“The quality of your life doesn’t depend on the quality of what you have; it depends on the quality of your feelings.”
An attitude of gratitude is better than any possession!
Just stopping by to share this inspiring message! 😀
❤
Lots of love to you!
❤
xoxo Kim
(I took this picture walking to work today!)
“When you feel sad, desperate and hopeless, remember: the darkest hour comes just before the dawn.”
I saw this quote today and decided to share. It’s sweet & inspiring but I’m not completely sure if the darkest hour really comes just before dawn. I asked my sister if it’s true or just a cheesy quote. She said both! lol I love cheesy quotes!
I have been struggling with a bit of depression and a migraine-like headache and when I saw this quote it cheers me up a bit. I have been having some depressive thoughts that aren’t that good and been angry for no specific reason. Sometimes I have fullblown episodes of depression and sometimes just symptoms, like now. It’s not the worst headache or worst depression I ever felt but still not good. But for the most part, I have a good attitude.
I hope it will uplift someone else!
Hugs & love to you!
😀
❤
xoxo Kim
A mother’s beautiful tribute to a beautiful son, heartbreaking & beautiful. ❤
Wednesday 4th November
“The only conclusion I come to
Is heaven was needing a
hero like you.”
Superheroes and Supervillains: you loved everything and anything to do with the Marvel characters.
We have many comics of yours upstairs, some still in their protective plastic sleeves, as they are old editions.
We have your Marvel books, videos, DVD’s, toys and t-shirts, too.
Really and truly you liked the Supervillains more, those who were up to no good, those who thought they could get away with their evil deeds. They were the naughty, but exciting ones to you.
And here you are in the clutches of the Green Goblin, one of the villains who plagued Spiderman:
This photograph was taken on one of our earlier visits to Marvel Super Hero Island of Adventure in Orlando. You had an amazing time, testing out all the rides, meeting the characters, and wandering in and…
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“The stranger is here. I can feel it. She’s close.
The words vibrated in the dark room and stirred the night air inside the small izba at the far end of Tivil, where two dark-haired figures leaned close across a table within an uncertain circle of light. A measured sprinkle of aromatic powder sent a spiral of flashes swirling out from the single candle flame that burned before them. Together they inhaled its delicate fragrance.
‘I’ve drawn her close,’ Rafik murmured. ‘So close I can hear her heartbeat in Tivil.’
His hand hovered over a black cloth on which lay a heavy crystal sphere. It gleamed, shimmered, and seemed to pulse in the darkness as the gypsy’s hand circled above it, slow and attentive, listening to its voice.
‘What do you hear?’ whispered the olive-skinned girl.
‘I hear her heart tearing. I hear her blood spilling, drop by drop, and yet…I hear her laughing.’ The sound was sweet as birdsong in his ears.” (The Red Scarf, Kate Furnivall, pp. 52)
Isn’t this beautiful?! It’s out of a novel I’m reading that takes place in 1933 about a young woman who escapes a Siberian labor camp to try to help another prisoner escape later.
Labor camps are prisons where many innocent people were locked up unjustly and for stupid reasons like just disagreeing with authority.
They are tortured and not taken care of. They are worked sometimes literally to death. They are killed if they make mistakes or do not submit to authority. Many died before their sentence was up. This story isn’t real but labor camps were.
In prison, this young woman, Sofia, meets another young woman, Anna, and they become very close friends. Anna saves Sofia’s life when Sofia gets cut and it becomes infected. She cares for her day and night until it heals. The guards and others do not take care of the prisoners and couldn’t care less if they die, are sick or in pain.
Anna tells Sofia often, about the boy she loves and hasn’t seen in years. Sofia takes great pleasure in the beautiful stories Anna tells. It’s what sees her through the pain of being locked away in a labor camp day after day, year after year.
Anna becomes deathly ill and Sofia wants to get her out of there and get her proper care but Anna is too sick to escape so Sofia risks her life escaping so she can go find Anna’s lover and bring him back to her so Anna can escape.
I haven’t read much of the book yet but on the back it says Sofia finds Anna’s love, the boy she still loves after all these years, and Sofia falls in love with him! Uhh ohh! 
But it’s more than just a love story involving romantic & platonic love. It’s a mystery and full of danger and adventure. It has a lot of substance and the characters have depth unlike a lot of characters in romantic love stories, who seem one-dimensional.
I love how it’s a love story that involves both friendship love & romantic love. I love novels about friendship.
This book has over 400 pages. I’m on page 73.
So I don’t know what happens later in the story but it seems Sofia finds herself in a position where she can potentially make a choice to betray her friend or remain loyal but deny herself the love she has for her friend’s man. I hope she will choose loyalty to her friend.
I want to share the scene above because it’s beautiful and mysterious and I believe it’s a positive message how we can find joy & laughter even in the midst of sorrow, anxiety, and uncertainty.
The man and young girl above are father & daughter, Rafik and Zenia, and the teenage girl, Zenia, finds the young woman, Sofia, stealing vegetables out of their garden before Sofia suffers a head injury and falls unconscious. The father and daughter take Sofia in, knowing she’s a fugitive and it can put their own lives in danger. But they are good people who want to help her. The man and his daughter have some psychic abilities. They don’t know everything though and the daughter’s are not as strong as her father’s.
It’s a lovely book if the part I read up until now is any indication.
So, I hope you are having a great day or night and lots of love to you! ❤
😀
Xoxo Kim
When I woke up yesterday morning I did not want to get out of bed. I was warm and cozy and sleepy. My dogs did not want me to get up either. But I had to get up for work. I laid in bed for a while longer drifting back to sleep, and my fan was on because it’s back to feeling like Summer here again. In November! Above my fan a spider was dangling on a strand of his/her web coming off the ceiling. What a blessing to wake up to! S/he was moving closer & closer to the fan until s/he was looking like she was going to go right inside. I jumped up quickly to turn off the fan so the little darling wouldn’t be slashed by the blades.
I was up later than I should have been and after the shower and all I left the house, letting the spider be. When I came home that night, the spider was on my lamp now, building a beautiful spider web around the shade! I am so honored that s/he chose my room! S/he could have gone anywhere in the world! ❤
I don’t know how to tell if this sweet thing is a boy or a girl.
I got some beautiful pictures! I wanted to get more and better ones but my phone camera kept going out of focus and the spider was afraid. S/he kept leaving quickly pulling her/himself up on her/his web.
My phone camera isn’t always good at capturing small things.
I felt so connected to the spider and as one with the uni-verse as I watched her spin her web, it seemed almost miraculous. Such delicate beauty and intricacy. Simplicity but also complex.
It’s just awe inspiring.
The little beauty just hung upside down on her web. At first it scared me a bit because I thought maybe s/he was dead, hung herself on her own web or something but s/he was breathing and moving. Lol Silly little thing! And so cute! Just hanging upside down like that!
Here are some pics:
“Rainbows, spiderwebs, sunsets…the world is full of wonder if only you look.”
“Nothing is insignificant.”. ~Samuel T. Coleridge
“See the good all around you, even if you have to squint.”
“If I see a spider in my house, I put it in a cup, and then I take it outside. I save it. What is wrong with me?” ~Jacqueline Emerson
I do the same(after getting one million pictures!)! And there’s nothing wrong with us. Our compassion just extends to other forms of life than our own species and the cute little cuddly animals most people probably have compassion for.
And here are a couple pictures I got on my beautiful walk to work today!
And while we’re on the topic of beautiful things, here’s me!
I am so blessed to live in a world with so much beauty and to have so much love & compassion for the life all around me! ❤
The Black Widow – Alice Cooper – mobile
Love & hugs to you(and if you don't like hugs or don't want my hugs then just love to you!)! <333
😀
Xoxo Kim
“Love, it is said, is blind, but love is not blind. It is an extra eye, which shows us what is most worthy of regard. To see the best is to see most clearly, and it is the lover’s privilege.” ~J.M. Barrie
This is a great concept which can apply to romantic love or life in general. We can focus on what is “worthy of regard” and accept and forget the rest. Everyone and life itself is made up of good and bad or the potential for good and bad. Love in our essence let’s us see the good through the not so good. There are and will be things we do not like and things we love. Let’s focus on what we love! ❤
😀
Lots of Love & hugs to you!!
xoxo Kim
“Wherever you are, and whatever you do, be in love.” ~ Rumi
❤
xoxo Kim
Me falling asleep at work.
I’m not exhausted but just a mellow kind of sleepiness. Pleasant, I guess you can say.
“When I am silent, I have thunder hidden inside.” ~Rumi
Warning: My silly side is really showing in this post!
My headache is a bit worse than usual today but nowhere near as bad as when it flares up severely! But a headache will never conquer me! 😀
Thank You so so much to everyone who reads, “likes,” likes, shares, reblogs, comments on….my content here! I deeply appreciate it!
When I set up the account a few years ago, I never expected one comment or like or anything. But I chose to post anyway knowing someone can always find it later and also I just love to write & share! And it’s always here to look back on whenever I want. I’m not good with networking and don’t know much about blogging, I just post things I find inspiring or funny and hope it can touch someone else who may come across it. I post for others and myself but mostly to try to uplift or inspire someone else.
I’m at work alone (but not lonely) on a cool, dark, slow night and next door these people are having a fire sitting out in a lot and it’s cozy and smells like fire. Thankfully it’s just them having a little Fall/cool weather celebration and not an emergency going on!
I painted my nails for Christmas already! It will chip off wayyy before then! But that’s ok!
Here’s more pics of me at work!
I’m not weird or anything! I promise!
Totally not a weirdo!
I’m laughing hysterically at myself.
I don’t know what I’m doing.
Just showing off my pretty nails!
I love being me!! ❤
The sky was so pretty today walking to work, this picture does no justice to the real thing!!
I walked out of my house later than I was supposed to, for work, because I was dicking around doing other stuff, and couldn’t get a good picture!
(I have been wanting to use the term “dicking around” for some reason and finally got my chance! :-D)
I’m thankful the wifi here is working (on & off) and I can check out the Internet once in a while. I have books with me also but like to check the Internet as well when it’s slow.
There’s so many little things to be thankful for like free wifi! The sound of refrigerators buzzing, the warmth of a coffee pot or machine being on, people having a bonfire in a lot on a dark night, pizza fries with extra cheese (which I’m getting after work! My mom is ordering them for me!), friends including online friends!, pretty pictures, beautiful buildings, a lovely city, Kindle app, the pleasant smile of a coworker, moms who order food for us!, the swirling of ceiling fans, the ability to laugh at our own self! The list goes on & on!! ❤
😀
I hope you are having a beautiful day/night! Hugs & love to you!
Xoxo Kim
“No act of kindness no matter how small is ever wasted.” ~ Aesop
Today Positive Focus has declared “I Choose Kindness Day.” We are encouraged to perform at least one act of kindness today. It’s good to do this every single day but it’s ok to have a whole day specifically designated for Kindness. Just like Valentine’s day & Mother’s Day, and birthdays! It’s good to love our mom every day, celebrate all kinds of love every day, celebrate and cherish a person’s or animal’s life every day in various ways but there’s nothing wrong with having a day dedicated to it. We won’t be celebrating with cakes and roses and extravagant restaurants and material gifts every single day so we can reserve one day for that and celebrate in more subtle but still important ways every other day of the year.
Carol CC Miller, the founder of Positive Focus, is giving out free hugs today!
Here are a list of some suggestions for Kindness Day. We don’t have to go all out and do something “big” like volunteer at a soup kitchen or something (although that would be fantastic!)! The point is to incorporate kindness into our every day situations.
1.) Smile at a stranger.
2.) help your mom in the kitchen
3.) give money to a homeless person (many people say not to because they use it for alcohol but think about it for a second. They also have to be buying food. They can’t live on just alcohol! Maybe they are buying alcohol but then they still need money for food! And not all of them are into alcohol or other drugs. People say give them food instead but just because they are homeless doesn’t mean they want food off of a stranger. I don’t want to encourage people to eat something they don’t know where it was or who did what to it. Would you eat food some random stranger comes up and gives you? I know people say “beggars can’t be choosy” but the line has to be drawn somewhere…they still have choices to make.)
4.) give a tip to a person in a cafe or restaurant
5.) put an insect outside instead of killing
6.) write a sweet message on social media
7.) give someone a genuine compliment
8.) write an inspiring quote on an index card and put it in a public place to be found
9.) feed a stray animal or squirrels and pigeons in a safe place
10.) pick trash up off the ground
11.) pick objects up off the floor in a store and put them back on the shelves
12.) pay for someone’s coffee or something in line
13.) ask someone “how are you today?” not just as a social obligation or thing to do but to really listen and care
14.) instead of lashing out, take a deep breath and hold our tongue when someone provokes us to be angry. Kindness can be acted on in the most subtle or none noticeable ways like not doing something unkind that we are so tempted to do. It won’t stand out most likely, most won’t be conscious of our act of kindness but it doesn’t matter, we aren’t trying to get credit. And even though they won’t realize, they would realize if our act wasn’t done and feel the unpleasant effects.
15.) give someone a hug (if we know the person likes or doesn’t mind being hugged!)
16.) Sincerely wish the best for someone even if the person doesn’t know it, this generates positive energy and gets us more in the habit of loving and positive thinking.
17.) put a dollar on a park bench or let it blow away in the wind. Maybe a person in need will find it. At first it probably feels like wasting money but it’s really not, think how happy you would feel finding one dollar and know someone else will feel that way too
18.) let someone in front of us in line in a store
19.) forgive someone for being rude, smile at a person who carelessly pushes by you on a crowded street or bus, let someone go before us in traffic…..
20.) Share an inspiring post on social media – social media is a great way to show love or potentially show love to thousands of strangers each day or even just one, it gives us the opportunity to reach people we never would without it. It’s truly an incredible invention that we so often take for granted or use for negative purposes like arguing and getting offended and trying to offend people or “stalking” people we don’t like just to see what they’re up to or wasting hours on boring mindless junk because we don’t want to think of something better. But one positive post will still be here in years to come and even if no one sees it now, in future years or days, someone can stumble upon it.
I’m not telling people what to do or what anyone “should” do! These are just some ideas to make the day a bit sweeter for others. I don’t think anyone “should” do these things and I don’t always do all these things myself! I won’t be doing all of them today. It’s just good to do sweet little things once in a while to bring some more light into the world. But you are enough just how you are and we don’t have to be heroes or saints or constantly doing things for everyone to be good or worthy or kindhearted.
Here is a beautiful song by Nimo Patel:
“Throw your hearts up
Let it fly high
Let your love for all the world
Spread through the skies
Let it drop down
Let it all go
Spreading kindness to every
Single living soul
Can you see your love… for me shining through
Cuz what you see in me, I can see in you
And soon enough, you and me…we’ll be outta time
And kindness… will be all we can leave behind”
Love is how we live on long after we are gone. Our loving essence lives forever. Let it ripple and touch others. Live & love.
Live to love.
Love to live. ❤
Do you have any ideas for acts of kindness? Post them here in the comments or maybe just try them out! ❤ There is an infinite number of ways to show kindness in this life.
“Blessed are those who can give without remembering and receive without forgetting.”
I hope you are having a lovely day! Much love to you!! ❤ 😀 ~Hugs~
Xoxo Kim
(Fall is always welcome in my heart!!)
Old friend,
We meet again!!
I see no reason not to be happy in this beautiful season!! Colorful and crunchy leaves decorating the streets, crisp air, cool nights, houses decorated for Fall, cheerful holiday tunes right around the corner (I already have a few Christmas songs on my playlist! To me, it’s never too early for Christmas cheer!), scarecrows & pumpkin pie, my little sister’s b-day!! Yay!!
November is speckled with all kinds of gems of beauty & inspiration!
And it’s actually starting to feel like Fall now! It felt like Summer almost all October!
I couldn’t be happier! It almost doesn’t feel real! 😀
In honor of this lovely month, I’m sharing some quotes and my pictures! 😀
“October extinguished itself in a rush of howling winds and driving rain and November arrived, cold as frozen iron, with hard frosts every morning and icy drafts that bit at exposed hands and faces.” ~J.K. Rowling
(I am not a Harry Potter fan but this is a beautiful quote!)
“November comes
And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows.
With night coming early,
And dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.
The fires burn
And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest
Until next spring.” ~Clyde Watson
“But there is always a November space after the leaves have fallen when she felt it was almost indecent to intrude on the woods…for their glory terrestrial had departed and their glory celestial of spirit and purity and whiteness had not yet come upon them.” ~L.M. Montgomery
“In November, some birds move away and some birds stay. The air is full of good-byes and well-wishes. The birds who are leaving look very serious. No silly spring chirping now. They have long journeys and must watch where they are going. The staying birds are serious, too, for cold times lie ahead. Hard times. All berries will be treasures.” ~Cynthia Rylant
“The November evening had a bite; it nibbled not-quite-gently at her cheeks and ears. In Virginia the late autumn was a lover, still, but a dangerous one.” ~J. Aleksandr Wootton
“November is usually such a disagreeable month…as if the year had suddenly found out that she was growing old and could do nothing but weep and fret over it. This year is growing old gracefully…just like a stately old lady who knows she can be charming even with gray hair and wrinkles. We’ve had lovely days and delicious twilights.” ~L.M. Montgomery
“In November, the smell of food is different. It is an orange smell. A squash and pumpkin smell. It tastes like cinnamon and can fill up a house in the morning, can pull everyone from bed in a fog. Food is better in November than any other time of the year.” ~Cynthia Rylant
I have always felt that food is always better in the cold. It tastes better and has a better feel. Somehow, my experience with severe, suicidal, long-term depression helped me realize this. It’s difficult to explain how. It’s just easier to be painfully and beautifully aware of things in a deeper way with a life of depression. Or something like that.
“In November, the earth is growing quiet. It is making its bed, a winter bed for flowers and small creatures. The bed is white and silent, and much life can hide beneath its blankets.” ~Cynthia Rylant
“In November, the trees are standing all sticks and bones. Without their leaves, how lovely they are, spreading their arms like dancers. They know it is time to be still.” ~Cynthia Rylant
This wasn’t taken today but I’m dressed for Fall weather so why not share it here?! This was a few days ago! I don’t usually wear long sleeved shirts. I like sleeveless ones all year! 😀
“In November, people are good to each other. They carry pies to each other’s homes and talk by crackling woodstoves, sipping mellow cider. They travel very far on a special November day just to share a meal with one another and to give thanks for their many blessings – for the food on their tables and the babies in their arms.” ~Cynthia Rylant
This is one of the best things about the holiday season. I’m in this spirit all year but when the holiday season is near, I feel a sense of unity in the air and receive all kinds of subscription e-mails about gratitude & loving each other and kindness. Many people who aren’t in this spirit every day, get in the mood around now and it’s a beautiful atmosphere.
“November came roaring in with gusty winds and more wet weather. Mandy’s depression would not go away. Her garden seemed sad, too. It was virtually empty now, and the few brave flowers that remained there were flattened by rain, their yellows stalks sprawling in all directions. Most of the trees were bare, and the woods had a wet carpet of leaves.” ~
Julie Andrews Edwards
This is sad but beautiful. I know what it is to be deeply, deeply depressed, I struggle with severe episodes that can feel unbearable and can relate. It always returns but it always ends. Even when I think it never will.
“Flurries early, pristine and pearly. Winter’s come calling! Can we endure so premature a falling? Some may find this trend distressing- others bend to say a blessing over sage and onion dressing.” ~Old Farmer’s Almanac
So much wonder all around! I am overwhelmed! But in a good way!
I wanted to get some pictures outside but I was stuck at work all day and then when I got out it was very dark! Gets dark so early these days! Nightfall is so beautiful! ❤
I hope you like the quotes & pictures!! Happy November to you!! I'm sending you lots of love!
~Hugs~ ❤
😀
xoxo Kim
