Posts Tagged With: grief

Day 4607: Outsiders

Yesterday, in a therapy session, somebody talked about feeling like an outsider. We discussed how they had felt that way since they were very young.

I believe that most of us feel like outsiders and that’s why I asked this question last night on social media.

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In my Coping and Healing groups, people who might feel like outsiders connect and realize they are not alone. Today, I’m mourning one of the long-time participants who has passed away.

Before I knew that she was gone, I dropped one of my pills, which landed on its side.

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Thinking that was outside usual occurrences, I asked ChatGPT about it.

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There are so many lightening strike moments in this life and I feel like I’ve been struck by lightening now. Today, I’ll start letting the other group members know that our dear departed member has passed.

Do you see outsiders in my other images for today?

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I wonder if other lefthanders feel like outsiders sometimes?

Here’s what I find when I search for “outsiders” on YouTube:

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My deepest gratitude to all who are here for this “outsiders” post, including YOU.

Categories: group therapy, life in the USA, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Day 4333: Where to go next

Many people I know are considering where to go next after last week’s elections in the USA.

Should we go to a different place, externally and/or internally? Should we stay or should we go?

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Where to go next? Should we go to different social media sites and/or even different countries?

Where to go next? Should we go to acceptance and/or activism? Isolation and/or engagement? Our happy place and/or our complicated place? Blue skies or gray skies? Bluesky or Twitter/X? Inner peace and/or inner conflict?

Where to go next, here and now, are my images for today.

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Where to go next, for me, includes the funeral service for a long time group member and then an online Coping and Healing group.

Thanks to all who help me figure out where to go next, including YOU.

Categories: 2024 USA elections, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Day 3935: Faith, Hope, and Carnage

Yesterday, people in my therapy group talked about the the struggle to maintain faith and hope amid the horrific carnage happening in Israel as well as their own personal losses.

Last night, my husband Michael and I saw singer song-writer Nick Cave, who wrote the book Faith, Hope, and Carnage about grieving the death of his young son.

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With all the faith, hope, and carnage out there, I have very few images to share today.

I have faith and hope that this YouTube video captures our experience of seeing Nick Cave live.

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Thanks to all who help me maintain faith and hope among the carnage, including YOU.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Day 3164: Healing energy

I think we all could use some healing energy right now. That’s why I tweeted this last night:

I’m sending healing energy to all who could use it, here and now, including myself and you.

Do you see healing energy in my other images for today?

I find healing energy in acknowledging grief about losses while also being open to change and renewal.

Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “healing energy.”

I look forward to the healing energy of your comments.

As always, there is healing energy in gratitude, so many thanks to you.

Categories: life during the pandemic, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Day 3122: What gets in the way of you celebrating every new day?

What gets in the way of you celebrating every new day?

Is it not knowing what to celebrate?

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Is it anxiety?

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Is it grief?

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Is it a battle between your heart and your brain? Or bad decisions from the past?

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Is it creepy people with too much power?

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Is it people telling you what to do?

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Is it too much responsibility?

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Is it weird animals?

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Is it dreary weather?

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Is it painful experiences?

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Is it sleep problems?

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Is it parts of yourself you have trouble accepting?

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Is it barriers in your way that you can’t control?

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No matter what might get in the way, I hope my other images help you celebrate the new day.

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This is what I find on YouTube when I search for “celebrate the new day.”

Consider celebrating the new day by leaving a comment, below.

Thanks to all who help me celebrate every new day, including YOU.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 30 Comments

Day 3038: The Oscars

I never miss the Oscars, which I’ve been watching through all my aspirations and careers, including film school student.

Last night, I watched the Oscars without our late cat Oscar, who always deserved an Oscar for best supporting cat. For many reasons, watching last night’s Oscars just wasn’t the same.

How many Oscars do you see in today’s images?

Here’s the best all-round acceptance speech from last night’s Oscars:

Yuh-Jung Youn definitely deserves an Oscar and much more.

I have no Oscars to award today but just gratitude to all who help me create this daily blog, including YOU!

Categories: life during the pandemic, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Day 2992: Is it normal?

“Is it normal?” is something therapists, like me, hear frequently. Normally, I reply

  • what does “normal” even mean?
  • what do you think?
  • is it getting in the way for you or others? and/or
  • yes

… to questions like “Is it normal to be…”

  • bored?
  • sad?
  • scared?
  • anxious?
  • depressed?
  • crying?
  • laughing?
  • emotional?
  • sensitive?
  • distracted?
  • unmotivated?
  • enthusiastic?
  • numb?
  • angry?
  • serene?
  • agitated?
  • happy?
  • confused?
  • certain?
  • panicky?
  • proud?
  • annoyed?
  • insecure?
  • secure?
  • disappointed?
  • celebrating?
  • restless?
  • calm?
  • lost?
  • found?
  • pessimistic?
  • optimistic?
  • distrustful?
  • trusting?
  • comfortable?
  • uncomfortable?
  • active?
  • passive?
  • controlling?
  • embarrassed?
  • shy?
  • hungry?
  • upset about other people’s behaviors?
  • upset about my own behaviors?
  • caring more for others than I’m caring for myself?
  • self-centered?
  • sharing this?
  • hiding this?
  • despairing?
  • hopeful?
  • missing someone so long after they’re gone ?

Is it normal to take pictures and to hang out on Twitter during a pandemic?

Is it normal that I shared today’s Daily Bitch with my Coping and Healing group yesterday and people loved it?

Is it normal to dance to the song “Happy” when so many people are unhappy?

Is it normal to leave comments or not leave comments?

What do you think?

Is it normal to be grateful every day?

Categories: group therapy, life during the pandemic, personal growth | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Day 2880: Hands

Yesterday, when the wonderful hands of Mia from MiAlisa Salon were giving me a hands-down fabulous haircut, Mia told me about a beautiful way she has been self-soothing during these hard times. She holds her own hand.

Mia said that she held and held her mother’s hand in her hand while her mother was dying, and she misses her mother. Now, when she clasps her own two hands together, she feels powerfully comforted, settled, and anchored. Mia said holding hands with herself also helps her fall asleep.

I told Mia that I have been encouraging people in my Coping and Healing groups to give themselves hugs and that I will add clasping their own hands to the self-soothing repertoire.

And I am happy to report, this morning, that holding hands with myself helped me sleep through the night for the first time in months!

My sleep is also being helped by the growing certainty that my country will soon be in better hands. For the past four years, the USA has been in the hands of a toxic narcissist.

Speaking of hands, if anyone wants to see me play the ukulele with my own hands tomorrow evening, please sign up to be in the audience before the end of the day today using this link:

https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/9040b4eadaa23a2f49-jamn15

As people continue to count ballots by hand, I’ll be singing “The Impossible Wait” to the tune of “The Impossible Dream.”

I took all of these photos using my hands. Can you spot the hands of Mia and my husband Michael?

Here is “Hands — A Song for Orlando” from four years ago, showing how hands can hurt and heal.

If you leave a comment with your hands, I will respond with my hands and my heart.

In this time of social distancing, please wash your hands and wear a mask. My hands go out to yours in gratitude, here and now.

Categories: 2020 U.S. Election, 2020 U.S. Presidential election, group therapy, insomnia, life during the pandemic, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Day 2766: I haven’t been this depressed since …

How would you complete today’s blog post title?

I haven’t been this depressed since …

Here’s how The Daily Bitch completes that sentence …

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… which also works for me.

I haven’t taken many photos since my last blog post, perhaps because I’m depressed about the passing of our fabulous cat, Oscar.

 

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Harley doesn’t seem depressed, but who knows?

Here‘s what comes up on YouTube when I search for “I haven’t been this depressed since”.

 

I haven’t been this grateful since yesterday.

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Categories: life during the pandemic, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Day 2762: The principal ingredient

Because grief for the loss of our principal cat Oscar is a principal ingredient in my life right now, I have only a few new photos to share today.

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Since I caught the coronavirus at a group therapy conference in NYC the first week in March, my husband Michael and I have not been able to find my keys.  Apparently, my keys are not a principal ingredient, because I haven’t needed them.

For me, principal ingredients include

  • love,
  • cats,
  • curiosity,
  • kind humans,
  • group work,
  • good food,
  • hope,
  • humor,
  • nature,
  • acceptance,
  • awareness of the current moment.
  • art, and
  • music.

Here‘s “Principal Orchestra Virtual Project” with the Norwalk Youth Symphony:

 

Other principal ingredients are courage, honesty, dignity, decency, and respect, so here‘s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez‘s recent speech on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives:

 

Principal ingredients of this blog are your comments and my gratitude.

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Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , | 28 Comments

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