Yesterday, in a therapy group, somebody said, “We’re still alive.” Since that phrase felt very alive to me, I wrote it on my white board, where it still is.
I heard and wrote that shortly before I found out that Carrie Fisher was no longer alive, when I read this on Facebook: “We lost a Jedi.”
I still believe it’s important, every day, to remember we’re still alive, because eventually every one of us will be still.
Here‘s the best song for this post — Stephen Sondheim’s “I’m Still Here” from Carrie Fisher’s Postcards from the Edge:
I often sing that song when I walk around, still alive, and see scenes like this:
Which images are still alive, for you?
I’m very grateful we’re still alive as I thank all who helped me create this post and you — of course — for still being here.
What is the inspiration for today’s blog post title?
It’s this card, which the inspiring Carla from cardiac rehab wrote for me, yesterday:
That is the inspiration for me to share this definition for “inspiration.”
in·spi·ra·tion
ˌinspəˈrāSH(ə)n/
noun
1. the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.
“Helen had one of her flashes of inspiration”
synonyms: creativity, inventiveness, innovation, ingenuity, genius, imagination, originality
2. the drawing in of breath; inhalation.
As you draw in your next breath, pause a minute and think about this:
What is the inspiration for you?
That question is the inspiration for me to list some inspirations, here and now:
My late parents.
My son Aaron.
My boyfriend Michael.
My family.
My friends.
Other kind people I encounter, every day.
My work.
My patients.
The beauty I see all around me.
Music.
Things that make me laugh.
Bravery in others.
Writing.
My readers.
Delicious and healthy food.
Self care.
Nature.
Animals.
My doctors.
Hope for the future.
Acceptance of what is.
Faith in myself and others
Learning new things.
Home.
Taking time to heal.
My iPhone camera.
One thing I photographed yesterday was the inspiration for Carla from Cardiac Rehab to talk, non-stop, for several minutes. Can I inspire you to guess what inspired her so?
Carla’s inspiration was …
.
.
.
.
.
.
… Mort, the hedgehog, who is riding high in a surgical mask, who always wears that hat, who gets dressed up in various outfits, and who, one morning, was all packed to go to Las Vegas but “he missed his flight.” Nevertheless, Mort is the still the inspiration for many inspiring people who attend cardiac rehab at Mount Auburn Hospital.
What is the inspiration for my musical selection this morning? I just searched YouTube for “inspiration music” and found this:
I’m hoping this post is the inspiration for you to leave a comment, below.
For all the inspirations who helped me create today’s post and for you — of course! — here’s one more inspiration from yesterday:
Whenever you’ve had a harrowing experience, it helps to plan for the near future, especially if you focus on what you adore.
For example, exactly two weeks ago today I had major heart surgery which was, honestly, pretty harrowing. So it’s helping me to plan for and focus on the near future, which includes:
My college roommate, Maria, whom I adore, flying in from Portland Oregon, which I adore, to stay with me and my boyfriend Michael, whom I adore, for eight days.
An appointment this afternoon with my Primary Care Physician, Dr. Laura Snydman, whom I adore.
Getting a ride to my doctor’s visit this afternoon from my sister, Ellen, whom I adore.
Seeing Mel Brooks, whom I adore, in person in a few weeks, accompanied by my neighbor Karen, whom I adore.
Attending a performance of “An American in Paris,” which I adore, the following week with my friend Barbara, whom I adore.
It also helps to look at the near past, especially when my progress is so encouraging, which I adore. For example, last night — for the first time since my surgery — I went for a short walk outside alone, which I adored. Here’s what I saw:
In your near future, you could plan to adore this post even more, as I show you other pictures from yesterday of things I adore:
Here‘s the music I am listening to as I write this near-future post, which I adore:
Is there a comment in my near future, which I would adore?
I adore everybody and everything that helped me create this near-future post and also you — of course! — for including me in your near future.
Because I’m a psychotherapist, every time I turn myself around I encounter somebody wanting to turn themselves around, towards health and a better life.
Yesterday, I turned myself around at work and saw this:
Later that day, during a turn-yourself-around therapy group, I turned myself around to describe how our lives turn around and around and around, while we grow and learn. (If you want to turn yourself around to learn more about that, turn yourself to the sixth blog post I turned out here — The Ascending Coil.)
Then, I turned myself around to meet my boyfriend Michael, and we turned ourselves around towards Norfolk, Massachusetts to attend a memorial service for his late mother.
When her five children, nephews, nieces, and grandchildren turned themselves around to remember and honor her, I turned myself around to take a few photos:
That’s Bobby, my boyfriend Michael’s nephew. When Bobby turned himself around to ask me if I was still blogging, I turned myself around to answer, “Every day.”
Would any of my other photos from yesterday help anybody turn themselves around?
I am now going to turn myself around, towards YouTube, for some turn-yourself-around tunes for today (here and here):
Now I shall turn myself around to thank all those who helped me create this turn-yourself-around post and you — of course!! — for turning yourself around towards here, today.
What Oscar the cat is going to do during my four-day absence,
The words to any of the songs in the musical Hamilton,
What was said yesterday at work during some special appreciation events, which included cake,
Why anybody would choose or eat a cake that doesn’t include chocolate,
What we’re going to do during 25 hours of down time between my last test at the Mayo clinic tomorrow and a late afternoon meeting with a surgeon on Thursday,
Why our cat Harley acts scared of me unless he’s situated off the floor,
Where we’re going to stay when we return to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August,
Where my son will be living as a student at University of Edinburgh,
What it’s going to be like for me to board a plane in Scotland at the end of August, leaving my only child behind in a different country,
What music I’m going to include in this post, if any,
How my tryout for “The Voice” in June is going to be different from my first one in February,
What you’re really thinking as you’re reading this,
The title of my post tomorrow,
What I’m going to eat on the plane today,
What my sister and I are going to see from the rental car as we drive from Minneapolis to Rochester,
The names of all the players on the 2016 Boston Red Sox,
What I dreamt about last night,
Most of the diagnostic codes people use in American medical institutions,
Why the letter “K” is the abbreviation for strike in baseball,
The origin of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and
What pictures I’m going to take in the future.
You don’t know what pictures I took yesterday, but that can be easily remedied, here and now:
What are some things you don’t know, now that you’ve read this blog post?
Here are two songs about how little we know (here and here on YouTube):
How little we know! And yet, I know that blogging daily helps me more than you’ll ever know.
Knowing thanks to all who helped me create this post and to you — of course! — for you-know-what (reading it).
Relax, dear readers. It’s time for another relaxing installment of The Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally.
In all these years of trying to relax into living non-judgmentally, I’ve written only one other blog post with the word “relax” in the title — Day 552: It’s time to relax.Not surprisingly, I wrote that one previous relaxing post when the New England weather was relaxingly beautiful and I was with Barbara, my relaxed and relaxing friend.
What helps you relax? What makes it difficult to relax?
When I’m focusing on the future rather than relaxing into the here and now, it can be difficult for me to relax. It’s difficult for me to relax, right now, because this week I’m flying 1400 miles to the Mayo Clinic to consult with a new cardiologist which, for me, is not the ideal way to relax.
Yesterday, I took this photo when I was trying to relax with my boyfriend Michael:
I’m relaxing, now, remembering Michael’s comment: “That’s easy for a rock to say.”
Relax! I’ve got more rocking photos from yesterday.
It’s easier for me to relax at home, especially when I’m listening to relaxing music.
Why am I writing a post titled “Mind blowing” today?
Is it because I saw this mind-blowing image yesterday?
Is it because my mind is easily blown by what I encounter in the here and now, every day of this precious life?
Is it because some readers seemed to find yesterday’s heart-centered post mind blowing? Sometimes, my mind is blown by other people’s positive and caring reactions.
What are your associations with the words “mind blowing”?
While thoughts are blowing through your mind about all these questions, here are some other mind-blowing sights from yesterday:
Aren’t all the amazing connections we encounter every day mind blowing?
Mind-blown thanks to all who helped me create this post and to you — of course! — for blowing my mind by visiting this blog, here & now.
