On Day 70 of Ann’s Daily Blogging, I wrote a post called “Questions and Answers (and The Liebster Blog Award)” wherein I responded to my first WordPress Award and covered many topics, including some personal favorites.
I think Questions and Answers, in some form, have been present in many of the posts I’ve written, over the last 441 days.
Here is a question on my mind, right now:
Why do the actions (or non-actions) of other people affect me, so much?
I believe I am making considerable progress in caring less about what other people think. (See here for my first post about that.) That is, I am getting better at letting go of assumptions about other people’s thoughts, recognizing that I cannot know what other people are thinking. In other words, I can recognize the cognitive distortion called “mind reading” more quickly, and let it go.
But, I wish I could be less sensitive/reactive to/affected by/moody about what other people do or do not do.
I know I’m being general, at this point in the post, and some examples might help.
All the examples that are coming to mind, right now, are related to non-responsiveness. For example:
- my clearly asking for something I need, and getting no response, or
- my speaking up (in a meeting, say) and then feeling as if I might not have said anything, at all.
In general, feeling like I’m a tree falling in a forest, with nobody there.
Thanks to Wikipedia, for the image above and for having an entry for “If a tree falls in a forest.” (I have to say, I have no complaints about Wikipedia’s responsiveness.)
So how do I feel, in response to non-responsiveness?
Terrible.
And I know I’m not alone in that. I’ve witnessed many people express fears of asking for what they want or need, because of the risk of not getting it and, then, feeling worse.
Speaking of Questions and Answers, Michael just asked me, “Blogging, Ann?” And I said, “No.” I am so clever and sarcastic, sometimes.
That exchange reminds me of something I used to read, when I was a kid, in Mad Magazine: “Snappy Answers to Stupid1 Questions.”
Those are:
- The first three responses, in Google Images, for “Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions,”
- from this page and
- all amazingly relevant, in some way, to my life right now.
Okay!
As often occurs in my posts, one of my main inspirations can be neither seen nor heard, as I’m winding down my writing today.
Q. What is the inspiration to which I am referring?
A. This song by Todd Rundgren:
(thanks to HarryRunt danu for uploading that to YouTube.)
Love is the Answer
by Todd Rundgren, Roger Powell, Kasim Sulton, John Wilcox
Name your price, a ticket to paradise
I can’t stay here any more
And I’ve looked high and low
I’ve been from shore to shore to shore
If there’s a short cut, I’d have found it
But there’s no easy way around it
Light of the world, shine on me
Love is the answer
Shine on us all, set us free
Love is the answer
Who knows why someday we all must die
We’re all homeless boys and girls
And we are never heard
It’s such a lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely world
People turn their heads and walk on by
Tell me, is it worth just another try?
Light of the world, shine on me
Love is the answer
Let it shine, shine on us all, set us free
Love is the answer
I know the answer is love
Tell me, are we alive or just a dying planet?
What are the chances?
Ask the man in your heart for the answers
And when you feel afraid
(Love one another)
When you’ve lost your way
(Love one another)
When you’re all alone
(Love one another)
When you’re far from home
(Love one another)
When you’re down and out
(Love one another)
All your hope’s run out
(Love one another)
When you need a friend
(Love one another)
When you’re near the end, love
We got to love, we got to love one another
Light of the world, you got to shine
Love will be a means, yeah, yeah, yeah
Shine on us all
Know that love can save the day
Just give it just one more chance
Love, love, love, love, ooh
Lord, you just can’t let it stop, Lord
Love is the answer
Love is the answer
Love is the answer
Love is the answer, yeah
Got to live free to let love into your life.
Thanks to metrolyrics.com, Mad Magazine, Todd Rundgren and Utopia, to people who ask questions and give answers (as best they can), and to you — of course! — for reading today.
1 Not that I thought Michael’s question “Blogging, Ann?” was stupid. As he said, I could have been shopping.