There is beauty to be found, felt in all kinds of places even places we would never expect it, even in mundane, places, everyday situations. We often overlook things in our own city or place we live everyday. If we make it a point to look for beautiful things, we are likely to find them.

For as long as I can remember I have been aware of the beauty surrounding me, experienced with all my senses. Cool Summer breezes, frosty windows in Winter, the taste of candy in cold air, the seasons changing, the sound of traffic outside, the feel of soft fleece and blankets, the city buildings….I wasn’t making it a point to appreciate these things. It just has always come naturally to me but as I grew up I have come to know it as mindfulness & gratitude and realized that those are habits we can develop if we don’t have them already and strengthen to greater extents if we already do experience them.

It’s a beautiful way to live and I think that’s what it is to truly live to the fullest. Living fully just means making the most of each breath we take, each moment we live, even the monotonous.

I often feel like I’m in another world when I see everything with wonder and I point out something amazing to someone and the person isn’t even fazed by the incredible beauty I see. I often look around me and see people just going on and on with walking and working and living, not even stopping to take in the wonders around us. Sometimes it amuses me and I probably seem like the biggest idiot sometimes.

One night it was a full moon somewhat recently and I couldn’t take my eyes off it and I felt immense joy running rampant inside me and I looked to see evidence of others experiencing the same thing. I was hoping to jump for joy together. lol But no one even seemed to care. People were walking lost in conversation, packing trucks, getting into cars…no one was stopping to bask in the great beauty of the brilliant moonlit night. I was perplexed.

Recently I was in Center City, Philadelphia one morning and I just love the buildings there and the air. My eyes just drink in the incredible views and my skin dances with glee in the warm December air. And still, everyone was just going on their way not giving an ounce of attention to the beauty around us.

On vacation we often stop to appreciate the scenes and take pictures but there’s just as much beauty and novelty in our own city or wherever we live! It never gets old to me. ❤

This picture above is one I took a few days ago while waiting for a bus. The view is incredible.

I love that building in the sunlight with the reflections & bare trees.

Pure love. ❤ 😀

My former coworker was recently telling me she loves this Philadelphia December weather this year. It's extremely hot. At some points it seriously feels like a heatwave! In Philadelphia! In December! For real!

I'm not exaggerating! It's nearly 80 degrees everyday.

She said she loves it so much and people here pay to go on vacation to tropical places for this warmth and now we have it right here everyday!

I'm not as thrilled as my coworker (or former coworker, but I still think of her as my coworker) about this freaky weather in December but I love how she put it. We all have somethimng amazing that someone else would give just about anything to have. Let's appreciate our blessings now.

Sometimes we don't realize how amazing something is until we no longer have it.

You have something that someone else would kill (hopefully not really!) for. Whatever it may be. I'm not thankful at someone else's expense. I'm not thankful it's me alive and not someone else or that I get to live in a house instead of others. But we so often are so used to what we have we don't realize how valuable it is until we lose it or hear/know of someone who would love to have it.

If you are reading this you have a life, you can probably see or hear or at least comprehend. How often do we stop to give thanks for our cognitive abilities?! Probably very rarely, if even ever!

Let's all stop once in a while and appreciate what we have right here, right now.

Much love & ligt to you!

xoxo Kim ❤