Archives

Ocean

Nov23

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“Let yourself be open and life will be easier. A spoon of salt in a glass of water makes it undrinkable. In a lake almost unnoticed.”

This is a fantastic message with deep meaning. I love the analogy to life.

If I have a life so full of happiness and love and my virtue of patience is strong, when unpleasant things come along, it will only be like a drop, a drop of unsettling things in an ocean of vast love and happiness. The positive things will drown out the unpleasant, washing them away in all the beauty.

But if I live a life of very little happiness and love and my virtue of patience isn’t yet strongly developed, the unsettling things are more like a spoonful in just a cup of happiness and love. It can taint the whole cup where in an ocean or lake, the water, love, happiness, patience….is vast enough, deep enough to stand untarnished.

Let’s focus on and build on the positive. Then when the unpleasant comes along we’ll be ready.

Love & Hugs,

❤ 😀

xoxo Kim

Empathy v. Jealousy

Nov20

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“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

Nov19

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“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  

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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. 

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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. 

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His meeting probably looked a little like the one I briefly witnessed way up on that top floor tonight. 

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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. 

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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. 

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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.  

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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.

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Here are a couple pictures:

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The people before us left this score sheet.

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Lol

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I’m the only one of us usually who likes to get my picture taken. Lol 

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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

You’ll Never Know – desktop

Much love to you!! ❤

😀

xoxo Kim

Waves of Love <3

Nov9

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“Send waves of love to the world, where people are fighting. The world needs your love.”

This is a beautiful concept! Sometimes when there’s arguing and negativity, we may be tempted to join in and meet the bitterness with more bitterness. Sometimes I’m guilty of this myself. One example is when my mom or sister do something I don’t like and instead of letting it slide or be loving, I say something unkind or accept an invitation to a trivial argument. Another example is writing a rude message back to someone who writes one to me, I usually do not do this but have before. I hope to get better and better with this. We don’t need more negativity, rudeness, and anger in the face of unkindness & negativity, we need more love & patience. Each encounter with someone who is being difficult is an opportunity to develop the virtue of patience & practice universal love. ❤ ❤

It's not always easy but definitely worth it!

Waves of love can be in the form of acts of kindness, genuine well wishes, sweet words, just avoiding insults and toxic words or actions when we are tempted, hugs, positive posts on social media, planting flowers…so many things!! 😀

😀

Hugs & Love,

xoxo Kim

Love Isn’t Blind

Nov3

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“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

I Choose Kindness <3

Nov1

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“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”

Being Kind – mobile

Being Kind – desktop

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 

Smile <3

Oct25

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(my shirt says “Wild love” <3)

On Friday afternoon, we had an order delivered at the store where I work.

The man delivering the heavy packages was bringing it in the store and a kind young man walking up the street stopped to help him. I was just so happy to see them. As soon as they walked in I couldn’t help but smile brightly and the delivery man playfully said “ahhh, I just seen her smile did you see it?!” and said something funny about the Ninja Turtle pops we sell. I couldn’t help but smile again.

I paid him for the order and looked over the receipts and as he was leaving he said goodbye and thank you for smiling! And he said it with such deep gratitude in his voice.

I love when people smile and I make it my goal to look and smile at people each day walking up the streets. My smile and desire to smile come naturally but I’m real shy in person so I often automatically, shyly, look away when a stranger is right in front of me on the streets. If I’m already talking to a person I’m not too shy to smile and make eye contact. 

But I just have the urge to smile and look directly at every person I see and I’m much better with it than I used to be but I’m still working on it!

I know how it brightens my day when someone smiles at me and I want to do that for others.

I don’t have to remember to or force a smile; that comes automatically and very easily. I just have to force myself to allow it and not look away when a stranger is right before me.

Some people are very receptive of my greeting and greet me back in a similar way, others look confused like “Do I know this girl, why is she so friendly, I don’t even know her?!” lol I don’t mind any of the reactions. Most people (at least where I live) do not seem to greet strangers whether it’s a friendly hello or warm smile or eye contact on the street. Not that they aren’t friendly. We just aren’t usually brought up to greet each other that way. But it’s in me naturally to be that way and lights my world when someone says hello to me, smiles, or just makes eye contact. 

We never know how much we help someone with just a simple gesture or positive energy. Not everyone can see. I know a blind lady and when I see her I say hello and smile. She can hear my smile even though she can’t see it. ❤ One day she told me on Mother's Day to tell my mom she has a beautiful daughter and to tell her she said thank you for bringing me to the world! Isn't that so sweet?! The lady has very long, beautiful hair like me and an adult son a few years younger than me. He always says hello to me when I see him.

There's a universal love song I love about how one person probably can't change the whole world but each one of us can change the world for ONE. And that ONE is worth it and in some way, enough.

Each & every day, we have opportunities to change the world or brighten the world for someone. Sometimes the opportunities just come to us but other days if we look, we can see them. It can be as simple as smiling at someone! 😀 Or truly listening to someone talk, encouraging a person, a hug. There are so many ways to show love. 

Here are some lyrics to the beautiful song.

“Well, I can’t change the world
But I can live with open hands
And I can’t change the world
But I can give all that I can
And I can pray and I can love
And when all is said and done
I can’t change the world
But I can change the world for one”

Compassion – Andrew Witt – mobile

Compassion – desktop

Much love to you!

& remember a beautiful smile is always in style. 😀 ❤

xoxo Kim ❤

Minute by Minute

Oct10

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“Life is not lost by dying 
Life is lost minute by minute 
Day by dragging day 
In all the small and uncaring ways.” ~ Stephen Vincent Benet

All the “little” things we do or don’t do, not paying attention, not caring, acting mindlessly or absent-mindedly, just drifting through each day not soaking up each moment or gem of beauty…all adds up to days lost, days and occasions we’ll never get back. Living to “the fullest” to me means making each moment, no matter what, the best we can. Whether we are sick or in pain, sad or happy, financially stable, poor, or rich, living our dream or not, have a great job, a dead-end job, or none at all, anxious or depressed…we can “bloom where we’re planted.” Make the most of what we have and where we are NOW.

Each moment won’t be the best but we can choose to make it as great as possible. It’s an amazing goal and habit we can develop.

Let’s pay attention to the simple beauty around us, the leaves, the cool breeze, the city lights, a heated room in the Winter, the deep blue of the sky, the twinkling stars in a midnight sky, the fragrance of flowers in the Spring, the taste of food we love, the sound of cars in the street, rain tapping on a roof, the softness of a blanket that comforts us through the night, the scent of cold air, the look in someone’s eyes, the softness of feathers or fur on a pet…

These are things so often overlooked by us each day. If we stop and pay attention to a single leaf, the crispness or greenness, an individual flower petal, the pastel softness, if we feel, truly mindfully feel the air carassing our skin while outside…it’s like a whole new world! A beauty that can make us go weak at the knees, make our breath catch, make us come alive, make our insides quiver, make us want to jump for joy! We can feel this feeling everyday!

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I saw this tree recently which still has green Springy/Summery leaves and not Fall ones yet and I looked at each leaf individually, not litterally every single one, but many. Instead of seeing it as a whole tree as one and all the leaves together like I usually do, I looked at each one separately, the vibrant green, the light tan/brown bark, the narrow trunk and branches, the way it looked against the sunset sky…and was (and still am!) astounded by the beauty. There’s so much we’re missing!!

All we have to do is look, open our minds and receive.

Our idea of living to the fullest may mean having our dream job, doing fun things like sky-diving, having a family, having lots of money…but while we’re working for those things, we can still live to the fullest! By tuning into each moment no matter what we’re doing! Being mindful, giving it our all, giving our whole self to whatever we’re doing.

This quote above is a wonderful reminder!

Lots of love to you! 😀

xoxo Kim ❤