Posts Tagged With: Boston Red Sox

Day 1978: Resentment

Posted on June 1, 2018 by Ann Koplow

I hope there’s no resentment about today’s topic, which is discussed by Robert Enright, Ph.D. in a Psychology Today online article “Why Resentment Lasts — and How to Defeat it.”

I hope there’s no resentment about my choosing these particular quotes over others from that article:

To psychologists, resentment over a long period of time can be an unhealthy response to injustice.

This kind of resentment can lead to unhappiness, continual irritability, and psychological compromise including excessive anxiety and depression.

I know of one person who, upon having his morning cup of coffee, would replay the injustice and feel the inner strength as a way of getting ready for the day. He did this until he realized that over the long-term, such a routine was leaving him drained before he even left for work

How do I turn off the resentment? What path do I take to have some inner quiet? Taking up jogging might do it……but once you have recovered your energy from the run, the anger returns. How about relaxation training? Same issue: once the muscle relaxation is over, there is the resentment with its perverse smile looking back at you. “I just don’t know how to rid myself of the resentment!” is a cry I hear too often.

Try to see the inner world of the one causing the disturbance.

Commit to doing no harm to the one who is harming you.

Stand in the pain so that you do not pass that pain to innocent others.

To forgive is a way of offering goodness to the one who gave you the unwanted present of resentment.

Which is the better identity: a life lived with an unwanted inner guest or a life free to be a conduit of good toward others and yourself?

Is there any resentment about these photos?

What is your personal experience of resentment? What makes resentment more difficult for you? What helps you deal with resentment?

There will be no resentment about any comments you send my way.

Here‘s “Resentment” by Beyonce.

Another great antidote for resentment is gratitude. Thanks to all who helped me create this “resentment” post and — of course! — to YOU.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism, Psychotherapy | Tags: "Resentment", Beyonce, Boston Red Sox, fenway park, forgiveness, gratitude, letting go of resentment, Psychology Today, Robert Enright, Yogi Tea | 23 Comments

Day 1781: Eye roll

Posted on November 16, 2017 by Ann Koplow

I am going to start with a definition of “eye roll” because that’s how I roll.

The action of rolling one’s eyes, typically as an expression of exasperation, disbelief, or disapproval.

Yesterday, when somebody at work treated me like I was his secretary, I did an eye roll in the privacy of my office. While my eyes were rolling, I composed an email in my head that said

I am not your secretary! I am not even your assigned social worker! I don’t like this!

but I didn’t send it. Instead, I sent him an email in which I responded to his request and instructed him how to interact with social work more effectively in the future.

What makes your eyes roll? Any of these photos?

Please roll your eyes over this YouTube video combining “Narrow Your Eyes” by They Might Be Giants with cartoon ponies.

Feel free to roll your eyes down to the end of this post to leave a comment.

I thank all who helped me roll out yet another eye-rolling blog post and — of course! — you, for rolling your eyes here, today.

Categories: definition, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: "Narrow Your Eyes, 20-20, Boston Red Sox, buzzmusic100, Cartoon ponies, e-mails we don't send, On-site optometry, sexism, They Might Be Giants, what makes my eyes roll | 31 Comments

Day 1584: Yays and Boos

Posted on May 3, 2017 by Ann Koplow

Yay! It’s time for me to write another blog post!

Boo! I only have a short time to do it before I need to leave for work.

Yay! I love my work!

Boo! Work can be stressful.

Yay! Yesterday, I facilitated a therapy group where we made a list of Yays and Boos.

Yay! People said they found that exercise very helpful.

Boo! People had a lot of boos to list.

Yay! People had a lot of yays to list, too!

Boo! I haven’t been to a Red Sox baseball game in a long time.

Yay! I’ve been to two World Series games at Fenway Park with my sister!

Boo! I haven’t seen my sister enough lately.

Yay! I’ll give her a call today.

Boo! I’ve got a lot of tasks on my plate.

Yay! A lot of those tasks relate to my making a successful offer on a house near the ocean!

Boo! Soon I’ll have to pack and leave our current home.

Yay! Yesterday we had a fun meeting at work where teams competed to build the tallest free-standing structure using spaghetti, masking tape, string, and a marshmallow on top.

Boo! I’m not sure if that last sentence was clear or detailed enough.

Yay! There‘s a great video on YouTube that explains it.

Boo! My team’s structure wasn’t very tall.

Yay! It still won the contest!

Boo! I need to end this post.

Yay! I’m so grateful for all who helped me create this post and — of course! — for YOU.

Categories: group therapy, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: Boston Red Sox, group decisions, group process, house offer was accepted!, marshmallowchallenge.com, Peter Skillman, pros and cons, Team Building, Ted Talk, Tom Wujec | 36 Comments

Day 409: Panama City and Boquete/Usual and Unusual

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Ann Koplow

We are in Boquete, Panama!

And I have photos! WordPress, the internet, the Powers that Be are all aligned, so I can bring them to you, without fuss or muss.

Why waste time? Here are some photos I took yesterday, as I strolled around my environs:

Boquete, Panama

A Photo Essay (minus the essay)

Wait! I now realize that I have other photos of My Winter Vacation to Panama to show you, also. Let’s rewrite that title:

Panama City AND Boquete, Panama

A Photo Essay (minus the essay)

Part I: PANAMA CITY (and little bit before)

Wait! I have to say something about THAT photo. That’s Richard, who drove us to the airport, to catch the plane to Boquete. The tilt of the photo reflects hurry and … amazement, because check out the license plate, people. Richard’s hero is David Ortiz. Words exchanged during the trip to the airport included “Big Papi” and “Yay!”

Okay. Now I’m in a chatty mood. The above photo shows the size of the plane I thought we were taking to Boquete. There were many reasons for that assumption, including prior information and the evidence of my eyes.

This is the actual plane in our immediate future. I was informed as such by a woman named Connie, who was quite hilarious (and who will appear in a blog post after I get home and can access the photos on my iPhone without risking thousands of dollars in roaming charges) (it could happen, people!)

Part II: Boquete

Now that I’ve shown you some images, I think it’s about time that I explained the title. During my trip to Panama, I have encountered the usual and unusual, including:

taking two POUS (Planes of Usual Size)¹ and getting to each destination, in one piece.
letting go of expectations (a usual thing for me to work on, every day).
unexpected obstacles (usual, when I travel outside my comfort zone).
encountering people who were unexpectedly impatient as well as those who were unexpectedly kind. (Also not unusual.)

So for me, dear readers, my time in Panama, already, has been both usual and unusual.

Okay! What do I need to do, before I end this post? Not unusually for me, I have yet to mention one of my main inspirations for today’s post.

So, before I go to breakfast and the adventures ahead of me today (including a tour of a coffee plantation and a “Mardi Gras Like Parade” through the center of Boquete!), I want to tell you this:

When I woke up this morning, around 5:30, here were my thoughts:

It’s time to start writing, and
OMG! I bet there are lots of stars outside!!!

You see, I have a long-time longing and wish to see a star-filled sky. This morning, I got my wish, so beautifully, that I was moved to tears.

That experience is also not unusual for me, these days.

Okay! Time for breakfast.

Thanks to the people of Panama, to ROUS² everywhere and to you — of course!

1 This is a reference to one of my favorite movies, “The Princess Bride” and the ROUS — Rodents of Unusual Size.

2 Readers of Unusual Size AND Readers of Usual Size.

Categories: inspiration, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: Boquete, Boston Red Sox, David Ortiz, letting go of expectations, Los Establos Hotel, Panama City, ROUS, The Princess Bride, yearning for a star-filled sky | 39 Comments

Day 293: Repetitiveness, again

Posted on October 20, 2013 by Ann Koplow

Here are some things I’m repeating, which are on my mind, today:

This topic, from yesterday.
My sister and I get to go to a Red Sox World Series game, for the second time!
I’m wondering about judgmental thoughts people might have about my writing, right now.
I’m reminding myself that (a) I don’t know what anybody else is thinking and (b) who cares what other people are friggin’ thinking, anyway?
There are lots of things I want to include in this blog post today, including images of places I re-visited yesterday:
When I tell somebody something, I like to follow through. For example, a wonderful blogger, The Laughing Housewife, commented about yesterday’s post, “I can read the same book over and over; but it is its familiarity that makes it so special.” I replied, “I read some books over and over again, too. I think I’ll add that to the post I’m concocting in my mind right now.” So, here are some books I’ve read, many times, that have helped me:
Making lists of things that seem important.
Noticing something different, as I’m composing this post, which is worrying me.
Fearing some worst-case scenarios (e.g., I will lost this post before I can publish it; I will not give people credit who deserve it; links I’ve included won’t work or will be inappropriate).
Accepting that I fear the worst, sometimes, and that I can let go of that, too.