Yesterday, after I was trying to be more present at (1) the airport saying goodbye to my son, (2) the vet’s office ordering more blood pressure medication for our cat Harley, and (3) the movie theatre for another film on my vacation, I saw this sign:
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It helps to be more present, despite the mind’s insistence on traveling to the past, the future, and away from where we are.
Let’s be more present with my other images for today.
What have you been reading lately, besides blog posts?
On the recommendation of many people, I’m reading the excellent “How to be an Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi. Soon I’ll be discussing it in the same reading group that was reading “Me and White Supremacy” last year.
I notice what people are reading and also what they’re NOT reading. That’s why I tweeted this yesterday:
Reading that now, I notice I used a cognitive distortion (all-or-nothing thinking) for effect. Interested in reading more about cognitive distortions? Click here.
In therapy, I often ask people to think about achievable next steps, especially if they feel overwhelmed, powerless, and uncertain about the future. (Sound familiar, anybody?) Identifying an achievable next step can promote a sense of control and hope.
Here and now, my achievable next steps include
asking for more help in planning a high school reunion on Zoom,
going for a socially distanced walk on Day 2 of my 17-day staycation, and
writing my next blog post.
Do you see any achievable next steps in my photos from yesterday?
Those last four photos show my son Aaron taking some initial steps to explain category theory to me. He took some prior steps of describing category theory while we were stepping out on a neighborhood walk (pictured above).
is definitely achievable, because my son is an excellent teacher.
An achievable next step is to choose a YouTube video for today’s post. Here‘s one explaining John Coltrane‘s Giant Steps, “the most feared song in jazz history.”
Here‘s Giant Steps with somebody taking steps to add animated sheet music (but not for the piano solo):
People took the achievable steps of posting these comments on that YouTube video:
luis Bazan
5 years ago
It looks like I was watching a Tom and Jerry chase sequence, I like it
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Skippy the Magnificent
1 year ago
“What key is this in?”
“Yes.”
Does leaving a comment here feel like a giant step or an achievable next step to you?
Expressing gratitude is always an achievable next step, so thanks to all (including YOU!) who helped me take achievable next steps to complete this achievable next blog post.
On my staycation this week, I am trying to better myself every day by
going on long walks,
wearing a mask when I leave the house,
appreciating the beauty around me,
spending time with my son, who is home from college,
getting enough sleep,
eating relatively healthily,
showing patience,
letting go of judgment,
being aware of others’ pain and suffering without losing myself in it,
taking achievable next steps towards personal and universal goals,
coexisting in harmony,
speaking up against injustice,
expressing my truth,
appreciating kindness,
taking one day at a time,
having fun,
listening to music I love,
learning new things,
reading,
writing,
laughing,
crying,
watching enjoyable shows and movies on TV,
balancing time for myself with connection to others,
maintaining healthy boundaries,
letting go of whatever is not serving me well,
accepting with serenity what cannot be changed,
having the courage to change what can be changed,
acquiring the wisdom to know the difference,
being in the moment, and
sharing photographs.
Our ailing cat Oscar and my husband Michael (who does not like his picture taken) are bettering themselves every day by spending precious moments together. I better myself every day by listening to Michael, who said about himself earlier this week: “I can talk a dead monkey down from a tree.” I better explain that’s why I took this photo yesterday:
Here‘s “Getting Better” by the Beatles, performed live in 2002 by Paul McCartney and others:
If you were to do one thing every day to better yourself, what might that be?
One thing I do every day to better myself is to express gratitude, so thanks to everybody, including YOU.
