My country seems to be in an awkward phase right now: teetering between democracy and fascism.
My patients and I are in all sorts of awkward phases as we move forward in our respective healing journeys.
Do you see awkward phases in my images for today?
.
Here’s what I find when I search for “awkward phases” on YouTube:
.
Thanks to all those who are here for my awkward phases, including YOU!
When I was high school valedictorian, I wrote and delivered a speech called “The Irrational Pursuit of Happiness.” I believe it was about the ephemeral nature of being happy but I can’t remember many other details. I just remember being happy about the opportunity to speak to my classmates about my thoughts, feelings, and values.
Today’s Daily Bitch Calendar has some advice on being happy.
.
Yesterday, I was being happy about spending time with my husband Michael shopping for a new kitty litter box and a new recycling bin to replace the one destroyed by a snow plow last week.
.
When I was a high school senior, I didn’t picture myself being happy about such things.
Do you see being happy in my other images for today?
.
My happiness goal for February 17 is being happy whether or not the interview about my music shows up on the Therapist Uncensored podcast today.
Here’s what I find when I search for “Being Happy” on YouTube:
.
What are your thoughts and feelings about being happy?
Thanks to all who contribute to my being happy, including YOU!
We all deal with rejection, which often lowers our self esteem.
A patient recently shared this helpful reframe about rejection.
Lately I’ve been feeling rejection because of lower numbers for my music.
.
If I use that rejection reframe, I can practice prevention with redirection: writing new songs, marketing my music differently, and NOT equating lower numbers with rejection.
Do you see rejection in my other images for today?
.
Here’s what I find when I search for “rejection” on YouTube.
.
There are several TED talks about rejection, including this …
… and this:
.
I won’t feel rejection if you don’t comment, below.
Thanks to all who have dealt with rejection, including YOU!
If you are part of the group of people who often read this blog, you know that I love my job working with groups.
Even on a weekend or vacation, I think about groups. I notice how people join groups, negotiate groups, replicate old family patterns in groups, leave groups, and change in groups. I notice that some groups are toxic and others promote healing. I realize that there are certain roles that exist in groups (like problem solver, rebel, peacemaker, outsider) and that if one person is not taking a role, another one will.
What groups do you see in my images for today?
.
Here’s what I find when I look for groups on YouTube:
.
Now, would you consider joining the group of people who comment on my blog?
Thanks to all who are part of my groups, including YOU!
Because I believe that most human beings have empathy and compassion, I get confused when I see deliberate cruelty.
I am most confused when I listen to the news and least confused when I facilitate my Coping and Healing groups.
I wonder if anyone will be confused by my images for today.
.
Here’s what I find when I search for “confused” on YouTube.
.
Thanks to all who are here for my confused blog posts, including YOU!
It’s interesting how helpful these daily blog posts are for me (no matter how interesting they are for others).
It’s interesting that this blogging site thinks I’ve posted 666 days in a row …
… when it’s actually been 4,791 days in a row.
Yesterday, I went to see yet another interesting expert about the interesting clicking noises I hear in my head when I speak or sing. This doctor and his interested entourage put an interesting little microphone and camera though my nostril so they could observe what interesting things my upper palate did when I speak. When the doctor, who had an interesting way of dealing with patients, asked me to keep talking, I recited the words to my original song “Everybody’s Somebody’s Asshole.”
.
It’s interesting that — because of the inserted microphone — somebody else could hear the noises for the first time since they appeared 30 months ago (but who’s counting?).
It’s interesting how reassuring that was.
When the interesting doctor told me that my situation was atypical and unusual, I took a breath and said, “Since I’ve been born, I’ve been dealing with the rarest congenital heart condition and other atypical and unusual issues, and I’m kind of sick of being …”
“Interesting?” said the doctor.
It’s interesting that there continues to be no obvious way forward to treat these noises, but we’re going to try a Botox injection next month. It’ll be interesting to see what happens.
What’s interesting about my images for today?
.
I look forward to your interesting comments, below.
Thanks to all my interesting readers, including YOU!
My jobs include group therapist, individual therapist, mother, singer/songwriter, blogger, and political activist.
What jobs do you see in my images for today?
.
Here’s what I find when I search for “jobs” on YouTube:
I’m grateful that my blogging job includes watching and sharing videos every day.
Thanks to all who are here for this jobs report, including YOU!
Because yesterday was Extraterrestrial Culture Day AND Extraterrestrial Visitor Day, I asked people what their thoughts were about extraterrestrials. This was my favorite answer:
.
One of my group members says he thinks I am an extraterrestrial because of the weird clicking noises I hear whenever I speak. Tomorrow I am seeing yet another terrestrial expert, hoping to get rid of those extra noises.
Do you see extraterrestrials in my other images for today?
.
Here’s what I find when I search for extraterrestrials on YouTube.
.
Thanks to all the terrestrials who are here for this extraterrestrials post, including YOU!
Yesterday, group members gave me a surprise party for my birthday. It was a real surprise because my birthday was last week.
I finished reading the novel A Little Life and was not surprised by the ending. My group members, who have experienced awful traumas (like the main protagonist of the book), surprise me all the time with their resilience and growth.
Do you see any surprises in my images for today?
.
Here’s what I find when I search for “Surprise!” on YouTube:
Surprise!
Thanks to all who surprise me every day, including YOU.
Often I wonder why Trump supporters aren’t changing their minds about him.
I think this quote about changing mind explains it.
.
Do you see more about changing minds in today’s blog post?
.
Here’s what I find when I search for “changing minds” on YouTube:
.
I’d like to be changing minds of those who don’t want to watch that very illuminating TED talk.
Thanks to all who are here for this changing minds post, including YOU!
