I respect Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, and all those who challenge the current U.S administration.
I respect people who answer questions.
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I respect my friends on Twitter, including those X’s algorithm keeps flagging as “probable spam.”
Every day, I capture images of those I respect.
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On Constitution Day and every other day, I respect everyone who stands up to defend the constitution.
I respect this.
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I have so much gratitude for those I respect, including YOU!
Every morning, when I write this blog, I try to include something that needs to be said.
Every time I facilitate a therapy group, I encourage everyone to share something that needs to be said.
When we say something that needs to be said, our voices can be powerful and healing.
Do you see something that needs to be said in my images today?
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Here’s what I find when I search for “something that needs to be said” on YouTube:
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Something that needs to be said: I kept thinking about Trump when I watched that video.
If you have something that needs to be said, please leave a comment, below.
Something that needs to be said, here and now, is Thank You!!!!
I try to tell it how it is every day, in this blog and elsewhere, so maybe that’s why I noticed this sign yesterday at work.
Why wouldn’t we always tell it how it is? Perhaps we fear that if we do tell it how it is, we won’t be heard. Or perhaps we will be heard and pain will ensue.
I wish the media would tell it how it is regarding the obvious differences between the two candidates for USA President, instead of treating the convicted felon like a legitimate, reasonable option as world leader.
I also believe that Elon Musk is doing his best to restrict me and others from telling it how it is on his site.
Let’s see if I can tell it how it is in my other images for today.
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When I search for “tell it how it is” on YouTube, I immediately find the song that’s been running through my head while creating this post:
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Now I look forward to your telling it how it is in the comments section, below.
Thanks to all who tell it how it is, including YOU!
Today is National Brave Day!
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Lately, I’ve been trying to be brave by working on my original songs, some of which I hope might empower women. Lately, the people I’ve been consulting with about my music have all been men, and sometimes I’m not brave enough to speak up for what I want or even know what I want.
For example, am I brave enough to go into a studio and record my music with live musicians? Am I brave enough to work with a producer who could create an awesome track with sophisticated technology and no live musicians (except for me)? Am I brave enough to do something simple and low-tech with just me and my ukulele and leave it at that?
I do know that I’m brave enough to share my thoughts, feelings, and images with you.
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The Daily Bitch is brave enough to do like whatever she wants.
Here’s what I find when I search for “National Brave Day” on YouTube.
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How are you going to celebrate National Brave Day?
Thanks to all my brave readers, including YOU!
I have the confidence to state that many people I see in therapy confuse confidence with conceitedness.
That’s why I have this on hand when the issue of confidence comes up:
People often confuse those two scales of insecurity-confidence and humility-conceitedness, fearing that they will quickly tip from insecurity into conceitedness. Indeed, I have confidence in predicting that discussions about gaining confidence will result in somebody saying, “I don’t want to be obnoxiously conceited like so-and-so.”
I also notice that people I work with are very worried about being overconfident but not so worried about being under-confident. I am confident in pointing out that being under-confident is at least as harmful to oneself as being overconfident, but I am not confident that people believe me about that.
I am confident that people will get something out of my images for today.
I’m confident that I will get to know my customers today (I facilitate two groups on Thursdays) and that I will give somebody a high five.
Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “confidence.”
I have confidence that I will appreciate any comment you have the confidence to leave, below.
Thanks to all who help me gain more confidence here every day, including YOU.
I am not going to be silent about the correct inspiration behind today’s blog post title.
I have to admit that I have been like that Daily Bitch, silently correcting some people’s
However, as I discussed in a recent post — Day 2791: Reasons you should speak up — the time for silence is past! Therefore, this morning, I got up the courage to stop silently correcting certain procedures at work, and I sent an email naming the problem and suggesting ways to move forward. People may silently or not-so-silently correct my email, but why should I care about that?
Do you see any silent correcting in today’s other photos?
That last photo reminds me of Harley not-so-silently correcting me when I made this video in March about social distancing, starring Harley and our late kitty Oscar:
I’m wondering now if anybody is silently correcting my camera angles for that video.
In my Coping and Healing groups, we talk about the toll it takes when we excessively silently correct ourselves for our thoughts and feelings. Yesterday, several of us resolved to silent our harsh internal critics, as best we can. When you are silently and painfully correcting yourself, try this positive self-talk, as suggested by Alyssa Mairanz, LMHC:
Please don’t worry about anybody silently correcting your grammar (or anything else) when you leave a comment, below.
I am correctly non-silent about my gratitude to all, including YOU.
I’m having trouble sleeping, and I’m breaking the silence in the middle of the night by creating today’s blog post, early. I’m also breaking my personal rule about not checking the news when I can’t sleep and noticing that news headlines often report on somebody breaking the silence (like this story, here).
Breaking the silence is often a good thing, wouldn’t you agree?
Yesterday, my son was breaking the silence by Face-Timing me about his imminent holiday home-coming from the University of Edinburgh. During our long discussion, I captured these images of us breaking silences.
I am now breaking my silence about how much my son looks like Vincent Van Gogh in those last two photos.
At other parts of the day, I was breaking the silence with these clicks of my iPhone camera:
I like the way pugs break the silence.
Here‘s Breaking Benjamin with “Breaking the Silence.”
I look forward to people breaking the silence with comments, below.
I’m now breaking the silence with my gratitude for all who helped me create this breaking-the-silence post and — of course! — for YOU.
“If you see something, say something” is a campaign by the United States Department of Homeland Security.
I see that “If you see something, say something” is something I do on my blog everyday. I see something and I say something.
If you see something that a friend, family member, or co-worker is doing that you think is harmful, do you say something? I do, but it’s difficult.
If you see something in these photos, say something.
If you see something in these lyrics I composed yesterday about a very unpleasant person, say something:
I can’t avoid you
You hemorrhoid you.
(pause)
I CAN avoid you
You hemorrhoid you.
If Stephen Sondheim saw those lyrics, I wonder what he’d say. Something.
If you see something in the song “Say Something,” say something.
If you say something in a comment, I’ll say something back.
I’d like to say something to everyone who helped me create today’s blog post and — of course! — to you, for seeing it.
There’s a new ad campaign in Boston: “Silence sucks.”
Do you think that silence sucks? Always? If not always, when?
I believe that silence sucks when there’s
Here are two examples of the “Silence Sucks” ad campaign:
It sucks that I couldn’t get better photos of those yesterday. The tagline on those posters is:
When it comes to postpartum depression (PPD)
SILENCE SUCKS
I noticed “Silence Sucks” yesterday because
Here’s a video about postpartum depression that doesn’t suck.
It doesn’t suck that
You know what else wouldn’t suck? A comment from you.
Non-silent thanks to all who helped me create this post and — of course! — to YOU.
In this daily blog and elsewhere, I like to present my best side. That is, I tend to focus on the positive and to share hopeful and optimistic thoughts and feelings.
Of course, each one of us has more than one side, and all of those sides are important.
Today, “my best side” in this post actually refers to somebody else showing a worst side.
Several decades ago, when I was in my 20’s, I was doing my best to create a marketing brochure at a high tech company. The high tech company had hired an advertising company, now defunct, to help us produce that brochure. One day, the account manager of that advertising company, the project manager within my company, and I discussed who would appear in photographs for the brochure. Here’s the worst side of that conversation:
Project Manager: We would like to use some of our employees in the photographs for this brochure. As a matter of fact, we would like to include Ann in one of the photos.
Me: So, make sure you get my best side in the photo!
Account manager (turning to project manager): Well, in that case, she’d have to be bending over. (sleazy laugh)
Me (stunned and shaking my head): WHAT?????
All of my sides were horrified that the account manager of an advertising agency we had hired had just objectified and dissed me, so blatantly, in front of me and my co-worker. I was so appalled, I spoke to many people on different sides of my company, hoping to get them to see my side — that the account manager’s behavior was unacceptable, unprofessional, and worthy of swift retribution.
Here’s the worst side of the story — nobody did anything about it. The project manager didn’t protest, the female executive I spoke with suggested I just let my anger go, and the high tech company continued to work with the account manager and the advertising agency. I remember being VERY disappointed how none of the decision makers at my company took my side.
Why am I focusing on this dark side of human nature today? Here’s my best answer for that: two days ago a candidate for President of the USA was shown demonstrating a similar misogynistic and women-objectifying side. Today, as I write this, most sides are protesting his behavior, which I see as progress.
Back in the late 1970s, I would have wished that somebody else took my side when I was so egregiously objectified and dismissed. However, I’m grateful for the opportunity to tell my side of that story, today.
What are the best sides of the photos I took yesterday, before I knew which side of myself I was going to show in today’s blog post?
What does your best side believe about this post? On my side, I believe that I and other human beings deserve to be treated with respect on all sides.
My best side now wants to thank Aretha Franklin, my long-time friend Barbara (who colored “your beautiful heart”), my son Aaron (who FaceTimed with me from Scotland yesterday morning), all those who helped me create today’s post and you — of course! — for witnessing and bringing different sides, here and now.