Voices of reason are few and far between these days, especially if you listen to the news.
That’s the reason I asked about voices of reason on social media last night.
.
I have mixed feelings about ChatGPT but sometimes it can be a voice of reason.
.
Are there voices of reason elsewhere in today’s blog?
.
Here’s what I find when I search for “voices of reason” on YouTube:
Eleanor Longden is a powerful voice of reason.
Thanks to all the voices of reason out there, including YOU!
Near the end of my group therapy and individual therapy sessions, I often ask people what feels left unsaid.
What feels left unsaid for me, here and now, is that a wonderful social work intern who co-facilitated two group sessions with me in 2025 tragically died recently in a motorcycle accident.
What feels left unsaid is that life can be very, very unfair. What also feels left unsaid is that sometimes, words fail.
Often, when we say what feels left unsaid we find out that we are not alone. I often express what feels left unsaid here through words and images.
.
Here’s what I find when I search for “what feels left unsaid” on YouTube.
.
Feel free to say what feels left unsaid in the comments section, below.
Many thanks to all who help me express what feels left unsaid, including YOU.
In my Coping and Healing groups, people talk about wanting to get rid of mixed feelings. I have mixed feelings about how to respond because I believe mixed feelings are the natural human response to complex situations which surround us.
Do you see mixed feelings in my images for today?
.
Here’s what I find when I search for mixed feelings on YouTube.
.
If you have mixed feelings about watching that video, I recommend that TED talk by Dr. Joan Rosenberg about accepting mixed feelings, including these unpleasant ones:
.
Thanks to everyone who deals with mixed feelings, including YOU!
Yesterday, in my Coping and Healing group, the mindfulness exercise was focusing on peace of mind.
Lately, I’ve been struggling to attain peace of mind. My mind has been going into the future (specifically my upcoming solo trip to Switzerland) with worry and anxiety. It’s also very difficult for me to attain peace of mind when corrupt people are in positions of power.
When I asked about peace of mind on social media last night, some people asked for a definition.
Blogging helps my peace of mind and I hope my images today help yours.
.
Some people tell me that rain helps their peace of mind. Let’s see what the chances of rain are on rain day.
What a coincidence!
Today, I’m hoping that my yearly echocardiogram helps my peace of mind about my ongoing heart health.
When I search for peace of mind on YouTube, I find this …
.
… and this.
.
Thanks to all who help me attain peace of mind, including YOU!
I love coincidences.
Yesterday, when I was on the ferry to work, a woman I had never met before admired my earrings. Coincidentally, she and I both enjoy talking to strangers and we quickly discovered a truly amazing coincidence.
We were both wearing the same socks! That seemed like an especially amazing coincidence because I rarely wear those socks and have never worn them to work before.
Here’s Christine …
… and here are just some of the coincidences: Christine and I both play the ukulele, write songs (including protest songs), live one house away from the ocean in the same city, are therapists, have one son we had in our 40s, love adventure and cats, and freely give hugs.
I’m sure Christine and I will discover more coincidences in the future.
I love coincidences so much that I asked a question about them last night on social media.
.
Do you see coincidences in my other images for today?
What a coincidence! My husband does the cooking AND the cleaning.
When Christine and I were discussing coincidences, she told me about the film Quincy Jaws …
… which she appears in along with many other fellow Quincy residents. I’m assuming there are planned coincidences with the original Jaws, but let’s find out.
I think Christine is coincidentally called Chrissie and appears in the first few minutes of the movie.
Here’s what I find when I search for “coincidences” on YouTube:
.
By coincidence, today I happen to have many ways to express my gratitude to you!
It’s hard to say why I haven’t released my song/poem “Hard to Say.”
.
When I was a kid with a heart condition it was hard to say “I have to go to the hospital.” It’s not hard to say “I have to go to the hospital” today, because I work at the hospital on Mondays.
At work, I listen to people share things that are hard to say, in group and individual therapy.
It’s not hard to say what inspired today’s blog post.
.
Sometimes it’s hard to say why I capture the images I do, but here they are.
.
It’s hard to say how many comments I’ll get on this hard-to-say post.
You know what’s not hard to say? Thank you!
Without you, I couldn’t do this daily blog.
Without you, I wouldn’t be taking photos like the first one I took yesterday.
.
Without you, I wouldn’t be sharing this excerpt from the fabulous musical City of Angels, which I saw with my fabulous friends Janet and Ray yesterday and which includes the song “I’m Nothing Without You.”
.
Without you, there’s no reason to share all these other images for today.
.
Without you, this precious day just wouldn’t be the same.
Without you, I wouldn’t be as grateful as I am.
I’ve been wondering if people are thinking “TL;DR” about my daily blog posts.
.
Here is a TL;DR summary of all my blog posts: introductory paragraph(s) containing concepts I think would be useful to share, my photographs from the day before (arranged for maximum impact/humor/connections); the Daily Bitch calendar (except on Sunday) (even she needs to rest), the observations/celebrations of the day, a relevant and (I hope) useful video, and gratitude.
I wonder if a TL;DR (what I used to call “sound bite”) culture discourages deeper understanding of important issues. However, I do appreciate the correct use of the semicolon in “TL;DR.”
Is this blog post TL;DR?
I bet nobody says “TL;DR” about The Daily Bitch Calendar.
Here’s what I find when I search for “TL;DR” on YouTube:
TL;DF.**
Thanks to all who made it to the end of the TL;DR post, including YOU!
—————————
** Too Long; Didn’t Finish
Happy International Self Care Day, everybody!
We deserve to practice self-care 24/7, as difficult as that might be. Thanks for the reminder on 7/24, International Self-Care Day!
Now I’m going to practice self-care on International Self-Care Day by sharing these images.
.
Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “International Self-Care Day.”
.
How are you going to practice self-care today?
Thanks to all who help me practice self-care every day, including YOU!
I used to think that talking about the weather was a way to avoid deep conversations.
Now, not talking about the weather seems like a way to avoid and deny the existential threat of climate change.
Yesterday, I was talking about the weather because I ventured out for a walk to CVS, underestimating the fury and speed of an approaching thunderstorm. When it hit with intense winds, driving rain, and deafening thunder, I had to focus on reaching shelter as soon as possible. Luckily, a woman driving by with her daughter stopped to pick me up and drive me to CVS. Talking about the weather, this total stranger even offered to wait for me to drive me back home. That’s how bad the weather was!
I opted to stay at CVS until the storm passed so I could walk safely home. Talking about the weather, here are images of before the storm hit …
.
… and after it passed:
.
When I got back home and I finished talking about the weather with my husband Michael, I found this email from James Sullivan, the organizer of the inspiring Which Side? protest song teach-out (which I was talking about in yesterday’s blog post).
I wasn’t talking about the weather when I accepted James’s offer for me to share my protest song “You Don’t Scare Me!” at an upcoming show.
The people attending these protest song teach-outs agree: The current USA administration talking trash about immigrants and other human beings instead of talking about the weather is dangerous, unacceptable, and has to stop!
Talking about the weather, here are the rest of my images for today.
.
It seems right that I’m talking about the weather on Yada, Yada, Yada and Hot Enough For Ya Day.
Here’s what I find when I search for “talking about the weather” on YouTube:
.
Thanks to all who are talking about the weather, including YOU.
