What do you do when you’re feeling down?

I spend time with creatures I love, listen to music, watch funny movies, eat yummy food, and collect images like these.

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Today I’m feeling down because I have a cold (maybe because it’s Unlucky Day) and because I’m not looking forward to 2025.

Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “when you’re feeling down.”

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Thanks to all who help me when I’m feeling down, including YOU!

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Day 4381: Enormous Changes at the Last Minute

Regarding USA politics, I know many people are hoping for enormous changes at the last minute, even though that’s unlikely.

The National Day Calendar says that today is the Festival of Enormous Changes at the Last Minute.

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Personally, I’m not panicking about that and I am trying not to panic about the enormous changes that are likely to appear after Inauguration Day next month.

Do you see any enormous changes at the last minute in my images for today?

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Here’s what I find when I search for “enormous changes at the last minute.”

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At the last minute of today’s post, I would like to express my appreciation and admiration for the late Jimmy Carter, who made enormous changes for good throughout his long life.

Thanks to all who help me get through enormous changes at the last minute, including YOU!

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Day 4380: Unfinished Business

Every morning when I wake up, my unfinished business includes writing a daily blog post.

Because today is Tick Tock Day, according to the National Day Calendar, we’re all supposed to focus on unfinished business.

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Stop nagging me, National Day Calendar! It’s none of your business how much unfinished business I have. And because I’m on vacation, I want to put business — unfinished and otherwise — aside for this week.

However, because it is Tick Tock Day, I’ll share my latest TikTok video.

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Now to finish the unfinished business of completing today’s blog.

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What I still need to do on Still Need to Do Day (again, stop nagging me, December 29!) is share a video about unfinished business …

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… and to thank YOU!

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Day 4379: Afraid

I’m afraid to read the news these days for fear that the news will make me too afraid to enjoy the current moment.

Last night, I noticed that people I follow on social media were afraid about bird flu, which made me afraid. And, of course, many people are afraid about the damage that the next USA administration may cause around the world.

Starting today, I will be taking a week off from working with people who are afraid, depressed, and grieving multiple losses. I’m glad I’ll be seeing them again very soon.

Because I’m afraid of falling again on the ice, I’m going to look for boots with cleats this week.

Because I’m afraid of the fire from lighting Hanukkah candles, I’ve ordered an electrical menorah.

I’m afraid that I forgot to mention yesterday that it was Michael’s and my 5th wedding anniversary.

I’m afraid I don’t have many pictures for today.

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When I’m afraid, I often call a friend, eat chocolate, and/or watch films. I’m afraid about the future of endangered species.

Here’s a song about being afraid:

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Here’s my song about being afraid:

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I hope you’re not afraid to express yourself in the comments section, below.

Thanks to all who help me when I’m afraid, including YOU!

Categories: group therapy, original song, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , | 12 Comments

Day 4378: Let Them

Because I let them talk about whatever they want, one of my group members told us on Christmas Eve day about the latest book by Mel Robbins — The Let Them Theory.

We were discussing how to deal with other people’s actions (as we often do) when this group member said, “Mel Robbins writes that we should just let them be who they are and do whatever they do, because they will anyway. Whatever it is, let them.”

“Let them” sounds like the wisdom of radical acceptance. And whenever I say “you can’t control what others do but you can control how you react,” I am essentially saying “let them.”

I know it’s going to be difficult for me to let them do things to my country and the world during the next US administration, starting very soon. My guess is that The Let Them Theory probably has elements of the serenity prayer — encouraging the serenity to accept the things we cannot change (let them), the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Instead of explaining my images for today, I’m going to let them speak for themselves.

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If people want to go back to church (or not), eat fruit cake, or visit the zoo, let them.

Here’s what I find when I search for “let them” on YouTube:

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If you have some responses that want to come out in the comments section, let them.

Thanks to all who are here for this “let them” post, including YOU!

Categories: group therapy, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Day 4377: National Whiners Day

It gives me happiness to share that today is National Whiners Day!

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The possibilities ARE endless since I woke up today whining about many things, including a sore throat, the end-of-the-year blues, my weight, the state of the world, the upcoming USA administration, and not being able to find our new Menorah for Hanukkah AND the mouth guard I hate wearing because of my annoyingly clicking jaw.

Before I discovered it was National Whiners Day, I was ready to write a whiners post, in which I planned to discuss how we automatically focus on the negative as a way to highlight and solve problems.

Instead of whining more about that, here are my images for National Whiners Day!

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Here’s what I find when I search for “National Whiners Day.”

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Feel free to whine about that video or anything else in the comments, below.

Thanks to all who are here for this National Whiners Day post, including YOU!

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Day 4376: Happiness

In the midst of these dark days, I can still find happiness, thanks to the wonderful people and cats in my life.

Do you see happiness in my images for today?

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Here’s what I find when I look for “happiness” on YouTube:

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Thanks to all who give me happiness, including YOU!!

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Day 4375: The airing of grievances

The airing of grievances is something I often witness in my therapy groups. It’s also the most appealing (I believe) ritual of Festivus, which was yesterday.

The airing of grievances can help us let go and move on. It’s especially helpful during difficult times and when there is pressure to hide our grievances and to pretend to be happy.

So, let the airing of grievances commence!

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Okay, now that there has been the airing of grievances, I can move on to sharing my other images for today.

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It looks like the Daily Bitch has more grievances with people than with cats and so do I.

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Here’s what I find when I search for “the airing of grievances” on YouTube:

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I don’t have a lot of problems with you people and thanks to all who help me air my grievances etc. daily, including YOU!!

Categories: group therapy, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Day 4374: Movies

I love movies so much that I went to film school in the 1980’s. Sometimes I think my love of movies has warped my expectations of what life will be.

Lately, I’ve been watching the movies of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, which challenge my expectations of what movies will be. In those movies (as in life), the people you are rooting for don’t necessarily win.

Here is a quote from Powell and Pressburger’s “manifesto” of making movies:

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Do you see any movies in my other images for today?

My son Aaron said that Joan looked like she was in her own personal spaceship.

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I know there are lots of Christmas movies, but are there any Festivus movies?

Here’s the trailer from the Martin Scorsese-narrated documentary about Powell and Pressburger’s movies:

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Here’s a BFI (British Film Industry) video essay about these movies:

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Thanks to all who are here for this movies post, including YOU!

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Day 4373: Sharing favorite music

One of my favorite things to do with my son Aaron and my husband Michael is to take turns sharing favorite music.

After we picked Aaron up from the airport last night we spent hours sharing favorite music, including tunes by Neil Young, King Crimson, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Jacob Collier, Blur, The Moody Blues, Joy Division, Weather Report, Frank Black, Joni Mitchell, and this one (which Aaron shared):

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Sharing favorite music with favorite people inspired me to ask this question on social media last night:

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After sharing favorite music, I need to be sharing this:

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Although I’m a lover of silence, I hope to be sharing favorite music again today.

If you were sharing favorite music with loved ones, what might you choose?

Thanks to all who are sharing favorite music with me, here and now, including YOU.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

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