Before I launch into this “incredible” post, I shall find an incredible definition for you.
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Let’s see if there is anything incredible, unbelievable, beyond belief, extraordinary, magnificent, and/or wonderful in today’s blog.
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It’s incredible how many people are really depressed and anxious these days. I see a lot of these incredible people in my therapy groups and it’s incredible how powerful it is for them to realize that they are not alone.
Here’s what I find when I search for “incredible” on YouTube.
Last night, I asked a question about unforgettable lines on Twitter.
Earlier in the day, I had noticed unforgettable lines in a story about CNN’s 2021 Hero of the Year, Shirley Raines, whose non-profit Beauty 2 the Streetz (which she started after her young son died) provides food, clothing, beauty services, and other nourishment to the homeless in Los Angeles.
“You don’t need to be whole to be the missing piece in others’ lives” is profoundly unforgettable.
Do you see unforgettable lines in my other images for today?
In the midst of adding those images to this blog post, I stopped to create (I hope!) unforgettable lines for a new original song, “Forgettable.”
I think there are many unforgettable lines in Paul Simon’s song “The Cool, Cool River” including “sometimes even music cannot substitute for tears.”
I’m looking forward to unforgettable lines from you in the comments section, below, and I hope my gratitude for you is unforgettable!
How do you think we all did? Did we stay sane? And how the hell did we stay sane through THOSE five years? (I’m not going to recount all the insane things we went through for reasons of sanity).
Personally, I stayed sane by sharing my thoughts, feelings, and images with you here, every day.
It’s amazing I’ve stayed sane through all these years.
Yesterday, when I was trying to remain sane amidst insanity in the USA, I took this photo:
I think the world liked us better when we were sane.
What’s helping you stay sane during these insane times? Personally, I’m blogging, taking photos, walking around with my Sharpie looking for sanity, and listening to music.
I’m also staying sane by enjoying Michael’s delicious cooking, like swordfish on a roasted red pepper purée with mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables.
Let’s try to stay sane together by listening to yesterday’s pictured playlist (here, here, here, here, and here on YouTube).
Now I’m imagining the supporters of our insane President singing “Button off My Shirt.”
I heard the word going ’round town They say you’re making a fool out of me Baby, it took me some time to come ’round To realize you were not what you seem Each day passing The clock is my friend Help me get back on my feet again Like a button off of my shirt Just an everyday distraction You’d be over-reacting if you think that I still hurt You’re just a button off of my shirt And someday I will replace you I don’t care what I have lost You got what you deserve I was down, down, down I’m not the first I won’t be the last To make the mistake of believing in you I don’t intend to live in the past Just like they say Some you win, some you lose You never loved me and you made it plain Now it’s my turn and I’m playing your game Like a button off of my shirt Just an everyday distraction You’d be over-reacting if you think that I still hurt You’re just a button off of my shirt And some day I will replace you I don’t care what I have lost You got what you deserve (Love and affection) You started (changing directions) You threw it away You never loved me and you made it plain Now it’s my turn to make you understand Like a button off of my shirt Just an everyday distraction You’d be over-reacting if you think that I still hurt You’re just a button off of my shirt And someday I will replace you I don’t care what I have lost You got what you deserved Like the button off of my shirt Just an everyday distraction You’d be over-reacting if you think that I still hurt You’re just a button off of my shirt And someday I will replace you I don’t care what I have lost You got what you deserved Like a button off of my shirt Just an everyday distraction You’d be over-reacting if you think that I still hurt You’re just a button off of my shirt And someday I will replace you.
Your irreplaceable comments also keep me sane and so does expressing gratitude to all who help me blog daily, including YOU!
acting in old ways in the face of major new realities, and
personalizing, labeling, minimizing, magnifying, blaming, fortune-telling, mind-reading, negative-filtering, and all those other nutty cognitive distortions.
I hope that we nuts can figure out how to save ourselves and the planet before it’s too late, so we can keep being nuts together in less nutty ways.
All my photos today are nuts!
If you’re nuts about any of those photos, you can click on them to enlarge them.
Here‘s one of my favorite songs about how we’re all nuts (from before the days of social distancing):
If you’re nuts like me, please leave a comment below.
I am grateful to share this nutty blog with you, every day!
Yesterday, in the stillness of the night, I facilitated a Coping and Healing group where we focused on the topic of “stillness.”
After everybody had shared their thoughts on stillness and we had finished wrap-up with three minutes remaining until the end of the group, I suggested we spend that time in stillness.
Do you see stillness in any of my other new photos?
During the stillness of the latest software update for my laptop, I started writing this post on my phone.
I am going to break the stillness here with the songs I mentioned in my written thoughts on stillness, shown above.
I’m still ending every blog post with gratitude, so please accept the stillness of my thanks for all who helped me create today’s post and — of course! — for YOU.
After I published this post, I discovered that my only other post about “stillness” was published exactly four years ago, to the day. What are the odds of that?
Obviously, sometimes people are going to say things you obviously don’t want to hear.
Yesterday, somebody in therapy was obviously perturbed about people expressing unsolicited and often indirect opinions about what they obviously thought she should do.
Obviously, we made a list of how she could reply.
Obviously, having a list of possible replies to upsetting comments can help reduce stress.
Obviously, I like to take photos and share them with my readers.
What’s obvious about those photos, to you?
Obviously, my handwriting is difficult to read, so it might not be obvious that we talked, wrote, and drew about dreams in a therapy group yesterday. Obviously, it would be helpful if I typed what I wrote.
DREAMS
When I was a child, I had a dream I didn’t want to wake up from. It was so beautiful and soothing and cool. Magical land with lots of colors — pastels. (I was) walking or riding down a road. Not like nature, not “normal” but safe and sweet and lovely. Trees and structures …
I was never able to dream that again.
However, many years later I was at Disney World on a ride about imagination and one of the parts of the ride looked like my dream.
