Posts Tagged With: questions

Day 4456: Shutdowns

Posted on March 15, 2025 by Ann Koplow

My brain, here and now, is focused on shutdowns: government shutdowns and emotional shutdowns.

Democrats in the U.S. Senate voted yesterday to avoid a government shutdown. Many people believe that vote will contribute to a disastrous shutdown of more essential services for U.S. citizens as well as isolating the USA from our old allies.

Others believe that a shutdown would have an even more disastrous effect of irrevocably shutting down democracy here.

My emotions tend to shut down when there is so much disagreement, floundering, and lack of leadership during a shutdown crisis.

Here is a partial list of what will not be shut down, no matter what others do or don’t do:

Creativity
Empathy
Courage
Communication
Curiosity
Kindness
Questions
Resistance
Hope
Thoughts
Feelings
Actions
Love

This daily blog is also not in shutdown.

While I may feel momentarily shut down and dumbstruck on Dumbstruck Day, I will still speak up on World Speech Day.

I just finished reading Roger Ebert’s inspiring autobiography, Life Itself. He refuses to shut down, despite cancers’s shutdown of his ability to speak, eat, travel, and engage in life the way he had before.

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

What are your thoughts and feelings about shutdowns?

One more thing that will not shut down: gratitude for YOU.

Categories: life in the USA, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: cats, Dumbstruck Day, government shutdowns, March 15 2025, MSNBC, questions, Roger Ebert, The Daily Bitch Calendar, Twitter, World Speech Day | 6 Comments

Day 4440: Regrets

Posted on February 27, 2025 by Ann Koplow

This post is full of regrets.

I try to let go of any regrets as soon as possible. In the moment, I can’t say that I regret anything, including asking this widely-viewed (and wildly-provoking) question on Tuesday:

I have no regrets about sharing these images today.

I think that letting go of regrets is a no brainer.

Here’s what I find when I search for regrets on YouTube:

Thanks to all who are here for this regrets post, including YOU!

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism, quotes | Tags: cats, Economic Blackout, February 27 2025, meatball stroganoff, No Brainer Day, questions, Regrets of People Who Are Dying — Matthew Kelly, The Daily Bitch Calendar, the South Shore of Boston, Twitter | 14 Comments

Day 4038: National Answer Your Cat’s Question Day

Posted on January 22, 2024 by Ann Koplow

Happy National Answer Your Cat’s Question Day, everybody!

After I answered my cat’s question this morning (“Could you please feed me NOW?”) I found some information online about National Answer Your Cat’s Question Day.

Why does that website assume that I won’t actually be talking to my cat?

Here are my other images (and some cat questions) for National Answer Your Cat’s Question Day.

Do you think there’s anything on YouTube about National Answer Your Cat’s Question Day?

Thanks to everyone who has questions, including YOU!

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: aging well, cats, daysoftheyear.com, gratitude, Hallmark Cards, January 22 2024, nationaltoday.com, questions, The Daily Bitch Calendar, The Drake Center for Veterinary Care, Twitter | 14 Comments

Day 3870: Why do I blog?

Posted on August 7, 2023 by Ann Koplow

Why do I blog? I’m not exactly sure, but whatever the reason, blogging has helped me face every new day for the past three thousand, eight hundred, and seventy days (but who’s counting)?

Why do I blog? To share my thoughts, feelings, and images like these with people like you.

I wonder what I’ll find when I search YouTube for “why do I blog?”

Why do I blog? So I can express my gratitude for people who help me face every new day, including YOU.

Categories: blogging, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: answers, August 7 2023, “8 Reasons Why You Should Blog Even If You’re Not a Great Writer or Expert”, cats, gratitude, Johanna Aquino Labouef, questions, The Daily Bitch Calendar | 14 Comments

Day 3747: The Four Questions

Posted on April 5, 2023 by Ann Koplow

It’s Passover and one of the important parts of a Passover Seder is the youngest participant asking the four questions.

Now that I’m thinking about this, one might say that there is one question — Why is this night different from all other nights? — answered four times.

However, the Seder readings that follow the four questions answer why we eat matzah, eat bitter herbs, dip food twice, and eat reclining during this night that is different from other nights.

I have wonderful memories of asking/singing the four questions when I was the youngest at the family Seder. Tonight, I will be sharing a Passover dinner with four beloved people — my son Aaron, my husband Michael, my ex-husband Leon, and my cousin Lani. I don’t know if we’ll ask the traditional four questions, but maybe we’ll ask four questions from this packet I found on Monday as I was cleaning up my office at work:

Or maybe we’ll ask four questions from this book:

Do you have four questions about the other images I am sharing today?

In case you have any questions about this, I don’t think you suck. Quite the contrary, as you can tell from this question:

Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “the four questions.”

I also find this,

this,

and this.

Unquestionable gratitude to those who help me ask all the questions in this blog, including YOU!

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: April 5 2023, “These Four Simple Questions Will Change How You Think About Everything”, cats, Idina Mendel, If…Questions for the Soul, Nick Kroll, Passover, questions, The Daily Bitch Calendar, The Maccabeats, the South Shore of Boston, Twitter, World of Wonder | 16 Comments

Day 3726: Unknown

Posted on March 15, 2023 by Ann Koplow

As I’m writing this at 4:30 AM, it’s unknown to me whether I’ve written another blog post with the title “Unknown,” although I suspect I have.

Many people have a fear of the unknown. My fear of the unknown is unknown to me, perhaps because I have spent so much of my life inhabiting the unknown.

If the meaning of that previous sentence is unknown to you, my extremely rare congenital heart condition has made any predictions about my life span unknown. Therefore, I seem to feel very comfortable living in the unknown.

On the other hand, it is unknown to me why I can get so anxious about mundane issues like doing my taxes or choosing tiles for a shower remodel while fearlessly facing the realities of serious, life-long health issues. It’s also unknown to me why I waste so much time wondering who in the universe might be mad at me or wish me ill, forgetting that those people can’t really hurt me.

It is not unknown to me that I am not alone in being puzzled by the unknown operations of one’s own mind.

Let’s see what some known people have said about the unknown.

Do you see the unknown in any of my other images for today?

The Ides of March are known to me but it is unknown to me why those of us who are not Caesar should beware them.

If the recently deceased jazz legend Wayne Shorter (quoted above) is unknown to you, allow me to introduce you to one of his beautiful compositions.

I hope my gratitude is not unknown to you, dear reader.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: “infant eyes”, CCTGA, group therapists at AGPA, living with a congenital heart condition, March 15 2023, questions, quotes about the unknown, The Daily Bitch Calendar, The Ides of March, Wayne Shorter, Yogi Tea | 15 Comments

Day 3667: Without googling

Posted on January 15, 2023 by Ann Koplow

Where would we be without googling? I’m not sure, but lately I’ve been noticing questions on Twitter that start with “Without googling,” like this one:

Therefore, I decided to ask questions beginning with “Without googling,” too.

Without googling, I know that many people on Twitter are smart, funny, and otherwise awesome.

Without googling, I captured all of these images:

Without googling, I can’t find the holidays for each day.

Without googling, what song am I going to include in today’s blog post?

Without googling, who is very grateful for all those who help her create this daily blog?

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: “Mahna Mahna”, Cafe Polonia, cats, Google, information, January 15 2023, muppets, questions, social media, Twitter, what we can and can’t control | 13 Comments

Day 3581: Any good news lately?

Posted on October 21, 2022 by Ann Koplow

Because there’s been so much bad news everywhere, I decided to ask people yesterday if there had been any good news lately.

It doesn’t hurt to ask, even though I didn’t know what the answers would be. And while many people have responded “no” and “not really,” there’s been a lot of good news, too.

Knowing about good news gives me some hope about the future, which I definitely need these days.

Is there any good news in my latest images?

The good news is that there are lots of great food trucks out there.

Here’s what I find when I search YouTube for “any good news lately?”

Any good news lately where you are?

Thanks to all who help me focus more on the good news, including YOU.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: 5 Good News Stories, cats, euronews, London Broil dinner, questions, The Daily Bitch Calendar, the news, Twitter, unknowns, Wordle, Yogi Tea | 21 Comments

Day 3574: Inertia

Posted on October 14, 2022 by Ann Koplow

I’m feeling a lot of inertia this morning because I got my COVID booster shot yesterday, which always makes feel lousy.

I’m going to overcome that inertia to look up and share a definition of inertia.

Despite my inertia, I will share my belief that it’s impossible to remain unchanged. We all change, even when we’re not aware of it.

Do you see inertia in my images for today?

Now I have to overcome my inertia about explaining another reason why I chose “inertia” for today’s title.

Last night, my husband Michael and I were discussing “Bedazzled” — the great 1967 movie and song by Dudley Moore and Peter Cook.

The song, which both Michael and I love, includes the line “you fill me with inertia.”

When Michael told me the good news that Nick Cave and Anita Lane had recorded a version of “Bedazzled,” I eagerly looked it up, only to discover that the “inertia” line was missing!

I will now overcome my inertia to say that “Bedazzled” is still a great song without the inertia line and to express my appreciation to all who help me create this daily blog, including YOU.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: Anita Lane, “Bedazzled”, COVID booster, Dudley Moore, National Days October 14 2022, Nick Cave, Peter Cook, questions, shower remodel, The Daily Bitch Calendar, the South Shore of Boston | 18 Comments

Day 3368: What’s wrong with you

Posted on March 22, 2022 by Ann Koplow

Today’s blog title is brought to you by The Daily Bitch Calendar.

I’m smiling at that calendar now. Is that wrong?

As a therapist, I’ve heard many people ask the question “What’s wrong with me?” Often, I respond like this:

“What’s wrong with you? Nothing. And that’s the wrong question.”

Yesterday, I was feeling like something was wrong with me, as I took in so much of what was wrong with the world. I started focusing on the wrong in me and in others, including my husband Michael. After a rough day when so many things went wrong, we were sitting in silence at the dinner table. I didn’t want to say the wrong thing and make anything more wrong between us.

Finally. I said, “Michael?” He replied, “Yes, Ann?” And then I said something I used to think was wrong for a humble person to say:

“I’m awesome.”

Michael laughed and agreed and suddenly what was wrong was right again.

What’s wrong or right with my other images for today?