“The way to love someone is to lightly run your finger over that person’s soul until you find a crack, and then gently pour your love into that crack.” ~ Keith Miller ❤
Much love to you! ❤ 😀
xoxo Kim
Archive | November 2015
November Sunset <3
“People are just as wonderful as sunsets if you let them be. When I look at a sunset, I don’t find myself saying, “Soften the orange a bit on the right hand corner.” I don’t try to control a sunset. I watch with awe as it unfolds.” ~Carl R. Rogers
This is the sun setting this evening around 4:35pm! My sister and me were sitting in the living room and I saw the walls overcome in a pink/orange glow and I said “Is that the sun setting already?!” It seemed early for the sunset! My dog, Woody, was sleeping on me and I did not want to disturb him but I wanred to check the sunset before it disappeared! So after a minute I made him get up ran to the front door and gasped so loud my next door neighbors who were out turned quickly to look at me but I was in awe! And still am! 😀
The above picture is exactly what it looked like! Not much pink or orange, just blue and bright, bright yellow! Isn’t it stunning?! So beautiful!
The above pictures have no effect and were not altered in any way, it really looked like that! I never saw a sunset like that with so much bright yellow!! I would surely remember! It’s probably the most beautiful one I have been blessed to witness!
But this one here, I did put an effect on just to see what it looks like. It’s not as pretty as the real unaltered thing!
And here are a couple more not altered. These ones I took on the other side of my street and there was no yellow! Just pink/orange but still pretty!
This blue picture is not altered except it’s cropped because someone’s tag number showed up in it. I don’t like when people put someone else’s info online so I cut it out. I don’t know why it looks different than the others, maybe the way I held my phone.
And I ran to the back door and took these out back before the beauty faded into the darker beauty of nightfall!
This is the side out back with the big tree then just on the other side, the same minute, it looked like this!
I love the reflections on the cars & windows!
and here are some beautiful Fall leaves out back!
They are so lovely and they feel amazing in my hands, rough but smooth against my skin.
“Forests, lakes, and rivers, clouds and winds, stars and flowers, stupendous glaciers and crystal snowflakes – every form of animate or inanimate existence, leaves its impress upon the soul of man.” ~ Orison Swett Marden
There’s so much beauty all around us in various forms.
I watched “The Gallows” tonight! I like it but my family said it’s boring! I find it to be creepy and like the ending!
I hope your day/night is going great!
❤ 😀
Standing Knee Deep in a River (Dying of thirst) – Joe Cocker – mobile
Standing Knee Deep in a river – desktop
Hugs & Love,
xoxo Kim
Me, Me, Me, Mine, Mine, Mine
“The ideas of ‘me’ and ‘mine’ are the seeds of every problem in the world.”
This quote is out of the Kindle book “365 Wisdom Pills.”
It’s true, it’s so ingrained into us to think in terms of “me” and “mine” and “me,” “us” and “them.”
It’s good to once in a while let the self dissolve into the Oneness. Realize we are a small part of a much larger Whole, the whole uni-verse. The world doesn’t revolve around me. I am not the most important aspect of life. Others have desires, opinions, convictions just as strong as mine. Life will not always work how I want it to.
Let’s give selflessness a try, let others go first, try to understand other views, ways, and accept diversity. It’s good to remember others feel just as strongly as we do and experience in similar ways.
This is a great concept to think about!
❤ 😀
Hugs & love,
Xoxo Kim
The smallest things
So very beautiful! ❤
Friday 20th November
“Sometimes the smallest things
Take up the most room in your heart.”
~ winnie the pooh ~
Your uncle gave you a wonderful copy of Winnie the Pooh, soon after you were born, and you used to love hearing the stories. I read to you and your brother every bedtime for years, taking it in turns whose bed to sit upon, and which book to read.
Winnie the Pooh books provide so many inspiring and endearing quotes, words of wisdom and joy, but the one above, caught my eye today.
There are so, so many little things about you, that I miss so very much.
I have again been reading through cards that were sent to us when you passed away.
“We are so sad and shocked.
He was a much-loved son and brother who will be missed by so many people. We have known him since…
View original post 398 more words
Empathy v. Jealousy
“Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” ~ attributed to Voltaire
By tuning into our empathy for others, not just feeling another’s pain but also pleasure, joy, happiness, we will be happy for others as we would our own selves, instead of jealous in a destructive way or depressed when they have something we want and do not have.
When someone wins, succeeds, accomplishes something great, or is just happy, and we feel a bit jealous or resentful, imagine how we would feel if it were us who has something great happen and then we can feel more happiness for that person instead of jealous, disappointed, or depressed.
Being jealous and resentful helps no one. Wouldn’t you love if someone was happy for you? Not that we need others to be happy for us to be happy ourselves but it’s a great experience to know someone wishes us well. So why not be happy when someone else is? Empathy will get in the way of resentment. How can we resent someone too much when we are extremely happy for that person? A little bit of jealousy now and then is ok but it doesn’t have to drag us down or provoke us to drag others down. Let the happiness and success of others inspire us instead of provoke envy and resentment in us. It’s better for everyone!
When one person wins, we all win. ❤
😀
Hugs & love,
Xoxo Kim
November 19th
“Life goes on
no one gets rehearsal
life goes on
through everyday reversal
with every dawn everyday is full of chances
to find some good before it’s gone…”
Today and tonight is very rainy. On my way to Buddhist class in Center City, I looked up at the tall buildings through the rain and saw people in one of the upper floors sitting around at a meeting! Lol Anyone else probably would have found it not important or thought nothing of it but I just loved seeing it. I saw three men in what appeared to be business suits. There were probably more who I couldn’t see. None of the men I saw have hair.
It looked important.
Lol
This isn’t the building, these are different, similar ones.
I love hearing and seeing people in the distance. And I love the sounds of laughter and talking and construction work, it just provokes a feeling of connection and Oneness in me, I love the life all around.
The meeting in the building I saw through the window brought back a memory of a day in 9th grade when a girl in class had some speaker thing and either it called people or she hooked it up to her phone and called random people and we all heard it through the speaker. She did not know any of the people she called, it was just random numbers. A man answered one of the calls and he sounded distraught, almost panicked and said he’ll have to call her back, he was in an important meeting at City Hall. She kept telling him it’s important to talk to her right now. He did not realize it was a high school girl just messing around. Lol All the kids were laughing and so was the teacher.
His meeting probably looked a little like the one I briefly witnessed way up on that top floor tonight.
In class tonight, the monk reminded us to remember that everything is impermanent, the seasons, relationships, our problems, everything we love, our physical traits, our life….so cherish all that we have but be prepared to lose it. Depending upon how we think about it, this can be inspiring or gloomy. Remember to bask in the beauty of all we have and not put too much into problems or pain or negativity, it will all end soon enough.
I found the lecture and meditation to be inspiring and soothing and sad. I thought of my coworker, Diane, who died in February. I was very close to her and I don’t always cope with her death well. And I thought of those I will likely lose later, animals and humans. It was soothing to hear our teacher remind us that loss is just part of life, just the way it goes and it doesn’t have to destroy us. He used an analogy of staying at a luxurious hotel for a few days and having to leave it. We don’t break down over having to leave the beautiful room and bath and breakfast in bed and king sized bed and incredible view and room service and all because we knew all along it would end. It was never ours to keep. We were prepared to have it end. It’s like our life now. It was never ours to keep, the relationships we have aren’t meant to last forever. The very nature of life is change. If we just prepare ourself for it to end, like the way we know vacations end, we will be great. We are travelers just passing through life.
We were also reminded that the most important things are love, wisdom, and inner peace, not material things like money and jewelry.
The monk used another analogy of receiving a big expensive diamond then soon after, being diagnosed with terminal cancer. Would we even care about the diamond now next to something like that? We can have expensive things, pretty things, and still be miserable or still be sick, and still die. And we can have a terminal illness, experience a devastating loss, be very old, and still be happy and at peace.
It’s all about our attitude and what we focus on.
When we focus on the good and focus on our breath for a few minutes, we can experience inner calmness. When we meditate upon the concept of death and loss, it can at first seem gloomy, negative, uncomfortable, terrible, but eventually it can bring us to peace and lessen our anxiety about it.
It was a good class! Very helpful!
Last night was my little sister’s 19th b-day so my family took her bowling! It was a lot of fun! I got 2nd place! My mom got the lowest score and my dad and sister got the same score.
Here are a couple pictures:
The people before us left this score sheet.
Lol
I’m the only one of us usually who likes to get my picture taken. Lol
This is my boys and me. They are just the sweetest things! ❤
Emmy is the little daddy on my shoulder and Woody is his baby looking up at me. They get so jealous of each other and both want all the attention. Lol It's so cute!!
Here is a sweet song relevant to the topic of impermanence and appreciating the good while accepting the bad and the uncertainty.
“You’ll never know which way a day is gonna take you
there’s always some surprise that comes along to shake you
you’ll never see exactly where the road will lead you
and when it comes to love you gamble when you need to
you’ll maybe break your heart on one unlucky throw
but then again, you’ll never know”
You’ll Never Know – Ringo Starr – mobile
Much love to you!! ❤
😀
xoxo Kim
One Love <3
aww I found this on Facebook! I love it!! ❤
Let's get together and feel alright!
❤ 😀
Hugs & love,
xoxo Kim
Father Figure
“If you are the desert
I’ll be the sea
If you ever hunger –
Hunger for me
Whatever you ask for
That’s what I’ll be. .”
Ever hear this song? I listened to it often when I was young. But I never truly listened. I liked the music and the voices singing and the feeling of mystery to it. I still do! I occasionally wondered what it’s about but those thoughts were very fleeting. Then I haven’t heard it for years probably, just once in a blue moon.
Recently I read the lyrics and found that at first they may seem deeply disturbing to someone not truly paying attention or not in tune with the wisdom within. It seems, on the surface, as if an adult man is singing to a child about wanting to be naked at his/her side and wanting to be this young person’s “daddy.”
Or like he’s in love with an adult but thinks of him/her as a child. (eww)
Who wants to lay naked next to your dad?! (Or who wants to think of your man as your daddy? [eww lol])
Unless maybe the person is a baby and like laying on the sofa or bed with the dad. Some babies/toddlers do rip their clothes off and run around in front of people, I used to! Lol
But even then I don’t think the dad usually says or thinks “I want you naked at my side.”
But this song seems to have a sexual overtone, not an innocent song a daddy sings to his child.
And not like a regular romantic love song where the singer acknowledges his lover is an adult.
(I never completely understood why some men like their lovers to call them “daddy.” lol But whatever floats your boat as long as they’re all consenting adults!)
But I felt, while reading the lyrics that this message runs so, so much deeper than the sexual or romantic or pedophile song it may seem at first glance.
I felt it before I knew it intellectually. I felt with my intuition and my deep wisdom before I truly read the words.
“That’s all you wanted
Something special, someone sacred –
In your life”
He may or may not be singing to a (romantic) lover. He does mention a lover but “lover” doesn’t always have to be romantic necessarily although the word is usually reserved for a romantic sense. And the person probably isn’t a child. A lover in the most basic sense of the word is just one who loves. “A lover of life” for example.
“If we have faith in each other
Then we can be
Strong”
What I think he’s saying is, he wants to be wise and strong and help someone else who may be in need. He has a hunger for being just what someone else needs. He has a relentless need to BE for someone else.
And I think that’s beautiful.
A father is often a person a child looks up to and can trust to guide him/her in this life. Our father is (or is supposed to be) someone whose love and wisdom can help us see through the turmoil and pain and negativity in life. We look up to him to protect us and lead us, to show us the way. But we don’t have to be a child to look up to a person like this and the person doesn’t have to be our father. This person can be a friend, a lover, a teacher, a religious person, a man or a woman,….anyone who has realized deep wisdom, deep love, and a strong desire to help others.
A father’s love is (supposed to be) unconditional.
“I will be your father figure
Put your tiny hand in mine
I will be your preacher teacher
Anything you have in mind
I will be your father figure
I have had enough of crime
I will be the one who toves you
Until the end of time”
The person in this song he is singing to may not be an actual child but childlike. Innocent and full of wonder. A person who is in a state for whatever reason, where s/he needs to be protected or needs someone to look up to. All of us are in a position or can be in a position where we are helpless and can be taken advantage of. There will always be someone bigger and stronger and with more power. We will almost all probably at some point need some kind of help or need answers whether it’s a serious situation like a medical condition, a mental health issue, or just needing directions while driving or how to fix something or a recommendation or help finding something. And most of us have power or an advantage over someone, whether physical, financial, emotional….all of us can hurt or help heal, protect or potentially need to be protected.
We will some occasions be in a position to help another in need. And sometimes we’ll be in a position to accept someone else’s help.
The singer (whether for real or just in the song) wants to protect this person and be his/her light, his/her guide, the one s/he can always trust and look up to.
The “child” in the song is symbolic of innocence and vulnerability.
And the “father” is symbolic of fierce, unconditional love & boundless wisdom.
“Naked” doesn’t mean physically naked, the body stripped of clothing. It is a metaphor for the baring of the soul, stripping the self of everything, of all barriers and fears, and insecurities, and allowing someone else to see through to the light and love and wisdom within. And allowing someone to see the flaws, the mistakes, the fears….Strip all the layers of wariness and anxiety and fear and embarrassment and let the true naked self be seen.
It’s actually a very beautiful song and message.
Well, this is my interpretation but someone else may have a different one.
“So when you remember the ones who have lied
Who said that they cared
But then laughed as you cried
Beautiful darling
Don’t think of me”
We can be this to someone else and also have someone else be this to us. We can all take and give, be strong some moments and allow someone else to be our strength at other moments, we can have eyes wide with wonder and innocence, blue with youth, we can break and need, and also be full of deep wisdom, have a soul so old with deep understanding and wrinkled with experience, and a thirst to provide and help and be someone’s strength and source of love.
“Because all I ever wanted
It’s in your eyes baby, baby…”
I hope we will all take advantage of whatever position we are in at each moment. Take advantage in a positive way. If we are feeling strong and wise, let’s reach out to someone not yet so strong, not in this moment in touch with the wisdom within the person, and help that person, guide that person to discover her/his wisdom, if we are feeling weak and in need, let’s reach out for help in whatever form we need it or allow someone who wants to help us, to provide what we need. It’s good to be strong and ok to be weak. It’s good to help and ask for help. It’s beautiful to give and sometimes necessary and good to take what is offered.
We can all be the child & the father.
Father Figure – George Michael – mobile
Much love to you! 😀
Xoxo Kim ❤
Our Purpose
“Be your own purpose.”
This is a great reminder out of the Kindle book I love “365 Wisdom Pills.”
Sometimes we may feel that things outside of our own self give us purpose like other people, money, things, our job, certain skills we have….or that without certain things, we have no purpose, but we are our own purpose for living.
People say things often like find your purpose or your life’s purpose and live it. At first this may seem all inspiring or motivational but truly think about it? It can be kind of degrading.
I don’t believe we each have a specific purpose. Suppose we think our purpose is to get married and then that person leaves us?
Then what? We have no purpose? What if we feel our purpose is a certain hobby like running or traveling then we become paralyzed or too sick to travel or run? Then we suddenly become purposeless? Or what if our “purpose” is to help others in a certain way then we suffer some loss and can’t? What if you’re a surgeon then you suffer an injury or lose your practice or license or something? Then you have no reason to exist?!
What if we become confined to a chair, paralyzed at the neck down and can’t even turn our head? There are people like that! And some are very happy! There’s a lady who is a painter and can paint with a brush in her mouth and she’s like the happiest person! She cannot move most of her body and she’s so happy and so full of purpose. I don’t know much about her but my dad told me about her years ago. We did not know her personally. He used to carry a picture of one of her paintings in his wallet to remind himself that it’s possible to be happy and love life no matter what. Her ability to paint isn’t what gives her purpose. She is a living, sentient being who exists. That’s her purpose.
And what about people who have severe brain damage or were born with complications and can’t feed themselves? They can’t walk or hardly talk or anything, yet they have purpose. No less than I do. And they are happy too. They can smile and look around and feel. I used to walk by a school for children like this, with extra needs, when I was walking to class in college. They were in wheelchairs, some with feeding tubes and oxygen and I saw them smile and make contact with people helping them and walking by.
It’s like cruelty to claim that someone like this has less of a reason to live than anyone else! And some people do claim that!
I don’t feel sorry for people with disabilities or brain damage as long as they are alive. I don’t feel sorry for mothers who give birth to extra needs children. Those people don’t need and probably do not want my sympathy or sorrow. They are a blessing and I have compassion for them just like I have for anyone else. They are not necessarily suffering and are not without purpose. And even through our suffering, we have purpose.
When I was a young girl in middle and high school, I made my whole “purpose” to be about getting good grades. I did not have perfect grades but I got honor roll every semester. I frequently felt that I had no reason to live. But I reminded myself that I did have a reason to live, I got good grades! Then one day I got my report card and got a C in math! I seriously contemplated killing myself after school that day. I was really going to then lost the nerve. Not that suicide takes true courage, it does take some kind of fearlessness or determination but that’s not true courage. True courage is choosing to live even when it’s so hard. But whatever was giving me the balls to kill myself, suddenly dissipated when I got the chance. That has happened frequently.
Not everyone who feels like there’s no purpose wants to kill themselves but it’s an unpleasant, painful way to live!
So it’s good if we can all realize that our purpose is us. We don’t need anything else to give us a reason. It’s great to have passions, interests, goals, plans, people….but they aren’t our reason for living.
Hugs & love to you! ❤
😀
Xoxo Kim
November Sunrise
“There was never a night or a problem that could defeat sunrise or hope.” ~
Bernard Williams
It’s rare that I’m up early enough to see a sunrise! But this morning after 6:00, I woke up in an urgent state to unplug my phone because it was charging overnight and the battery was probably destroyed! But I soon realized that my phone wasn’t charging! It was in bed with me, under a book so my dogs wouldn’t find it and chew it! (I sleep with books…lol) I remembered that I decided not to charge it last night and just go to sleep!
Then I noticed a pink, very bright pink, hue seeping through the window and reflecting off the walls, I thought to myself “is that the sun rising?!?!” I looked out and sure enough, it was! What a gift! Whenever I would purposely wake up early to see it, I don’t catch it, I look out and nothing. But on a few rare occasions I woke up accidentally and saw it! Even better!
So I ran downstairs and into the backyard
and took pictures (hoping people weren’t looking out thinking I’m some creeper taking pictures of their windows). It was much more beautiful than it looks in the pictures!
It was more pink than my pictures suggest. My phone camera often has the tendency to make pink skies look more orange than they really look.
I love how it reflects in the windows on the house next door.
Here are two that I altered:
It’s so disappointing when I take a picture of a beautiful pink streaked sky and it turns out looking orange in the picture! Blah! But i’m so happy I got pics of the sunrise this morning! Sometimes the sky really is bright orange! It’s beautiful when it’s really orange and not a simulated orange!
Like here:
(this is a sunset)
This is exactly how the sky looked that night. It’s completely unedited. It really was that bright, that dramatic, that orange! It was amazing to see! It looks so fake! It looked like some orange entity taking over the city! It was reflecting off all the windows on the cars and buildings.
It was only that orange though on parts of the sky. I held/tilted my phone a certain way to make it look as if the entire city was drenched in orange.
Here is the same night:
Driving into the sunset!
They are not all the same picture. They are slightly different and none of those are altered.
But this one is one of the above ones altered with an app on my phone:
I love both sunrises & sunsets. Sunrise is symbolic of new beginnings and hope. No matter what happens, the sun comes up in the morning. ❤
😀
Hugs & Love, ❤
xoxo Kim
