_________________________
Sunday, April 21, 2019
I’m not a genius.
I’m old.

My cousin looked up from her screen and mentioned that the lights in her bathroom didn’t turn on.
I walked over and flicked the switch and adjusted the dimmer.
“Oh,” she said. “I didn’t know there was a dimmer.”
“I made that same mistake,” I said.

So many instances of younger people thinking that we older ones are really smart.
And I suppose we are.
But not born smart.
Getting there by old-fashioned trial and error method.
As they, too, mostly will do,

One of the difficult decisions we make as teacher-mentor-parent is understanding when it’s better to have the young one make the mistake and learn first-hand than to say yet again, “No, do it this way.”
Very often, it’s worth letting the youth take that gentle fall, to sustain a slight injury, as tuition for a course in the School of Hard Knocks where lessons are well-learned.

Also tempting is helping her through a situation and taking credit for possessing natural talents.
Instead, be truthful and reassure her that soon enough she will step into our shoes, and when she does she will do as well or better than we.

Tell her.
I’m not a genius.
I’m old.

______________________________
Postings Count, Weather Brief, and Dinner
Sunday, April 21, 2019

My 380th consecutive posting, committed to 5,000.
After 380 posts we’re at the 7.60% mark of my commitment, the commitment a different way of marking the passage of time.

Time is 12.01am.

On Sunday, Boston’s temperature will reach a high of 61* with a feels-like of 59* with clouds and showers.

Dinner for tonight will be a Roasted Lobster Bake.

Remember that according to our own calendar, spring began on April 7 and extends to June 15.

Tick Tock.
In clock language:

Enjoy today.
Enjoy the week.

_____________________
Question of the Day:
What is Borderline personality disorder?

_________________________
Sunday, April 21, 2019
Love your notes.
Contact me at domcapossela@hotmail.com

This from Kali L:
I love your blog. I learn so many new things and always feel uplifted by the joke of the day that manages to get a laugh out of me :)

Thank you for creating this space for all of us!

Web Meister Responds: you're kind and thoughtful, my dear.
I heard from lauren how well you did.
when you're ready, i'd like to hear the details from you.
how you felt the night before.
the morning of.

I thought several times I should wish you well but
didn't for fear it would be presumptuous of me.

in retrospect, I think I was wrong.

belatedly, I am very happy for you;
for the lasting impact such an endeavor will have on you. 

god bless 

dom

I will post your kind thoughts unless you object.

And this remarkably candid response from Kali L:
I'm so grateful that I met Lauren and that we have built such a wonderful friendship where we get to be ourselves and grow and genuinely lift each other up no matter what is going on in our lives. She's such a special person and a gift.

I was wide awake the night before but not nervous it was the night before that I decided I wouldn't run with a time in mind or rush myself. I decided I would enjoy each mile and really live and breathe my moments.

The morning of my cousin (we are very close and I am so grateful) drove me to the charity team bus and we talked about everything leading up to that and being around her is calming so that's why I chose her to be present in that morning with me.

On my way to Hopkinton I found out my friend’s mom died.  I cried on the bus...My friends Steph and Sophia are twins who share the same birthday as me and my twin. Sophia had a beautiful baby boy Saturday and her mom passed Sunday. I wrote their mom's name on my arm (Viv) and I asked them what she always told them and they told me she always said "Next"   "Next job, bf, trip...etc. So I said "I'm taking Viv to Boylston with me and saying Next mile"

I ran the Boston Marathon on my 33rd birthday because I never planned to have a future before recovering from Borderline Personality Disorder (it is an excruciatingly painful mental illness 1 out of 10 die from suicide) I ran for firefighter safety and in memory of Michael Kennedy (I knew his grandmother)  It was the most extraordinary experience of my life. I saw my sister in law and niece and nephew at Mile 20 and got the hug that got me to Boylston where my uncle was waiting for me.  Lauren& Patti had a birthday cake and a balloon for me and sang me happy birthday. There is nothing that could come close to the joy, the love, the marathon volunteers and spectators like the Boston Marathon. It's the toughest marathon course and for good reason the weather is intense and the hills are there to test your faith and grit.

It was without a doubt the most amazing experience of my life and it has humbled me further.

You can use my comments in your blog :)

and I know you were wishing me well without you wishing me well (I had a feeling) and it's appreciated :)

God Bless

Web Meister Responds:
sorry for your loss.
weird but true,
this morning I knew you would post.
and you did.

vibrations.
yes, I will love to post it all.
to make sure, are you including this email to me?
It has some pretty personal stuff in it.

Dom

Kali L responds:
you can post all of it
I am open about my mental illness in case it helps others
I volunteer for a non-profit to bring awareness to BPD and reduce the stigma of it-and we're all connected - if we do not heal ourselves we all suffer

Web Meister Responds: I hoped you would say that.
as I always post my problems and successes: the sharing defeats the isolation, the loneliness.
from all of us,

thank you, my dear.

__________________________
Chuckle of the Day:
A man tells his primary care physician that he thinks his wife is going deaf.
The doctor tells him to ask her a question from a good distance. I she doesn’t answer, move closer and ask again. He should keep repeating the question until she answers, and then he’ll know just how hard of hearing she really is.

The man goes home and tries it out.
He walks in the door and says, "Honey, what’s for dinner?"
He doesn’t hear an answer, so he moves closer to her.
"Honey, what’s for dinner?"
Still no answer.
He repeats this several times, until he’s standing just a few feet away from her.
Finally, she turns to him and says,
"For the eleventh time, we’re having MEATLOAF!"

___________________________________
Answer to the Question of the Day:

Borderline personality disorder (BPD), also known as emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD),[8] is a long-term pattern of abnormal behavior characterized by unstable relationships with other people, unstable sense of self and unstable emotions.

There is often dangerous behavior and self-harm.
People may also struggle with a feeling of emptiness and a fear of abandonment.
Symptoms may be brought on by seemingly normal events.

The behavior typically begins by early adulthood and occurs across a variety of situations.
Substance abuse, depression, and eating disorders are commonly associated with BPD.
Up to 10% of people affected die by suicide.

BPD is recognized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) as a personality disorder, along with nine other such disorders.
Diagnosis is based on the symptoms, while a medical examination may be done to rule out other problems.
The condition must be differentiated from an identity problem or substance use disorders, among other possibilities.
BPD is typically treated with therapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
Another type, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), may reduce the risk of suicide.
Therapy may occur one-on-one or in a group.
While medications do not cure BPD, they may be used to help with the associated symptoms.
Some people require care in hospital.

About 1.6% of people have BPD in a given year.
Women are diagnosed about three times as often as men
It appears to become less common among older people.
Up to half of people improve over a ten-year period.
People affected typically use a high amount of healthcare resources.

There is an ongoing debate about the naming of the disorder, especially the suitability of the word borderline.
The disorder is often stigmatized in both the media and the psychiatric field.

_______________________
Good Morning on this Sunday, the Twenty-First Day of April.

We posted a thought on passing off experience as intelligence.
And in short order counted our postings, talked about the weather, and ordered Sushi for dinner.
Kali L gave us a remarkable series of emails that led to the question and answer: What is Borderline personality disorder?
And a chuckle, always a chuckle.

And now? Gotta go.
Che vuoi? Le pocketbook?

See you soon.

Your love.