Sometimes we need a break from thinking, worrying, and doing, to just BE. After all, we are human BEings (not human doings etc.), as difficult as it might BE to BElieve that and just BE.
Just BE, as you look at my images for today.
Just BE as you take a moment to celebrate as you choose.
Yesterday, when I was dwelling on Donald Trump, Donald Trump’s supporters, and angry people, I found this quote by Oprah Winfrey:
Oh no! Oprah knows for sure that I will become Donald Trump, a Donald Trump supporter, and/or an angry person unless I dwell on something else. Luckily, there are many other things to dwell on in my other photos from yesterday.
Uh-oh. Now I’m dwelling on the fact that we just lost our internet connection. Also, it’s taking forever for me to upload any more photos that are dwelling on my phone by using cellular data.
Now I’m dwelling on the possibility that if Donald Trump, Donald Trump supporters, and angry people want to take over my countrywith a coup, knocking out the internet of people dwelling in liberal parts of the USA is probably a great way to do that.
Now I’m dwelling on this: a coup in the USA is highly unlikely. Also, the photo I am trying to upload in this precious moment says “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.”
Rather than dwelling on worry, I choose to dwell on
hope,
quotes from wise people,
people I love,
people I trust,
cats,
dogs,
the ocean,
things that make me think,
things that make me feel,
things that make me laugh,
delicious nutritious food,
my health and the health of others,
staying safe,
music, and
taking a walk on a beautiful morning.
Therefore, I am going to take a masked walk on this beautiful morning after sharing this one other photo which uploaded successfully:
Dwell on this: In 2019 I bet people cookies that Donald Trump would not win re-election. That box of Mallomars is part of my winnings, with more cookies on the way.
Because it helps me to dwell on music, I’m going to search YouTube for music that dwells there, as I peacefully accept that I can always share my other temporarily unload-able photos tomorrow.
Strangely enough, when I search YouTube for “what we dwell on”, I find another Gameof Thrones video.
Now I’m dwelling on synchronicity and gratitude for all who help me dwell on blogging every day, including YOU!
Everyday I look around, wondering if something terrible is about to happen.
Here’s what today’s Daily Bitch Calendar has to say about that:
Something terrible might include floods …
or technology disasters.
How do we enjoy the good times if something terrible is probably about to happen? Is it possible that knowing that something terrible (like injustice, pain, sickness, and death) is probably about to happen might HELP us enjoy the good times?
In both of my Coping and Healing groups yesterday, people talked about good times AND somethings terrible, which I wrote up on The Board of Importance.
Somebody who had been away from the group for a long time shared that listening to this song on YouTube had helped them get through something terrible:
Good times!
Feel free to share good times, something terrible, or anything else in the comments section, below.
two retreats about group therapy on Saturday and Sunday.
While looking forward to events in the future can help one feel hope, it can also trigger worry and fears about that future, like “Is this too much?” “Will all these activities next week interfere in my self care?” “Will the absence of the late Walter Becker get in the way of my really enjoying the Steely Dan concert?” “What’s the weather going to be like?” “Am I ready for November?” and “Where the hell am I going to park?”
The cure for future-oriented fears is refocusing on the present moment. And in this moment, I have several new photos to share with you.
To make this my day, my way, I’d like to revisit and clarify one difficult-to-read photo above:
History is a relentless master. It has no present, only the past rushing into the future. To try to hold fast is to be swept aside.
… it was easy for me to get in touch with these two notifications on my touch screen:
I don’t know if adding a phone number to Oscar’s Facebook page would make it easy for people to get in touch, since Oscar doesn’t talk on the phone.
It’s easy for people to get in touch with my life because I share so many photos, like these:
It’s easy for me to get in touch with Oscar, Harley, and all of my photos, for now.
Thanks to YouTube and Spotify, it’s easy for me to get in touch with music I love.
It’s easy for people to get in touch with the comments about that live performance of “Song for Bilbao” by the Pat Metheny Group, including these:
Noemi Zaffanella
2 years ago (edited)
I heard Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays since I was 6. I remember my mum when she told me that pat’s music is ever green. It’s true, I’m 19 now and I listen pat metheny every day for 13 years.
Steve Tocco
4 years ago
They’re all exceptional artists and I’m convinced Antonio Sanchez is not human.
Steven Reichert
3 years ago
A stage full of geniuses.
Luiz Janela
4 years ago
Heard trumpet sound, came to see if it was Pat soloing, but this time i was wrong. Great Cuong Vu. Beautiful!
geraldotorres35
5 years ago
Lets not forget Mr. Steve Rodby this guy sure keeps a smooth steady pulse love his groove PMG pls get back together …plssss
Joyce Sweeting
4 years ago
Pat becomes one with his guitar …you gotta luv it! 🙂
00xanawolf00
4 years ago
This is the first time I’ve heard this…
My mind is blown.
Fabio Copponi
4 years ago
Bona’s solo is a piece of magic…the calls to old jazz pieces are fantastic
edward shivers
4 years ago
GREATEST LIVE PERFORMANCE OF ALL TIME
Sometimes it’s easy for people to get in touch with appreciation.
Here and now, it’s easy for me to get in touch with my appreciation for the cats, pop-up shopping experiences, the Pat Metheny Group, the beauty surrounding me, and — of course! — YOU.
Let’s start fresh with a greeting from Los Angeles, California!
Start fresh, no matter what has happened in the past. That’s what Harvard-dropout Henry Gaylord Wilshire did: he moved west in 1884 to start fresh after he didn’t cut the mustard in the family business.
I saw that poster on Wilshire Boulevard yesterday, as I was trying to start fresh and let go of anxiety, assumptions, worries, concerns, and cognitive distortions (including fortune-telling, catastrophizing, mind-reading, personalization, and shoulds) after a five-hour flight and very little sleep.
My flight to L.A. started fresh with The Bill Murray Stories: Life Lessons Learned from a Mythical Man. That fun and inspiring documentary has a fresh start, middle, and ending, exploring legendary stories about Bill Murray, who can start fresh by unexpectedly showing up and engaging in other people’s lives. After that movie about starting fresh and being in the moment (and realizing that nothing else matters), I started fresh watching Rami Malek’s fresh and amazing performance in Bohemian Rhapsody. Later in the day, a few miles from my L.A. hotel room, Rami Malek started fresh by winning the Academy Award for best actor.
Will anything in my other photos from yesterday help you start fresh?
Keeping life simple, eating well, handling fragile things carefully, true stories, and remembering that healing is not linear (as I described in this post at the fresh start of this daily blog), all help me start fresh, every day. What helps you start fresh?
Here is Bill Murray, starting his movie career in Meatballs, inviting people to start fresh by reminding them that it just doesn’t matter:
“Nothing really matters to me” is the fresh ending to Bohemian Rhapsody, the song. Here’s Freddie Mercury and Queen — starting fresh and ending strong — with the Live Aid performance replicated in Bohemian Rhapsody, the movie:
Let’s end fresh with gratitude to all who helped me write this “Start Fresh” post and to all who help me start fresh, every day, including YOU.
I’m having trouble sleeping, and I’m breaking the silence in the middle of the night by creating today’s blog post, early. I’m also breaking my personal rule about not checking the news when I can’t sleep and noticing that news headlines often report on somebody breaking the silence (like this story, here).
Breaking the silence is often a good thing, wouldn’t you agree?
Yesterday, my son was breaking the silence by Face-Timing me about his imminent holiday home-coming from the University of Edinburgh. During our long discussion, I captured these images of us breaking silences.
I am now breaking my silence about how much my son looks like Vincent Van Gogh in those last two photos.
At other parts of the day, I was breaking the silence with these clicks of my iPhone camera:
