Yesterday, I asked if I could have a word that describes the state of the world.
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Here are a few more words for today’s blog post:
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Here’s what I find when I search for “could I have a word?” on YouTube.
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Could I have a word about the fact that in the USA there are over a hundred words that mean “money”?
Could I have a word about how grateful I am for YOU?
Where we live (I hope) is where I’ll live for the remainder of my life.
Where we live there are fabulous flora and fauna, the ocean, beauty, cats, good food, and love.
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Where we live there is the Daily Bitch Calendar.
Here’s what I find when I search for “where we live” on YouTube.
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Where we live is better because of people like you!
Here I am again, capturing the moment in this blog. As always, I am grateful that there are more moments to capture together.
Let’s see if any of today’s images are capturing the moment.
I’ll be hanging out on YouTube now, searching for “capturing the moment.”
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Momentous thanks to George Lange, my Twitter friends, my husband Michael (for the tin ceiling and the delicious dinner), and all who are capturing the moment with me right now, including YOU!
What is in your heart, here and now, as you look at my images for today?
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Here is what I find when I search for “what is in your heart.”
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What is in my heart? Gratitude for YOU.
After encountering some sexism on Twitter yesterday, I made up two new words and posted them.
Several people appreciated those new words but one person got enranged (a new word that combines “enraged” and “deranged”) and accused me of bigotry.
I don’t have time to use many new words or old words in my blog post this morning because I’m taking an early ferry to get to the hospital on time. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I hope these new images suffice.
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Here’s what I find when I search YouTube for “new words”:
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I have much thankitude for everyone who visits this blog, including YOU!
What I’ve been writing includes several new songs, like “Spoiler Alert” and “Forgettable.” What I’ve been writing for song lyrics over the years usually reflects my optimistic nature; however, these are the darker words I’ve been writing this morning:
I’m Afraid to Look
I’m afraid to look at the ocean for fear that it’s dying
I’m afraid to look at the earth but I can’t look away.
I’m afraid to look at myself in the mirror
And afraid to look at my friends for what their faces might say.
© Ann Koplow, 2021
Perhaps what I’ve been writing for that song is influenced by the darkness of the winter solstice and by what others are writing about the future.
What I’ve been writing also includes these Tweets:
What I’m writing could never compare to the stories people are discussing on that Twitter thread about stories they liked when they were kids. But as I’ve written on this blog many times, comparisons are the most toxic of all the cognitive distortions (which I’ve written about, here).
What I’m writing, here and now, is this blog post, so it’s time to share my latest photos.
What the Daily Bitch is writing there reminds me of the series “Landscapers,” which has some of the best writing for any television show I’ve seen.
A search for “What I’ve been writing” on YouTube yields this TED talk about reading and writing.
I hope that what you’ve been writing includes a comment, below. And whether it does or doesn’t, many thanks for all who read what I’ve been writing, including YOU!
Last night, as I was feeling safer, I asked this question on Twitter:
What helps me feel safer includes:
It also helps that today is World Kindness Day.
Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “what helps you feel safer?”
What helps you feel safer?
I believe that gratitude helps people feel safer, so thanks to all who help make this blog-space safer, including YOU!
I’ve been thinking about names because of our new cat.
This adorable, wonderful, sweet, chill, loving kitty was named Ginger by the adoption agency that rescued her, her sisters, and their many kittens from the street.
My husband, whose name is Michael, said he wanted an unusual name for a cat, so Ginger was out. Michael strongly suggested the name Meredith, but my son, whose name is Aaron, and I both thought that would be too hard to say.
Michael then came up with other girls’ names he thought would be unusual for a cat, including Phyllis. Aaron and I suggested other names we thought would be unusual for a cat, including Blanche. Michael vetoed all of our suggestions according to some secret knowledge of common and uncommon cat names that will remain nameless.
When Michael came up with Joan, Aaron and I agreed that would be a fine and unusual name for a cat, and easy to say. Michael warned us that if we called her “Joanie,” he would add an “ie” to our names, too.
I don’t like being called “Annie,” so I have complied with Michael’s request.
Michael was right about the name Joan being unusual for a cat. Every time I tell people her name, they react. Usually, they say, “JOAN?!” Sometimes, they add something positive, like “I love that.”
I love puns and Michael and Aaron do not, so they don’t know that I sometimes add the name “Clawford” when I’m talking to and about Joan. Also, Michael’s brother’s full name is Martin Sloane Malone, so I sometimes call Joan “Joan Sloane Malone.” Michael has no problem with that.
In the meantime, Joan, by any other name, would be as sweet.
I asked this question on Twitter last night:
While some people have responded with “my parents!”, others have told interesting stories about the origin of their names.
How did you get your name?
When I search YouTube for “Joan,” I find another reason to love that name. One of my favorite TED talks — “Emotional Mastery: The Gifted Wisdom of Unpleasant Feelings” — is by Dr. Joan Rosenberg.
My name is Ann Judith, I was named after my grandfathers Abraham and George, and I am grateful to you, no matter what your name is.
Last week in one of my Coping and Healing groups, the older people told the younger people that growing old was not as scary as they feared. The older people talked about the benefits of growing old, which seemed to surprise the younger members of the group.
There are so many negative messages out there about growing old. Let’s see if we can balance those, here and now, with some quotes and images.
Speaking of ending the conversation, let’s see what the Daily Bitch has to say about growing old today.
Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “growing old.”
What are your thoughts and feelings about growing old?
I am grateful to be growing old and I’m grateful for those who are growing older with me, including YOU.
Is it easy for you to finish the sentence is today’s title? When was life a lot easier for you?
Blogging is a lot easier for me when I have the Daily Bitch to quote.
Even though life was a lot easier when we weren’t dealing with a worldwide pandemic, yesterday my biggest decisions included:
Life is a lot easier — for me, Amy Siskind, and many others — than it was a month ago.
Here is “Life is easy. Why do we make it so hard?” — a Ted talk by Jon Jandai:
It’s always easy for me to express gratitude to those who help me blog every day, including YOU!
