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Everyday Goodness <3

This isn’t my photo; I found it on an app I recently installed onto my phone. It has so many beautiful quotes and pictures. I never have “bad days.” Not that I don’t have days where it seems one thing after the other goes wrong. I have days like that sometimes but not usually. And when I have a day like that I still don’t ever see it as a bad day(I often find it amusing! Lol). Any day I’m alive is a great day!! ย I even have days where my chronic pain is flaring up to unendurable levels and days I’m severely depressed and even suicidal but I still see the goodness in those days. I have learned even more to focus only the things that are good even when it’s difficult.ย 

Recently I have been experiencing a flareup of depression, not triggered by anything specifically, just a general feeling of deep dark despair that feels almost unbearable like I have no reason to go on living. It sucks! It’s not just a mood or merely negative thinking. The thing is like a sickness for no reason! Even when I have a real problem when my depression flares up I know it’s not that. This just came on out of nowhere for days and it’s so dark.ย 

But my mind is naturally positive and I have strengthened that natural positive state through practice looking on the bright side! ๐Ÿ˜€

One thing I find so helpful is positive quotes and beautiful imagery like the photo above.

I started to look for wallpaper for my new phone, something to brighten my spirit even if it can’t pull me out of a depression. And I found this!

The first thought I have when something inspires me is I want to share it with others.ย 

I am reminded not only that there is something beautiful in each day, even a day that seems to suck but that it’s important to look for and savor the goodness and things that can lift us up.

Then share it with others! โค

Like this lovely photo & quote.

Much love & light to you, always

Xoxo Kimย 

In humble places <3

“Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing.”
A lovely reminder to see beauty everywhere. There’s nowhere it doesn’t exist. In the most mundane, ugly, plain places, in our most wretched states of body or mind, beauty lives still. 

I hope you are having a beautiful day or night wherever in the world you are!

๐Ÿ˜€

Xoxo Kim โค

There’s a place…โค

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“It takes all different kinds of people to run the world. We need everyone.” โค

I saw this quote (don’t remember where; it was on a photo) and find it so inspiring.ย 

“‘Cause there’s a place in the sun
Where there’s hope for ev’ryone
Where my poor restless heart’s gotta run
There’s a place in the sun
And before my life is done
Got to find me a place in the sun”

Place in the sun – Winjama (reggae version) – mobile

Place in the Sun – Winjama – desktop

There are so many kinds of people in this world and we need us all.ย 

My dad used to watch the tv show The Sopranos every night a few months ago until all the seasons ended.

There’s a few episodes where a woman who is an FBI agent in the show pretends to be just a girl shopping at a mall I think, to deceive the girlfriend of a member of the Mafia so she can get information the police need.

They have been watching this man and his girlfriend for a while and an FBI agent tricks the girlfriend and they become close “friends.”

The girlfriend tells the agent things about herself and life she never told anyone, not even her boyfriend, because she feels so close to her.

The FBI agent is sweet and warm and very personable. She pretends to be a great friend to this other girl. Then the FBI people decide to tell the girl the truth, that this new friend of hers is no friend at all but actually an agent of the FBI who has been watching her and her man.ย 

The FBI agent after confessing that’s what she is, all of a sudden is now assertive, no longer warm and sweet. She has a no nonsense way about her now. She’s all stiff and firm.

These are only fictional scenes in a tv show but real detectives and FBI agents for their job sometimes really have to pretend to be someone they aren’t and trick people, maybe even innocent people who get caught up in unpleasant stuff.ย 

I was imagining myself in the FBI character’s place and think I don’t have the heart to ever deceive an innocent person or even not so innocent person who trusts me into thinking we’re close friends and we’re really not. I wouldn’t have a job where I may have to do that.ย 

This girl is the lover of a member of the New Jersey Mafia but she’s just an innocent girl. She knows he’s a murderer and all and chooses to stay with him but she herself is just a regular person. She thought she had this new friend she was able to tell things to she felt she couldn’t tell anyone else, like the fact that she had an abortion years ago.ย 

Imagine finding out your closest friend is a fake? Maybe you don’t have to imagine. It’s a heartbreaking situation.ย 

When the FBI people approached her, not only was she terrified about the trouble they were in but she was heartbroken over the loss of “friendship” or what she thought was genuine friendship. I think this hurt her even more than the prospect of going to prison.ย 

I felt a range of emotions when I realized I can never be like that. I felt thankful that I don’t have it in me to be deceptive and trick an innocent person. I also felt a tinge of envy that I don’t have that kind of aggression or backbone, I guess you can say, like some do, to have a job like that, even though I don’t want that kind of job. And I also felt gratitude that there are people like that in this world, those who do have it in them to trick and deceive for work or other necessary situations. I am inspired.

I don’t want to have it in me to do that but I’m so thankful there are people who do. We need them. We need people who have the ability to be aggressive and deceive people because it’s sometimes necessary, like for certain jobs including police jobs.

Police, attorneys, doctors, and other people of certain professions are sometimes criticized for being cold, aggressive, detached, deceptive, immoral….but it’s actually a good thing that we have people who have a place in them where they can summon feelings of aggression, detachment, and other things that may seem unpleasant.ย 

We need people who can detach and not get worn out having to encounter so much suffering each day at work, like some doctors who have to work with dying people and dead individuals, detectives who have to investigate cases of homicide and other violence and horror….Imagine if they did not have the ability to detach or distance themselves to a certain degree. Many would probably experience burnout or breakdowns of some sort. This isn’t to say they aren’t compassionate or empathetic people ever, just that they have the ability to “turn it off” to a point when necessary. And it’s great to have people in the world who can temporarily put aside their general morals and conscience to do work that may call for it. Not everyone can do that. And for those who cannot, that’s good too.

It’s good if we have compassion and empathy and morals so strong and so constant that we can’t or won’t stop it. This world needs both, extreme empathy and strong sense of morality but also those with the ability to tune out of it in certain situations.ย 

We need people with extreme empathy for criminals, like forensic psychiatrists/psychologists. By empathy, I’m not referring to compassion here. I’m talking about the sharp ability to be able to “get into their heads” and truly understand them, why, how they do certain things, how/why they feel certain ways, the ways they reason. It doesn’t mean the professional person is justifying any of it or taking pleasure in it. It may seem creepy that someone can understand a murderous criminal mind so well and want to do that kind of work. But it’s so great we have people with that strength and desire. We need them.ย 

And for those who can’t even begin to understand the mind of a murderer and don’t want to ever understand, that’s great too! It’s great to be sane and good and “normal.”

In courtrooms we need people who have within them a place of aggression, maybe even callousness, people who can tear others to shreds for their jobs. Some jobs call for aggression, cold, clinical, ways. Warmth, softness, sap, sweet words and gestures are beautiful and needed in this world but not in every situation, not for every job, not with every person. ย 

I always thought if I were in a position to need a lawyer, like a defense attorney, I would prefer a woman because girls can be so vicious! Girls/women of all ages, even generally sweet, warm ones, just can have a kind of aggression or potential for aggression that men don’t have and a job as an attorney requires aggression. How wonderful it is to take that and use it for good or to be productive, helping out our system and helping people instead of using it to drag each other down.

Some jobs call for extreme compassion and not much aggression, like schoolteacher jobs and nurses or doctors or other caretakers, nursing home staff…. and it’s great to have people who are generally very nurturing and mild mannered.ย 

There are people who are very simple or generally lazy, not very motivated, or just don’t want to work much or not work at challenging jobs so have easy jobs (not everyone with an easy or no job is lazy or lacks motivation) and we need those people. We need professional people with big demanding careers and we need those with cashier jobs and janitorial jobs and desk (jobs which some see as “low” or frivolous)…..

I work at a store as a server and cashier and the job itself is unimportant. But it’s important to my boss to have employees helping with her business. And it’s important to the customers who come.ย 

Imagine if no one chose to take jobs as a janitor in buildings or a cashier or food server because the jobs are too “low” or boring and imagine if no one chose to be a doctor because it’s too sad or gruesome or demanding. Imagine if there were no lawyers because it’s an “immoral” job.

Imagine if there was no one with the strength and courage to be aggressive, detached, deceptive, bold….

We wouldn’t have anyone to be lawyers, doctors, detectives….all of which we need.ย 

In a fiction book I read recently (I don’t remember which one but it may be ASBO or Housemates both by Iain Wright {horror novelist}) there are these thug people, physically strong and aggressive and can overpower just about anyone they want. They are some kind of gang members or organized murderers and one of them tells one of their “victims” that he could never be strong or tough enough to do what they do.

And at first I kind of thought of that as a bad thing. Being wimpy and physically weak isn’t good. Just because we’re not gang members and don’t abuse our power over others doesn’t mean we’re weak or wimps but it’s good to be able to have the power and strength to defend ourselves against attacks by others. There’s nothing wrong with being strong and powerful as long as we don’t abuse it.ย 

But then the character in the book says he is happy he doesn’t have what it takes to be a murderer or gang member, that he would never want to be.

There may be some people who don’t ever want to be in a gang or have a certain job but still wish they had the strength or courage to do that kind of work.

But this character is thankful he doesn’t even have what it takes.ย 

It’s great to be “tough” and “streetsmart” and physically strong and bold but it’s also good to be innocent and not even have it in us to be like that. We need us all.ย 

And we don’t just need everyone for the jobs we can do, but just for the beings that we are.

It’s great and ok to have outgoing people, shy people, those who are soft and those who are badass…

Short people and tall people, those with much energy and motivation and those who just want to keep it simple, loud and quiet, and those with a combination of characteristics, religious and non religious, light skin, dark skin, blonde, brunette, orange hair, purple hair, tattooed, pierced, hetero., homo., bi/pan, lgbtqa, healthy, sick, disabled, young, old, introverted and extroverted, financially rich, poor, homeless, jobless, career people and stay at home parents…logical, creative, spiritual, artistic, skeptical, grounded, idealistic, realistic, wild & adventurous, safe & cautious, romantic, dreamers, simple, complex, human, animal, insect……there’s a place for us all.ย 
We can all teach and learn, all have hopes, fears, needs, desires….all ultimately want to avoid suffering.ย 

People with less power or resources than us can teach us or remind us of compassion and those with more can inspire us.ย 

Each situation we experience can teach or remind us something , awaken our wisdom deep within, each person can open a new door for us if we allow it.ย 

We can see the positive in everyone and the worth of every being no matter the species, size, religion, color, status, nationality, profession…..if we pay attention.ย 

We all have different weaknesses and strengths.ย 

We all complement each other and bring balance to the world. There’s always going to be beings and situations that need and call for just what we can provide. Maybe it’s our compassion, our aggression, our softness, our bold personality, our determination, our calmness, our passion, our acceptance, our sarcasm, our soothing energy, our knowledge of ย seemingly trivial things, our ability to be deep and serious, our ability to be lighthearted and carefree, our simplicity or our complexity, our “tough-love” or our smothering, warm, sappy love ….that the situation calls for or that someone needs at the moment.

Not all of us can be or provide all of these things and that’s ok. We can all be and provide something when it’s appropriate. We all have gifts and skills that others do not.ย 

If we or our beautiful qualities are not needed in a certain situation or not desired by a certain someone, it’s not because someone else or some other way is better. It’s just that different people and different situations need different people and things. ๐Ÿ˜€

There’s always going to be someone who is better for someone or something than someone else. And that’s ok.ย 

The world needs us all. ๐Ÿ‘ช

We can bask in the beauty of our Oneness but also appreciate diversity and see the beauty in it. ๐Ÿ’™

Remember, it takes various kinds of people to run our world.ย 

We need everyone. ย 

โค โค
<33

Much love & light to you always & forever,

Xoxo Kimย 

Listen to the Buddha โค

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(Not my photo but I’m going to make one like it with a pic of the adorable Buddha amulet I recently got in the mail! ๐Ÿ˜€ )

If you need a reminder to let go whether it’s something trivial like being looked at the wrong way, an annoying person you must deal with, … Or something a bit more serious seeming like unrequited love, traumatic past, loss, anything at all, here it is! Envision yourself breathing in the bright white light of the Buddha, all his unconditional love, indestructible compassion, and deep wisdom and exhaling all of your struggles, pain, fear, anxieties,… In the form of dark smoke leaving your body. This is what we do in meditation class. โค

Buddha is a very wise man! ๐Ÿ˜„ ๐Ÿ˜€

Much love & light & inner peace now & forever! ๐Ÿ’™

 

Xoxo Kim ๐Ÿ’

 

Road to nowhere

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“We’re on a road to nowhere
Come on inside
Taking that ride to nowhere
We’ll take that ride
I’m feeling okay this morning
And you know
We’re on the road to paradise
Here we go, here we go”

Road to nowhere – Talking Heads – mobile

Road to nowhere – desktop

This is a photo I made using an app on Kindle Fire. The bridge is mine. Well, not the bridge itself. That’s the Ben F. Bridge here in Philadelphia! It’s the photo that is mine and it’s blended into a background of a beautiful photo of a city, which is not mine (the city or the photo…at least I don’t think it’s my city…). The app can do some amazing things! I’m so thankful! ๐Ÿ˜

And also, I love the song! And the interpretation I have of it. I love how they seem so happy and simple with not a care in the world. I can relate. They don’t mind that they’re going nowhere. Lolย 

It’s OK to not always have some big plans for the day or for life in general. Just sit back and take pleasure in the beauty all around each moment! โค

Much love,

Xoxo Kim

 

If I could make days last forever …โค

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“If I could make days last forever
If words could make wishes come true
I’d save every day like a treasure and then
Again, I would spend them with you” โค

This is a photo I made using a Kindle Fire app! That’s my watch! Lol

And what a lovely song! โค

 

Time in a bottle – Jim Croce – mobile

Time in A Bottle – desktop

I hope you are having a lovely day or night! It’s late at night here in Philadelphia!ย 

Also, I want to thank everyone who reads, likes, “likes,” comments, shares, follows….my content here or anywhere! Words cannot completely express my gratitude! I’m always so honored to have even just one person read my posts. I don’t always see comments on social media right away and don’t always respond quickly but I never intentionally ignore people to be rude. I’m the worst at seeing and responding to Facebook comments! I keep my account public and am added to many groups and things so have thousands of notifications a day for various things. I just completely suck at keeping up with it all. My main intention is to post inspiring things for others even if I do not personally or individually connect with everyone. But I deeply appreciate every person who reads, likes, shares….always!! โค๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ’œ๐Ÿ’–๐Ÿ’

Thank you so much!! ๐Ÿ˜€

Much love & light to you, always,

Xoxo Kim โค

 

Heaven on Earth ๐Ÿ’–

 

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(Not my photo)

Heaven is a place on Earth – mobile

Heaven is a place on Earth – desktop โค

“They say in Heaven, love comes first
We’ll make Heaven a place on Earth
Ooh, Heaven is a place on Earth” — Belinda Carlisle ๐Ÿ’—๐Ÿ’–๐Ÿ’

Love can be romantic love, platonic love, universal love(love for all sentient beings, wishing everyone the best, inner peace โค ๐Ÿ‘ช all encompassing love ๐Ÿ’ž๐Ÿ˜˜), self love, love for a thing, place, activity, love for life itself, love as a state of being with no specific target….anything! Any love is good love!!

Let’s put more love out into the world!ย 

Let’s make ย Heaven a place on Earth! ๐Ÿ’–

๐Ÿ’˜๐Ÿ’๐Ÿ’‘๐Ÿ˜˜๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ’•๐Ÿ’ž

Much love & ย light to you always,

Xoxo ย Kim ๐Ÿ˜€

Substance

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“We don’t need bigger cars or fancier clothes. We need self-respect, identity, community, love, variety, beauty, challenge and a purpose in living that is greater than material accumulation.”

Isn’t this the truth! And this is my picture of a beautiful cloud!

 

๐Ÿ˜€ ๐Ÿ˜

Xoxo Kim

 

Promote what you loveย 

This isn’t my photo but it’s one of my favorite quotes. I love the concept of focusing on what we love instead of what we do not or focusing more on what we love and less on the things we do not like. I often think of politics when I think of this because often, we, both politicians as well as just “ordinary” citizens, tend to bash “the other side” and those who support it. Constructive criticism is definitely a positive thing, usually but I still think it’s most often best to focus our energy on the strengths of what we are promoting than on criticizing something or someone else. Of course, this can apply to anything, not just politics. 

I share this sentiment often and here it is again! ๐Ÿ˜€ It can never be stressed too much!

I have lots of blog & messages to catch up on and will soon! Probably Monday because it’s a busy weekend at work!


Much love,


Xoxo Kim