A Light in the Darkness♡

Sep26

“I was alone in the forest meditating. At nightfall, my only company was the flickering light from a kerosene lamp that someone gave. The little it may be, that light gave me strength to keep on striving. It taught me to remember the kindness of others no matter how simple or how small the acts appear to be. A Light in the darkness is a gift we must always remember.” ♡

There’s a song I love so much called A Light in the Darkness. It’s a Buddhist hymn but can apply to everyone. It’s seriously the most inspiring song I have ever heard! It’s about seeing light, being Light even in the darkest places. It’s so empowering.

There’s a cafe somewhat close to where I live. The owner of the cafe is one of the most caring, kind, friendliest people you can meet. He loves animals & warmly welcomes all the doggies! He has free treats & water out for them. ♡ 

I don’t know him but had the pleasure of meeting him a couple of occasions. He is very well loved in the community. Recently, he suffered a massive heart attack and has been in a hospital, unresponsive for a few days. He is in critical condition and his family & friends/coworkers and all who know him are devastated and fearful. 

They don’t know if he’s ever going to wake up. I was walking by the cafe and saw this door. All these people, friends, family, coworkers, strangers, customers…all stopped to express love to Sal and his family. ♡ Each one of these people has brought light into this dark, dark place. Even though I don’t know Sal and probably only seen him on no more than two or three occasions, I felt so much warmth, love, light, & gratitude upon seeing all these sweet messages of love for him. I was inspired to write one myself.

This is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. All these notes written in love and put on display to inspire others to act in love.

I already had this post planned before I learned about Sal’s devastating situation. After seeing all the love just pouring in, I decided to incorporate it into my post here. It’s the perfect example of Light in the darkness. 

“Its flame burns to comfort lost feeling. Its flame burns to comfort lost feeling. A light in the darkness can be seen from afar. Burn of fire for the comfort of many.”

Each day there are little gems of hope all over the place, slivers of light, Earth angels….let’s focus on them no matter how dark it may get where we are. Every favor someone does for us, every smile, every act of kindness we experience/witness, every thing that goes good, let’s give thanks. They are all lights in the darkness. 

Whatever we are experiencing…grief, anxiety, physical pain, depression, anger, breakup of some sort, job loss, betrayal by someone we trusted, regrets, happiness, joy, beginnings, good things, success of different kinds, new job, new relationships/friendships….., let’s remember the kindness of others. 

And let’s remember to BE kind to others even on those occasions it may be difficult. 

“If you have no light in your heart, find one, light one…..If you have a light already burning, let it burn, let it burn, let it burn, let it burn, let it burn, let it burn.”

A Light in the Darkness – desktop 

A light in the Darkness – Wayfarers – mobile

Remember if you have no light in your heart, find one, light one. Smile at strangers, perform an act of kindness for other sentient beings of any species, write a note wishing someone well even if we don’t know the person, say something kind even if we are angry, give to others, write a gratitude list….& if you have a light already burning, let it burn.

Let it burn. 

~Hugs~♡♡♡

Also, my love & compassion go out to Sal and his family, including his family of friends & coworkers and customers. I hope so desperately that he will recover.  ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Much love & light to you, always 

xoxo Kim ♡

Om Mani Padme Hum♡

Sep19

“With devotion and trust, we will bring the Buddha’s love into our hearts, and from there we expand it gradually until it embraces infinite beings. The idea is similar to sunbathing. As our body absorbs the sun’s heat, it becomes warm and gradually emanates that warmth into our surroundings. In the same way, through devotion and trust in the Buddha, we immerse our mind in his unconditional love, which we then radiate to those around us.” ♡

How beautiful! When our head is filled with love, kindness, light, compassion, joy, happiness, gratitude…it radiates positive energy/vibrations to everyone & everything around us. And when our head is filled with anger, vengeful intentions, jealousy….that’s the energy that goes out to everyone. What kind of energy/vibrations do we want to be sending out into the uni-verse? Not that toxic energy, hopefully! So let’s choose positivity!

Think about things to be thankful for, take a deep breath (if we can, if we have breathing difficulties/allergies, this can be difficult so just take whatever breath we can!) and let trivial things slide even if we’re annoyed or angry, let other people’s happiness & success inspire & motivate us instead of feeling jealous, surround our selves with pleasant colors & things that resonate with us, reading uplifting books & quotes, listen to happy songs, be kind even when we may not feel very kind, smile at strangers and make eye contact, hold our tongue if we have the urge to lash out, save insects, share food with stray animals, reach out and touch someone’s hand, give someone, human or animal, a hug/kiss, do good even if it’s not known or appreciated by others….and let Love prevail. 

There’s a Buddhist song I love, Law of Karma, and the man sings “Avoid the bad, do only good.”

Listen here:

Law of Karma – mobile

Law of Karma – desktop 

So beautiful & inspiring! Whether or not we believe in karma, it’s a beautiful concept to do good as much as we can and avoid the bad. It will surely contribute to happiness in this life. I’m so inspired when I hear him sing “Do only good.” Not mostly good. Only good. 

Imagine how much Light we will be filled with and radiate, when all that we do is done in love. Just imagine! It won’t always be easy and we may not succeed right away but it’s an incredible goal to have and to work on. Do as much good as we can, be as loving as possible and eventually we will do only good and be as infinitely & deeply loving as the Buddha! ♡ 

I’m wishing you much love & light today & always! ♡♡♡ Hugs to you!

Xoxo Kim 

♡more

Sep8

“A purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved.”



Love, can be expressed/experienced in various ways. It can be a feeling of affection, romantic or platonic, that isn’t acted upon and also a verb/action. Whenever we do something kind for others or wish someone well, whether we know those beings or not, we are experiencing/expressing love. I saw this today while walking one of my babies and after taking him home, I walked back to get a picture! I love all the inspiring messages I see around!

It’s a beautiful message to love more, in general. Let’s love whoever & whatever is around to be loved. ♡

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

Much love & light,

Xoxo Kim

No act of kindness is ever wasted ♡

Sep5

I saw this outside of a bar this morning, while walking one of my babies. (An adorable pitbull!) ♡ When I read the first part, I automatically thought how sweet it is that a saying like that is chalked on the building of a bar! Then I quickly saw the last part and burst out laughing! Lol How funny!

Anyway, I very much agree with the first part! No matter how seemingly small or simple an act of kindness is and even if it’s not appreciated by the recipient of the kind act, it’s never wasted! It generates positive energy and is a beautiful way to live. Sometimes I see social media posts or hear people in person speak about how they are too kind and it’s not appreciated and how they have to stop being so caring. I hope people won’t stop being kind and caring no matter what. We need all the kind, caring people we can get! Why regret something we do out of love for others?! 

I love this funny, lighthearted, & inspiring quote I came across this morning!! 

I hope you are having a beautiful day or night wherever you are! ♡♡♡

Much love & light to you always,

Xoxo Kim 

Stay. ♡

Aug22

“There’s going to be days when you don’t want to be here anymore. You just STAY. You fucking stay. Somewhere out there, somebody needs your voice — I promise. I swear to God, your laughter is someone’s saving grace. Hold on tight, baby. The sun is coming for you.”  ♡

This quote is attributed to Erin Van Vuren. I don’t know if that’s correct. She seems to curse a lot in her quotes! Lol Maybe some people think profanity is a good way to express passion more strongly? Anyway, this quote (and the beautiful heart!) is a great reminder to anyone struggling with suicidal tendencies or depressive illness. 

That’s why I chose this heart. It’s a beautiful reminder. When things get too difficult, painful, scary, confusing, dull, numb, or whatever, stay. 

Stay.

If you are contemplating if you should stay or go, please stay!

Much love & light to you, always! I hope you are having a beautiful day or night wherever you are! ♡♡♡

Xoxo Kim 


No bad days♡

Aug22


I was walking a dog one day (an adorable German Shorthair Pointer! I love him to pieces! ♡) and saw a cup in a window of a store that says no bad days. I don’t drink out of cups like that but decided I would go back later and buy the cup anyway because the saying on it is so very inspiring. No bad days. That has been my life philosophy for as long as I can remember. To me, there’s no such thing as a “bad day.”

Even if I’m severely depressed, my chronic pain is flaring up, I’m struggling with a raw grief flareup, I’m just in a bad mood, it’s 100 degrees…..that doesn’t constitute a “bad day.” Any day I’m alive and can experience, is actually a good day because I can choose what to focus on. Everyday has good & bad and I have the ability to choose which to dwell on. Sometimes it will be easier to focus on the good than others but I always have that choice even if some occasions it takes some extra work.

The saying on the cup deeply resonates with me so later I went back to buy it but decided to look around the store and found this planner with the same saying! One left on the shelf! I would much prefer a notebook/planner than a cup! So I bought it instead! And the sweet girl at the register gave me a discount because the coloring on the book got faded by the sun. I had no idea and thought it was made like that and think it looks even better with the washed out look.

I dont use it as a planner but just to write inspiring quotes and things. And it came with stickers!

This is my gratitude journal! ♡

Me having a great day, this morning! 😀 ♡

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

Much love & light to you, always!

Xoxo Kim 

Currently♡ 

Aug20

So here’s one of those “life lately” or “currently” posts I see on blogs sometimes! 

Current:

Mood: Happy! 😀 I’m sitting in a park on a warm, sunny afternoon with the scent of grass all around me. I was just reading a Buddhist book then stopped to do this post, what’s not to he happy about?! 

Listening to: Birds & crickets chirping, the sounds of metal chains on the swings in the park, cars going by, people laughing 

Drinking: iced tea

Looking forward to: birthday celebration with friends next weekend! (His birthday, not mine!)

Problem:

This:

I was recently attacked by a dog (extremely aggressive with humans for no reason) and this is one of the injuries. I’m struggling with the physical pain and temporary  (hopefully!) physical limitations it has brought me. And there’s also the risk of infection. And I had a posttraumatic distressing dream about it after it occurred. This is the biggest bruise i ever had and probably ever saw and most painful. But I’m handling it with a positive attitude! Thankfully no stitches needed and I’m just taking care of it on my own, no medical attention  (unless I need it later for any reason, hopefully not though). 

And here’s a sweet surprise someone gave me!


♡♡♡♡

The sweet girl, (Amber), who gave me the cookies, also gave me this! She’s an artist (very talented one!) and let me choose whatever heart I wanted, as a gift! I see her hearts, with powerful words/messages, all around the city and this one is the one that resonates with me most. Stay. ♡ How beautiful! So thankful!

And!

I finally got a state id! I’m 31 years old and never had one! Lol It was so hard to get because I did not have all the documents I needed. I had no id or ss card and need one to get the other. But after a long, difficult process, here it is!

I currently work seven days a week and love it! ♡ I get to love & take care of animals each day, mostly dogs! ♡

And I want to share this quote I find so inspiring: 

“Awareness is a process of deepening self-acceptance. It is neither a cold, surgical examination of life nor a means of becoming perfect. Whatever it observes, it embraces. There is nothing unworthy of acceptance.”

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

Xoxo Kim 

Kindness♡

Jul10

(Diane – July 14, 1956 – February 14, 2015)

“Treat everyone with kindness, even those who are rude to you – not because they are kind, but because you are.”

I wrote this about a week ago but never posted it so here it is!

Recently, I have had some difficult interactions with some people acting unreasonably and petty. I have been pissed for the last couple days and so distressed it triggered a severe flareup of my chronic pain disorder. Last night I laid awake in agony. It was one of my worst experiences. I felt like I was going insane. And it’s all my own doing. I let those people drive me to this point.
Today when I was out walking, I caught myself thinking of ways to unleash my anger in unpleasant ways. I wanted people to know what I think of them (it’s definitely not kind, loving thoughts!) and I realized that my usual kind, loving, patient self was pushed aside and very unpleasant, destructive emotions took the place of the love & patience I usually experience & display.

While I was standing there dwelling on my resentment for the people I had unpleasant encounters with and conjuring up unkind ways to let them know of my resentment, I thought of Diane. My close friend who always talked to and about me and bragged about me like I was her own daughter. She has three sons and grandchildren but no daughter of her own. Her love for me always seemed like a mother’s love. 

I used to have it planned to have a job working with people with “extra/special” needs. Diane knew that those kinds of jobs arent the easiest and not always pleasant. She worked at a hospital for a while. She told me one of her worst fears was that I would lose my patience, softness, warmth, kindness….if I had to encounter people who are not easy to deal with. She said she couldn’t bear to think of me changing. As I write this, my heart wells up with gratitude, love, warmth….someone who loved me so much, the real me, that she was terrified of me changing! To have a love like that is a blessing. Diane is no longer is this world and I still struggle so hard with my deep grief, even years later, but not once since losing her have I ever felt that I lost her love. I carry it with me always. Her love for me will survive as long as I do. And even longer since I have stories about her in my writing here. 

Diane wasn’t what people would probably describe as “warm” or “soft.” She was loud, assertive, sarcastic, outspoken. We knew when she was pissed, when she had a problem with us, when she was fed up, when she loved us; she did not hold back. On multiple occasions, she threatened to kick my ass. The very last word I heard her say before she was taken so suddenly, so unexpectedly, was “unfuckingbelievable.” She said this then slammed a window in my face. I still smile & laugh when I remember this. 

She cursed a lot and even yelled at people. But she was deeply compassionate, extremely generous, caring, loving…she cared for people with drug addiction, mental health problems, financial problems(which she struggled with herself). She always gave to others what she hardly had herself. She would go above & beyond to help people; even those who wouldn’t do the same for her.

 She never gossiped about others. If she had something to say, she said it right to our faces. She wasn’t always pleasant, though she often was. I did not always care for her sarcasm, especially when I first met her, many years ago. She did not have the patience I have. But I have always loved her (and still love her!) just how she was.

I love how she did not want me to be like her; she wanted me to be just how I am. Always. 

Since she died a couple years ago I have struggled to find ways to honor her life. I have a silver necklace with her name engraved, have performed acts of kindness in her memory, posted things about her…all which I find healing to some degree. But I have just kept having this inkling that there must be more. A more profound way to keep her memory, her love going. And I have longed for a deeper healing. 

Then as I was standing outside, contemplating a kind of revenge, giving into thoughts & emotions of anger, aggression, destruction….I thought of her and her worst fear. Her fear that I would let others drag me down to the point that I stop being kind, patient, loving, warm. And I made the decision right then and there that for her, I won’t give in. I won’t give into the temptation to seek revenge, to lash out, to say or do something unkind to someone for doing that to me. I would never become bitter & unkind completely but I can temporarily slip into those things.

There may be occasions in this life that I will be less patient, less kind, less warm, than I am, but I will let Diane’s love for me, wash over me and inspire me to let my love ultimately prevail. I choose to not let this difficult situation with these difficult people drag me so low that I act in destructive ways towards them or myself. 

What better way to honor Diane than to keep shining my own light, the light she was so afraid would be snuffed by difficult circumstances? I will keep shining, keep smiling, and keep trying to lift others along the way. ♡

 I would love to invite everyone to join me on my journey of love!

I hope you are having a beautiful day or night wherever in the world you are. ♡ Hugs to you. ♡

Much love & light, always,

Xoxo Kim

Sad eyes {look at the bright side}

Jul9

“Looks like it’s over
You knew I couldn’t stay
She’s coming home today
We’ve had a good thing
I’ll miss your sweet love
Why must you look at me that way
It’s over”

One of the most difficult aspects of my job is taking care of people’s pets for days, sometimes even sleeping overnight at their houses/apartments, while the people are away on business trips or vacation and then the people come home and I have to give the babies back. They often sleep in bed with me at night and in just a couple days I become accustomed to all their cute little ways, the noises they make, the way they eat, play, look at me…and even though I know i shouldnt, i become so attached! It’s so painful but I love the job!! Most of my job is happy, pleasant, cheerful. The animals all have happy, loving furever homes with their humans who love them as their children. There are definitely some heartbreaking moments though, like having to say goodbye to my little furkins, hearing about ones who die or become sick, ones moving away who I don’t get to see anymore…so heartbroken….

It’s not just saying goodbye after days of being the sole caretaker of the animals but sometimes even saying goodbye til tomorrow or even later the same day! Lol Some animals, just like some people, we may just have a deeper connection with or some just seem more sad to see me go. It’s one of the deepest kinds of heartbreak I have ever known. To see a furbaby who isn’t mine but feels like mine, looking back at me with sad eyes, not understanding why I have to leave. But it’s worth the pain, to have the job that I have.

One of the things I find to be healing, is to remember & cherish all the happy moments with the little babies. There’s so many. Remembering a happy occasion can take us right back to that happy place! Almost like reliving it.

In the midst of grief though, remembering happy moments can actually deepen the painful feelings of loss, sadness, grief. But it can really help to instead focus on the love and try to revive those happy occasions.

This song sums it up perfectly.

“Try to remember
The magic that we shared
In time your broken heart will mend
I never used you
You knew I really cared
I hate to say it at the end
But it’s over”

I always listen to this song when I’m especially sad about leaving one of my babies. It’s a great source of consolation.

In the song, they know it’s only temporary, the relationship they have with one another. Just as I know my stay with my babies is only temporary. It doesn’t take away the sadness of leaving but if we keep remembering this is only temporary and take in all the beauty of the present moments, it can help lessen the grief a bit. Let there be no regrets. Live fully and love deeply.

 And as the saying goes “It’s better to have loved & lost than to never have loved.”

It’s a beautiful gift to get to care for & love all these sweet babies! Even though they aren’t mine and I have to give them back in the end, loving them is worth it.

If you ever feel sad about losing something or someone, remember to dwell on the happy moments shared together or experienced instead of the loss and sadness. Everything is a gift. Loss of any kind is painful but we only experience loss because we have a gift in the first place. We never had to be “given” this sweet gift but we were.

“How wonderful it is to have something that makes saying goodbye so difficult.”

Sad Eyes – desktop 

Sad Eyes – mobile 
Much love & light to you, always. ~Hugs~


Xoxo Kim 

Summer Love♡

Jul8

Summer is my least favorite season. Excessive heat tends to get me more than any other extreme weather. Also, Summer themes (beach, vacations, bbqs, pools…) just don’t appeal to me as much as Fall & Winter themes (holidays, pumpkins, snow, hot chocolate…). For work, i have to be outside for much of the day, everyday, which can contribute to it being easier to see the unpleasant side of Summer. So I decided to focus on the goodness of Summer and list all the things I love about it!

Here goes!

1.) Waiting for a bus is much easier (in my opinion) when it’s very hot than very cold. It’s hard to be still in bitter cold weather.

2.) It’s often more pleasant to sit in a park on a hot Summer day than a freezing cold Winter day. As I said above, it’s hard to be still when it’s extremely cold. Also, I love the sounds of the birds and people and dogs in the park all around me.

3.) All the beautiful people and animals out & about on a warm Summer day. I love being surrounded by all the living things.

4.) The insects, birds…. I love all the butterflies and fireflies and other beautiful creatures all around.

5.) Walking by cafes and restaurants with outside tables and seeing all the people happy & laughing together.

6.) Flowers & plants & trees with green leaves!

7.) The feel of walking into an air conditioned building after being out in the heat.

8.) The feel of stepping out of a freezing cold air conditioned building into a lovely summer day. The heat feels so welcoming then.

9.) Tropical scents

10.) Gentle summer breezes

11.) Crickets churring at night

12.) Suntans! I love getting a natural tan walking in the sunlight!

13.) Carnivals!

14.) Cold showers

15.) It eventually ends & gives way to Fall! 

 

So here are a few of my favorite things about Summer!!

It’s always great to focus on the bright side. And there’s always a bright side! If not, create one! Think of something you don’t care for or something that just isn’t your favorite then list the good things that still exist about it or the positive things as a result of it. This strengthens our mind to develop or maintain a positive attitude. It’s also so uplifting to list the good.

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

Much love & light,

Xoxo Kim