Tag Archive | beauty

30 Days of Photos – Day 8 {still life} <3

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Day 8 for the 30 day photo challenge is to get a still life photo. 

On August 8th, I took pictures of a fake flower (above) and then found apps online to make the pictures resemble still life paintings.  

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“In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you.” ~ 
Deepak Chopra

“Learning how to be still, to really be still and let life happen – that stillness becomes a radiance.” ~
Morgan Freeman

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“So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing.” ~
T. S. Eliot

“To know yourself as the Being underneath the thinker, the stillness underneath the mental noise, the love and joy underneath the pain, is freedom, salvation, enlightenment.” ~
Eckhart Tolle

“I have patches of insomnia, and I’m fascinated by the otherness of the world at night. The stillness. Daytime preoccupations fall away, standards change, thoughts change. It’s a canvas for reinvention, I think.”
Morag Joss

Interesting! Seems like a positive view on insomnia for once. Even when something sucks, there has to be a bright side or something positive to embrace!  

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“Each solstice is a domain of experience unto itself. At the Summer Solstice, all is green and growing, potential coming into being, the miracle of manifestation painted large on the canvas of awareness. At the Winter Solstice, the wind is cold, trees are bare and all lies in stillness beneath blankets of snow.” ~ 
Gary Zukav

This is a beer bottle outside of a bar/restaurant that I took a picture of and turned into a “painting.” 

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Want to participate in the 30 Days photo challenge?! Here you are: free e-course – photo challenge

Much love to you! ❤

😀

xoxo Kim

Starlight Blogger Award <3

This Award is created to highlight and promote Inspiring Bloggers.

This Award is created to highlight and promote Inspiring Bloggers.

FunLittleJoys nominated me for the Starlight Blogger Award and I’m so honored!

See her post here:

I’m not always the best with reading all the blogs I follow. My reader doesn’t work good on my phone. It doesn’t load correctly so I don’t see all the blogs. And often when I click on a blog, it goes to the avatar page and is very confusing. 

The only blogs I get to see much are ones that come straight to me in e-mails which most do not.

So I know there are many blogs that belong on this list and aren’t. I’m going to start keeping better track of my favorite blogs. ❤

But for now, these are the blogs I believe are worthy of this award! Yay! 😀

https://shirleysheaven.wordpress.com/

https://herladypinkrose.wordpress.com/

https://elizawaters.wordpress.com/

http://davidsnape.me/

http://ordinaryadventures.co/

http://amusingmyselfmusings.com/

http://yoursuccessinspirer.com/

http://momentarylapseofsanity.com/

https://insidethelifeofmoi.wordpress.com/

https://worldstrata.wordpress.com/

https://quotationsidiomsproverbs.wordpress.com/
 
https://meloheartsite.wordpress.com/

Rules:

Show off your award by posting the picture of it.
Thank the person who gave you the nomination.
Answer the 3 questions given to you.
Pass on the award to at least six of your fellow bloggers and let them know it.
Give your nominees 3 questions to answer.

I know many bloggers do not participate in awards, including some on this list, and some people probably won't accept this but are still worthy of the mention here! I love awards and think they are so fun!  Go check out these lovely blogs please!! 

Here are the questions I am to answer to accept the award! 

1.) What is your favorite Quote that helps you with Inspiration?

I can never choose just one quote for my favorite but one of my favorite ones is “You can be greater than anything that can happen to you.” which is attributed to American minister, Norman Vincent Peale (May 31, 1898 – December 24, 1993) who is also an author and was a professional speaker. His life philosophy is about remaining positive and conquering anything that comes our way. I find it so inspiring.

2.) Where would you want to be in the next 5 years?

I'm not the biggest planner or very goal oriented. I just go with the flow and take in the simple beauty all around me. But I definitely hope to have a job working closely with people and helping people. 

3.) What made you start your blog?

I started the blog in June 2012 as a way to inspire others. While I love to write for myself and have a collection of things to always have to look back on, I mostly write for others who may one day come across it whether it's immediately after I post it or years later. When I write, I try to make it be able to apply to people in general. My life-long struggle with severe depression and quest for healing is my main inspiration for the blog. I know there are people like me with depression and others who can benefit by being inspired or uplifted in any way so I love to collect all the little inspirational gems I come across and share them with anyone who is interested. 

My three questions:

What is your favorite season/weather and why? Or if you live in a place with not much weather variation, which season seems most pleasant to you? Warm, hot, sunny, humid? Cold, cool, brisk, snowy, rainy, cloudy, gray… 

If you listen to music, what is one of the songs that inspires you most? 

What kind of animal do you think can represent your personality? Example: fierce like a tiger, friendly like a dog, free like an Eagle, delicate like a white dove, wild and in charge like a wolf, prissy like a cat… lol

And thank you so much FunLittleJoys
for the nomination! I greatly appreciate it!!

😀

xoxo Kim ❤

30 Days of Photos Day 4 {extraordinary in the ordinary}

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Day 4- August 4th

Day 4 for the photo challenge is to get a picture of an ordinary object. Any object we desire to capture. The point is to see beauty in the ordinary.

I chose a remote control in my house.
I don’t watch TV. Sometimes I watch movies on tv.
I haven’t made it a point to watch TV in years, occasionally if someone else has it on, I watch parts and laugh like “King of Queens” & “Full House.” If I watched tv, those would be two shows I can get hooked on. I watched Full House when I was a little girl and always loved it. ❤ But now tv isn't my cup of tea. I'm always reading. I don't want to commit to watching a tv show each week. I would get restless and always have something better to do. When I say "better," I mean better for me. I don't think everyone watching TV should be or could be doing something better. It's all about our own interests. I just can't get into it. 

But I realize that TV shows are not just entertaining and educational, they can provide us with a sense of comfort or escape for a while. 
They can be a way to cope with grief, depression, or any problem someone may have.
Through the days, weeks, months, years, we can come to feel that we know the characters and places almost as our own family/friends and places we know.
The actors (and all those involved in creating the tv show) bring them alive on screen to touch us in deep ways.  They bring tears, laughter, togetherness, joy, thrills…
Even though I don't watch TV, I often love the warm, cozy feel of a tv being on in the background with a fun show or movie. 
I love the idea of people cuddling up with friends & family together, drinking tea, eating popcorn, laughing while watching something wonderful! 

This is only one remote control but I put a mirror effect on it. 

The 30 day photo challenge is here:

30 Day Photo Challenge Course

You can sign up for free whenever you want, it’s at your own pace and there really aren’t any rules. Just each day you take a pic of whatever the topic is that day and share it on your blog, twitter, instagram…wherever! You can get creative with the perspective, angles, editing, effects…

I’m wishing you much love & happiness today & always!

❤

Xoxo Kim 😀

30 Days of Photos – Day 3 {Rule of Thirds}

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I wrote this on August 3rd but couldn’t post til now(August 4th). 

Rule of thirds 

I’m not sure if my picture today (Aug. 3) follows the rule of thirds accurately but I like it!

I haven’t quite grasped the rule yet.
But at least my subject isn’t directly in the center of the picture, which is the point for Day 3. And my attempt is all that matters anyway!  
(I think this picture may also submit to the rule of negative space?)

This is my Buddha green aventurine bracelet.

It’s supposed to attract positive energy, optimism, amazing opportunities, increase confidence, help us connect more deeply with nature, help with depression, anxiety, be calming, good luck…and all kinds of other stuff.
Aventurine is considered by some to be the luckiest stone! 

My sister and me both have one. She loves stones and what they represent. 

Unlike my sister, I don’t believe that stones, real or fake, can really bring good luck and things but they can be symbolic and a great reminder! Also, this has a little Buddha head on it! Isn’t he cute?!

His expression is so calm like he hasn’t a care in the world and I feel so calm and peaceful just looking at his face on my bracelet. True calmness is within and not about our environment. We can be in the most hectic, distressing, painful environment but still stay peaceful and joyful. We may or may not naturally be calm & peaceful but whether or not we are, with practice we can develop and deepen and maintain a generally calm mind. 

All Buddha figures represent calmness & love but not all of them are crafted as well and look this good. Some Buddha statues and charms just creep me out. It’s a kind of heavy bracelet too, of great quality. I love it! 

Along with sharing my picture, I will share some of his sentiments. Buddha’s teachings can benefit everyone in some way, even just a few of his ideas put into practice can be life changing. 

Last night I had a Buddhist dream.

Did you ever have one of those experiences where you are dreaming and something happens in real life while you’re dreaming and the thing that happens gets incorporated into your dream? Like a dog barking for real then in your dream a dog appears and is barking in your dream but it’s the real one you hear and you awaken to the real dog barking.

I had an experience like this in the morning.
Only it wasn’t barking that was incorporated into my slumbering dream.
I was in class during a Buddhist ceremony and we were doing some ritual. The monk who teaches our class was, in my dream, performing a ritual and all of a sudden something wet and messy dropped on my head during class. I was drenched in liquid and chunks and slop and heard a retching noise and woke up! Unfortunately it wasn’t just a dream! My big pitbull was in my bed hanging over me throwing up! All over me! My head, my arm, my side… Lol She’s not sick; she just has a weak stomach, she always did.
What a way to wake up! 

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This is my pitbull, my fuzzy sausage girl, my furry soulmate, Isis Summerjo. How can anyone resist the cuteness?!

I had no idea what I was going to get a picture of today. I went out and forgot my phone then I had to go to work and at work I was thinking of what to get a pic of then I thought oh of course, my Buddha bracelet!” 

Then I remembered my Buddhist dream and that unfortunate experience! Lol 

So here are some of Buddha’s views.

Do not wish for gratitude. 

Help other living beings just to help, not to receive gratitude in return. Someone may be greatly helped or uplifted or inspired by what we do and that’s enough even if the person isn’t thankful to us. We don’t need people to gush over us for helping them or complimenting them and we don’t need credit or something tangible in return. Love to love, not just to be loved in return.

Do not be boastful – sometimes we will be really good at something that others suck at, we will do something great, we will have what someone else doesn’t, we will accomplish something good, we will learn and come to know things that are important that other people won’t seem to grasp, we will be wiser than some people. But let’s remain humble anyway and use our gifts and fortunes to benefit others. It’s ok to be confident in our abilities and gifts and be thankful but not good to act arrogantly with others or be proud at their expense. 

Rejoice in the fortunes and success of others –
 
Let’s not be jealous. Let’s be happy for others when something good happens to them. Remember how it feels to have something good happen to us then know that’s how they feel and take pleasure in it. It gets us nowhere to feel jealous and unhappy because someone else succeeds, it just feels unpleasant and can lead us to act in unpleasant ways to those around us. It generates negative energy. And remember there’s enough goodness for all of us. When one person wins, we all win. We can even let their happiness and success motivate us and inspire us to take action to better our selves. 

Do not retaliate – when someone does something to hurt us, whether physically or emotionally, or to hurt someone we know, we may feel like seeking revenge, lashing out, holding a grudge…this isn’t good for anyone. It’s detrimental to harbor anger and loathing for someone and it doesn’t usually make the situation better and it often worsens it. 
Act on compassion instead of anger, reach out to help and console the one hurt, not act on fury against the one who hurt the person/other sentient being. And if we are the one hurt, we can reach out to others in a similar situation or just be sure to never do to others what someone did to us. We know how it feels to be hurt, let’s try to avoid doing that to others when we can.

Use every occasion with a person who angers us, as an opportunity to practice patience and cultivating an attitude of compassion, instead of acting on anger. We don’t have to repress the anger, just take a few breaths, consciously, and imagine how acting angry just worsens things, often. It’s good for us and everyone around us to stay calm and loving no matter what. It doesn’t mean not speaking up, just not acting negatively. 

Don’t be consumed in guilt – guilt, when it’s excessive or delusional, does no good. Even if we really are guilty, we can be sorry, vow to try to never hurt someone or do something like it again, then move forward. Nearly everyone makes mistakes, acts unkindly, messes up, is wrong sometimes and there’s always hope, just keep going and help others along the way. 

Cherish others above the self.

Pay close attention to your mind and thoughts, attempt to have positive, loving thoughts.
When you catch unpleasant thoughts, redirect your mind.

Offer the victory to others and accept defeat upon our self. Let others be right even if they aren’t. It’s ok to speak up. But it’s more important to be loving & kind than to be right.

    Advice from Atisha’s Heart

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“Profit and respect are nooses of the maras, so brush them aside like stones on the path.” ~ Atisha

Let’s not be concerned with gaining material/monetary wealth or the respect of others. Do what you know is right deep inside.

“Avoid places that disturb your mind, and always remain where your virtues increase.” 

When we can, let’s avoid places that drain the life out of us, tempt us to do negative things, and are just not good for us. And visit places that nourish our goodness. But remember it’s mostly not about our physical environment but our attitude and perspective that lead to happiness or pain. 

“Avoid friends who cause you to increase delusions, and rely upon those who increase your virtue. This you should take to heart.”

Same with people. We can love them, wish them the best, and go our separate ways.

“Do not be jealous of others’ good qualities, but out of admiration adopt them yourself.”

“Do not look for faults in others, but look for faults in yourself, and purge them like bad blood.”

“Do not contemplate your own good qualities, but contemplate the good qualities of others, and respect everyone as a servant would.”

“Always keep a smiling face and a loving mind, and speak truthfully without malice.”

“Generate compassion for lowly beings, and especially avoid despising or humiliating them.”

“Have no hatred for enemies and no attachment for friends.” 

Loving our friends is good, being attached is not. Let them go if they leave and not depend on them for our general happiness. Love them unconditionally. But keep in mind that the relationship as it now is will one day come to an end either through death or a breakup or drifting apart. Most things do not and cannot last forever. Acknowledging this and accepting it while cherishing those we currently have will help it be easier to cope with loss. 

See, these things can apply to everyone, not just Buddhist people. 

We may not always live up to these things but it’s good to try and each moment we display these qualities is amazing! Whenever we fall, we can just get back up and keep going, lifting others every step of the way. 

❤

Much love to you!

❤

Xoxo Kim 😀

Thursday (and some random memories) <3

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It’s August 2nd(but probably says August 3rd)! Yay! I love the beginning of each month! But I wrote this on July 31st. So yeah…i couldn’t post it because I had so much work and wifi wasn’t working well at work.

Thursday, I was at Buddhist class in Center City, Philadelphia and it ended early so I sat in the park across the street. My dad drives me home so I waited there. I love the park so much! It feels so beautiful just sitting on a bench surrounded by trees, flowers, green, insects, birds, animals.., people when there’s others in there, experiencing the floral fragrances and soft air upon my skin.

That night,  it rained and when the rain stopped all the park benches were wet but I sat on one anyway after taking a brief walk under the dusky sky as the setting sun washed over the city in a disarray of grays and pinks and oranges. It was lovely. I love the way the sunlight reflects off of cars and buildings and windows.

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Two young men, like college aged boys, came to the bench next to the one I was sitting on.

One sat down and the other stood and asked why he would sit on a wet bench and he replied “Dude, my ass is always wet anyway…”

Lmao! I couldn’t help but wonder why his ass would always be wet! But maybe I don’t want to know…

So this story probably has no point but it’s just really, really funny!

Also Thursday was my babies’ birthday! Their first birthday! Last year on July 30th my dog had twins! A boy & a girl. She only had two puppies and my family kept them. And we make sure she doesn’t have anymore! Lol She’s very old. And the daddy is very young.

They light up my world. I have six dogs and we celebrate all of their birthdays and anniversaries that they came to live with us.

We bought them bones and little cakes that they love.

When it’s one of their special days, they all get a gift because we don’t want any to feel left out.

My mom & sister & me are big animal lovers. We treat them as if they are family members because they are. And we feed stray animals when we can and do what we can to save pigeons when they are eating in the street. It’s best to feed them on a pavement so they don’t get killed in traffic.

Here are my babies shortly after they were born last year.

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Woody is the big boy (named after the doll on Toy Story, my favorite movie! His name is Dagwood because I loved that name when I was little and thought the reactions of those I told, were funny, no one else liked it! and I love Toy Story and decided to name him that and call him Woody) Quinny is the girl. My little sister named her.

They are chihuahua/daschund/pomeranian mixes and are the most adorable, sweetest things ever! Their mommy is a mutt and their daddy is a purebred pomeranian.

When they were born we quickly realized their mommy’s nipples weren’t producing any milk except for one nipple, which Woody found the second he was born, my mom said. Lol little piggy! Woody was born first.

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So we had to buy them special milk to drink in a dropper. Now they are very healthy. Woody has a big belly, it’s so cute! He’s now smaller than Quinny but heavier to pick up and has a bigger belly.

This is Quinny shortly after she was born, with milk all over her little face! My heart just melts! ❤

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They are so bad! The older they get, the more energetic they become. They chew everything they get their little paws on and they rip our pants off while we’re walking! Lol But they are just too cute!

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They sleep in bed with me every night. Woody follows me everywhere day & night when I’m home.

They have only been in the world for one year but it feels like forever. I can’t even remember life before them.

I just can’t get over the cuteness. Quinny looks just like what she is, a mutt! Lol And Woody looks like a purebred chihuahua even though he’s more pom. But they both look like their mommy, Boobie(I named her when I was 16 years old. Lol my sister named her Sweetheart but I called her Boobie and it stuck). She’s a great mommy and still takes care of them, cleans them and snuggles with them.

Emmy is the little daddy.

This is him! He’s so adorable and loving.

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He took good care of his babies when they were born, he would go in the pac n play we got for them and take them slim jims and other treats! Lol He had no idea they were too little to eat them but he really did not want them to eat them because he wanted them! It’s so cute, he would drop a slim jim in front of them for a few seconds then take it back and eat it! He wanted it but he wanted to be generous!

Now they annoy him but he still loves them! He growls at them when they annoy him but then he kisses them real fast to show he doesn’t want to be angry. Lol The babies and daddy are always flying around the house playing and having fun, he’s only a year older! Lol

When Woody is being bad and I’m yelling at him to stop, he kisses me real fast too, to let me know not to be mad then he goes back to being bad! Lol And he kisses us as he’s walking by, it’s the cutest thing, he just stops, kisses us, and keeps going. I also get woken up to kissies in the morning.

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best friends 4ever. ❤

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I just love my babies. They are too adorable for words!

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They love having their bellies rubbed and being held and snuggled.

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and here is the little mommy.

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Isn’t she so adorable?! She got a treat for Mother’s Day! ❤
She will 13 years old next month.

And Thursday I had blueberry iced coffee!  Yum! Blueberry is my favorite. I'm also drinking it now(and now. Lol I wrote this on Friday, July 31st, now it's August 2nd and here I am again with blueberry coffee!). I don't care much for regular hot coffee, only if it has a flavor or is iced coffee. I love iced coffee and hot tea but it's not something I drink everyday and I drink it for the taste and pleasure of drinking it. I don't need it to function like some people claim that they do.

It doesn't keep me awake.

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I don’t understand how people can drink coffee every single day and it still helps them stay awake. Doesn’t your body get used to it after a while and it no longer works? Like when people take drugs and have to keep getting them stronger to work like they used to.

In college I never drank coffee, not even iced coffee, it just never occurred to me to drink it. But one day I got yelled at by a philosophy professor for sleeping in his class. I was right in the front row and it wasn’t the first class of his I fell asleep in.

Then he yelled “if people are going to be sleeping in my class or struggling to stay awake then drink a Red Bull before coming here or don’t bother showing up! There will be NO MORE sleeping or struggling to stay awake in here!!” omg! Awkward! Lol

That was the morning after I was at my good friend, Mike’s, house all night! Then after we left his house, we stayed out all night, went to the movies and all over and I did not get home until like 3:00 in the morning! It was a fun night! But I paid for it the next morning! But I would have probably fell asleep anyway!

So I started getting to campus earlier to buy iced coffee and see if it helped me stay awake. I always heard coffee can keep someone awake and wasn’t sure if it is true. I was amazed that it did in fact help me stay awake but did not keep me awake if I wanted to sleep. It helped me have a choice. This was an early morning class and I was struggling with very severe depression (I was involuntarily hospitalized that semester for it) on top of just not being a morning person, and staying up late often just reading or going out with my friends, or contemplating all night if I should live or die(lol dramatic but true). I love morning but I just can’t stay awake that early even if I get to sleep early.

But after a while, my body must have gotten used to the coffee and it no longer helped me stay awake. And still doesn’t. But I came to love it now and still drink iced coffee for the thrill! And I realized how great it was to get to school early and drink iced coffee, read, walk around, and take pleasure in my own company.

I missed classes because of depression and fatigue. Sometimes I couldn’t even get out of bed to go to class and sometimes I managed to get myself up but couldn’t get to class and I would just collapse somewhere outside or in a building and sleep or lay in a near catatonic state. It’s not unusual to see college students lounging around campus so luckily no one was freaked out thinking I was having some emergency.

Fortunately, my depression is not generally this bad anymore and even when it is, I learned to usually cope and function much better! I can’t imagine going back to that dark place. It still gets so dark here but it’s not as frequent and not as threaded throughout my entire existence (it’s hard to put into words) and I’m so much better now in so many ways. It still gets as bad but with the help I asked for and my self help techniques I am generally much better. There’s always hope as long as we stay alive.

If you struggle with any issue, depression, physical pain/illness, please stay alive! There’s always hope for us. And always, someone, somewhere cares or would care if those people knew your struggles.

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This is at the busstop where I wait for the 5 bus some days. ❤

This reminds me of another day I got yelled at in class by a different philosophy professor. For walking in late every day. Not because of depression. Just carelessness and laziness. I deserved to be yelled at. Lol

I walked in late and he was pissed but said nothing. I was relieved because another student walked in a couple minutes later so I felt the attention was no longer on me. The professor still said nothing but looked as if he was about to, then another student walked in and that's when he had enough. He threw his pen on the desk and yelled "alright! This is it!!! It's the same three people walking in late everyday and it won't be tolerated anymore…!!!!" and a big long rant about the three of us disrupting his class that I can't remember much of now. lol again, awkward!

I couldn't get out of that class fast enough that day!

And I remember another day in college, my first year, a boy's phone rang during a math lecture and the professor ran over, picked it up and answered it and he said "who the hell am I?! No, who the hell are YOU?! He's in MY class, he can't be on the phone right now!l then he hung up, tossed the phone on the boy's desk and went back to teaching, like nothing even happened! Everyone burst out laughing while the boy just stared speechless. The professor wasn't really angry, just really funny!

Lol I have so many fun/funny memories of those days in college!  And even the painful ones remind me now how much better I am.

How sweet it is to reminisce!

I can go on and on but I'll save the rest of the memories for other days!

Also, check out this little baby!

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I found him on the counter at work! How cute!

We have lights outside work and it attracts some insects once in a while, in the Summer. Those gnats and mosquitos love the lights!

At first I was embarrassed because I thought he was a roach and there was a long line of people  and I don’t want anyone thinking we have roaches in the store (I promise we don’t!) where we serve food! I did not want anyone to crush him, people are quick to kill insects, especially roaches, it seems! So I ran over to get him in my hands and bring him inside the store. It’s window service so this counter is on the outside. There was a long line of customers and I did not want them seeing me bringing a bug in the store. Lol But I couldn’t let anyone kill him if I could stop it. Luckily the lady in the front of the line knows the lady who was in back of her and turned around as I reached for the bug and no one seemed to see. Except her little girl! She was thrilled like I am and was yelling, “hey, what’s that?! A bug! A bug!” but she, like me, wasn’t afraid, she was fascinated! I love other insect lovers! I don’t seem to find too many of those around!  And I love how little kids are so full of wonder in ways adults can never be. We can be full of child-like wonder but it’s not usually the same as when we were little. Little kids are so amazing!

And it turns out he is not a roach but a kind of beetle! I threw him in the trash. But only because I knew (or thought) it was safe, it is usually just napkins and stuff and a small trash can. If I put him on the floor, he could have gotten stepped on or crawled back out for someone to see. Then an hour later I remembered I threw him in there and went to check but I knew he probably already got out. I found a water ice cup with melted liquid in it that my coworker must have put in there earlier, and hoped he wasn’t drowning in there. I felt my heart about to sink as I checked to make sure he wasn’t in there dead. Sure enough, that’s where he was, of all the places, the one I was desperately hoping he would not be in, there he was! But not dead! Thank goodness! He was just loving the sweet liquid he was slurping off the side.

Aww so cute! ❤

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I took him out, got a few pics, held him for a while, then reluctantly put him in the tree outside. Reluctantly, because I wanted to keep him! Lol

The little thing is so cute and pretty and I felt a connection to him, as I often feel with others, and the world itself. But he belongs outside so I put him out in the tree and there were other insects so he won't be alone and I watched him go into the soil. I am thankful and I think he is too.

I hope you are having a beautiful night or day or afternoon or whatever!

Much love & compassion to you,<3

Xoxo Kim ❤ 😀

Live & Love <3

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My favorite kind of soda has always been Coca Cola. But in the Summer I often prefer iced tea and lemon-lime soda like 7up, Sprite, Mt. Dew…they just seem to quench my thirst better in the hot weather and they also taste better warm, to me, than Cola. I don’t mind warmer soda, I actually prefer it to freezing cold. But not piss warm. Soda tends to get so hot quickly in the Summer. And lemony stuff just tastes better to me when it’s hot than Cola does.

So I bought a box of Sprite cans and am so delighted to see they are a limited edition with inspiring quotes on the cans! 

My absolute favorite one is “Live with it & love it. ” I cannot believe how much it speaks to me. I was so inspired the second I read it.

It’s not at all rare that I find a quote that deeply inspires me but it’s more rare that I find one that tugs on my insides like this one seems to do. I just felt a click, a pull, a deep feeling of knowing when I read this on my soda can. I even saved the can and my mom wasn’t happy! Lol 

But this quote! It reminds me to not just “live with it” but love it! Whatever “it” is. It can be anything. Physical pain, depression, any kind of struggle or problem no matter how seemingly severe or trivial. Live with it. And love it. Even if we can’t love the problem or pain itself, we can love what it teaches us, reminds us, love how it strengthens us and love life itself even with the problem.

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And looking at this quote at another angle.

Live with it & love it.

It can even be referring to a positive/happy thing. Live with whatever beauty we have been blessed with and love it. Feel it, cherish it, acknowledge it, honor it. It’s not just pain that teaches us and strengthens us. Happiness & joy can also teach us, remind us, strengthen us.

This quote can apply to absolutely anything and that’s the main beauty of it I think. 

What a wonderful reminder this can of soda has brought me! I’m thankful it’s Summer and I needed my thirst quenched! 

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Much love to you, ❤

Xoxo Kim 😀

Perspective

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“Another day has almost come and gone
Can’t imagine what else could go wrong
Sometimes I’d like to hide away somewhere and lock the door
A single battle lost but not the war (’cause)
Tomorrow’s another day
And I’m thirsty anyway
So bring on the rain” ~ Jo Dee Messina

I took this picture a few weeks ago on Thursday (and put a blur effect on it) and for some reason it looks like it’s the dead of Winter. What is up with the bare trees on the side?! Lol! There’s fluffy green ones that appear to be quite fruitful,  in the back but what about those ones?! The barren ones.  I burst out laughing when I saw them! It’s the dog days of Summer! Then my mom who was also laughing (she can be easily amused like me, just not as much usually), showed me the same kind of dead looking trees across the street! I don’t recall ever seeing bare trees like this in Summer before. Maybe they were always there but I just wasn’t paying attention(how unfortunate!). I know in April there’s a mixture of bare and blooming trees because Winter is still just ending and Spring is beginning. But it’s July! 

Anyway, I was recently thinking about how almost nothing (some people would say absolutely nothing) exists inherently. It’s all about our perception or perspective. Two people can look at the very same thing and one sees something completely different. In fact, one person can look at something one moment then later look at that same thing but view it differently even when the thing hasn’t changed.

The weather for example, some people view dreary, rainy days as miserable while someone else is inspired and thrilled. One person can be thrilled about hot, humid days while others find them to be disgusting. Also, just look at the reviews for books, hundreds of people say it’s amazing then hundreds more say the same book sucks. It’s the same exact book! This just goes to show it’s all about how we view things. Is one person really right and one wrong? Or when I view something one way then my perception changes about that same thing later, was I right then or now? 

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In my daily book of positive quotations, I found this quote:

“A weed is no more than a flower in disguise.” ~ James Lowell

It reminds me to try to change my perspective when I’m struggling with depression. I’m generally very positive, even when I’m depressed, I often find things to see beauty in. But when I’m severely depressed, it is so hard to see life as a whole, in a positive way. I still see specific  beautiful things around me but ultimately I’m hopeless or so stuck in a very negative state. 

I noticed that some of the things that I view as positive or neutral when I’m not depressed, suddenly become very negative to me when I am depressed.

When depression hits me, every little thing is easy to interpret as negative. If someone looks at me when I’m depressed, I can take it as a bad thing, like that person thinking something negative, even if the person compliments me, I can misinterpret it as being mocked instead of sincere, if someone I know walks by me and doesn’t say hello, I can automatically take it very personally and negatively, where if this happens when I’m not depressed, I don’t really care why the person did this or can think maybe the person did not see me or did not want to talk to anyone. When I’m depressed, I often think of all the negative things people ever did to me or said to me, even years ago. As soon as my depression lifts, I no longer care and even realize that some of those things weren’t even negative.

There are days I am so thankful and think this life is a beautiful one, I have a house to live in, good health, a couple of friends, a family, a job, my senses….and the very next day or even the same day, I become depressed and feel that it is a terrible one, I live in a house but it’s not my own, I live with my mom, dad, and sister and feel that I’m not acting as a responsible adult, I have a job but not a “real” one, my health isn’t as good as it can be, I don’t have many friends, my family isn’t perfect….when my life is no different that day than the day before when it was absolutely beautiful! Nothing changed but my perspective. 

It’s all about perspective. 

Noticing this about myself, often helps me significantly when I slip into a depressive episode. I remind myself that this negative sensitivity to everything around me is only because of my condition. It’s an illusion. It won’t make my depression go away but it can help me cope and make it so my depression doesn’t get even worse by dwelling on the negative. I keep making it a point to change my views and my thoughts into more positive ones and remind myself how just recently, I viewed these very same things very positively. 

This can also help people who aren’t depressed or don’t have depression ever.  It doesn’t take just depression for us to sometimes view things negatively and feel completely low. 
Sometimes we can think our friend or lover or relationship or job is perfect or amazing then later see all the ways they can be better. Our mood can affect our perspective. 

Our situation can be exactly the same today as it was yesterday but we can see it in a very different way. It’s actually quite fascinating! 

Even if something was always bad or we always viewed it that way, we can still try to view the situation more positively. Maybe it’s teaching us something or it’s necessary to get to something better. If we can’t change it, let’s change our attitude. 

One way I found to help this is to intentionally focus on the positive in the people and things around us and remind our self that maybe it’s only our mood clouding our perception anyway. Make it a point to look for the good in everything and tolerate or accept the bad when we can’t distance our self. 

I was browsing songs on YouTube and came across the song “No Scrubz” by TLC.

Remember that song? 

No Scrubz – mobile

No Scrubz – desktop

I think it’s kind of rude. 

She criticizes him for thinking he’s “fine” or something like that, for trying to get with her while hanging in his best friend’s car, for living with his mom, for looking like trash, while she’s looking classy, for being a broke ass (lol), for talking about all that he wants while having no money…

When I first listened to this song recently, after not hearing it in years, I automatically saw the good in this “scrub.” He doesn’t have money but he does have a best friend and a mom and his mom allows him to live with her. That’s better than money! Best friends and moms are the best to have! Who cares about money! Lol And it’s clear in the song that he does have a phone number, whether his or his mom’s or someone else’s, he has access to phone service! 
Also, while it’s not really respectable to be yelling to girls while driving by, he’s complimenting her for being pretty, that’s better than saying someone looks like trash. 
I would prefer a scrub to be yelling out at me about how pretty I am than an abusive person telling me I look like trash(not everyone who calls someone trash is abusive, imo).
Some people appear to be respectable, have money, a job, a great house, education…but act in an abusive or cruel way or just not very pleasant.
I will take the scrub any day! Lol
He’s saying something good about her! I would prefer someone being kind of trashy than someone acting incredibly stuck up calling people trash. And at least he has things he wants. He may not act on it but at least he’s not dead, he has desire. That itself counts for something. I am especially aware of this because when I’m very depressed, I often have no desire and am numb and lifeless. So when someone or me has passion or desire or hunger, I am inspired. 

Again, I see the difference in perspective. Two people can look at one person or thing and see them in a completely contrasting way. 

She sees a complete loser while I think he’s not so bad. And this isn’t to bash her or the song. I can’t deny that the song is funny and has good music and a sweet tune. And she certainly has good things about her too! She can sing well! She can dance! She likely won’t get into a car with a stranger. That’s good! She clearly has a high opinion of herself. That is very good. It’s not good to be stuck up but a woman with confidence is sexy. Maybe she can tone it down a bit in one way but it’s ultimately a good attitude to have. She has all these good things about her. And many other things. She’s pretty also. She’s pleasing to look at. 

I chose this song as an example because I have been listening to it recently and it happens to be a good example for this topic. It’s just random or coincidental. 

And I, myself have had low opinions of some men yelling at me while driving, not all but some, especially when they follow me and try to block me and don’t take no for an answer. 

Annoying! Lol

But I want to encourage us all to attempt to have a positive perspective often. It doesn’t mean we have to like and accept everything and everyone but it doesn’t hurt to notice the good, even in people and things we don’t like. It’s a great habit to develop or strengthen.

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If we look closely enough, we can always find a splash of color even in the grayest, darkest, bluriest places.

Much love to you! ❤

Xoxo Kim 😀

50 Shades of Happy

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When I was at work last night I saw a newspaper that says “50 Shades of Happy” (about coloring). It inspires me to list fifty things that elicit happiness for me.

Here goes! 

1.) rainbow sprinkles! Especially on vanilla ice cream & cupcakes! Oh my! How delicious and pretty! 

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2.) puppy kissies!

3.) rainbows

4.) conversations and tea with friends 

5.) cupcakes!

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6.) tofu!

7.) a full moon

8.) creepy ghost stories! 

9.) Kindle app!

10.) clear blue sky 

11.) unexpected rain

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12.) packages arriving in the mail

13.) hearing an old forgotten song or a new song/song I haven’t yet heard, that I love! Especially when that new song/song I haven’t heard before now, is called Kimberly! 

“Kimberly baby, you make me crazy!” lol 

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Kimberly by D. Hiam – mobile

Kimberly by D. Hiam – desktop

Or Kimberley (it’s close enough!) 

“You see Kimberly was special, a rare and wild soul
Nearly every man who met her, their hearts she always stole…”

“You know I got to have this kim, I cant get her off my mind
And I aint gonna stop until shes mine, mine…”

 It’s a beautiful political song about wanting to save the land called Kimberley in Australia against too much Industrialization. It’s about greed and selfishness and too much division and arguing. But he writes/sings as if it’s about a girl who everyone loves and craves. It has a deep message and some parts of it can be applied to life in general. Forget the politics and message and all and we’ll just pretend it’s about me! Lol!  I got nothing against cowboys though! He seems to have a little something going against them in the song! But I don’t! lol ;-D

Kimberley – John Butler – mobile

Kimberley – John Butler – desktop

And there’s quite a few more songs involving my name! Yay! One is Kimberly by Marques Houston. I discovered this gem a few years ago. It’s a sexy, risqué song:

“Come along with me cus my ride don’t stop
We can make love that the neighbours watch
Open up the blinds let the whole world see”

Lol funny!

But my favorite line is:

“…more than just physical (its more than just physical Kimber…)
Deep inside of every woman there’s a Kimberly
She’s incredible… (She’s incredible)”

Kimberly by MH – mobile

Kimberly by MH – desktop

14.) photography – looking at people’s photos inspires me! And I love taking pics myself! I want to be a photographer one day! 

15.) my kitty with her tongue sticking out!
 Lol 

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16.) hot tea

17.) iced coffee

18.) flowers – especially when they have little kritters on their petals

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19.) warm blankets

20.) Christmas songs! How cheerful! 😀

21.) pumpkin flavored coffee in the Fall! How thrilling!  

22.) helping people 

23.) random acts of kindness 

24.) being in a room full of people or surrounded by lots of people in some way – doesn’t matter if I know them or not or if I’m interacting with them or not- it’s so uplifting and energizing 

25.) a long thrilling conversation with a stranger 

26.) hugs!

27.) snails walking on me

28.) my long hair blowing in the wind 

29.) taking pictures of buildings 

30.) comedy movies

31.) cherry water ice!

32.) connecting with people on social media accounts 

33.) seeing/hearing/reading about good things that happen for people – I’m very empathetic and soak up everyone else’s happiness & pleasure. It reminds me of that episode of “King of Queens” when that girl Kirstie is guest starring and she’s on a diet or something and won’t let herself indulge in some sweet confections and so she insists that the girl, Carrie, eats it for her so she can watch and feel the pleasure herself just using her empathy! Lol that can be me!

34.) philosophy texts 

35.) walking in perfect “walking weather” – perfect to me is not too hot or too cold, not too windy, and also a light rainy mist

36.) a sky full of stars

37.) jumping on a trampoline!  

38.) makeup! Especially eye makeup!

39.) the sounds of construction work outside! Yes, I love it! Lol

40.) the Earthy scent right before and after it rains, yum!

41.) the first glistening snowfall of the season

42.) reading a book at night with my dogs in bed

43.) getting new fruity body mist or body wash/hair soap/conditioner/lotion

44.) tropical scents 

45.) rain droplets on flower petals & leaves

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46.) watching a sunset or sunrise

47.) cool nights/windy nights

48.) uncontrollable belly laughs 

49.) Buddha statues/figures/pictures

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The man is seriously PEACEFUL! Day & night without exception. Totally has his shizz together.

50.) colorful socks!  😀

Nothing wrong with letting the little kid in us run wild and see wonder in everything we look at! 

I am disappointed to get to fifty already! It was so easy and I can go on & on! If I ever try to list things I don’t like, it’s much harder! My mind is generally so focused on what I do like! 😀 I guess that’s how you know you have a good life, when it’s so much easier to list happy things than unhappy things! I certainly have a list of things I dislike but it wasn’t easy to create that one and not as uplifting to write/read. But things we dislike are part of us too and no sense denying it! It’s all about our focus, attitude, and reaction. I am so much happier though, reading lists of things people love than the things they can’t stand.  

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What is your 50 shades of happy?

😀

Much love to you! ❤

Xoxo Kim ❤

A Varied Source

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“For sentient beings, poor and destitute, May I become a treasure ever plentiful, And lie before them closely in their reach, A varied source of all that they might need.” ~ Shantideva 

This is an amazing concept. To be “a varied source” of all that someone, anyone may need. Be a source of happiness and riches, not just material, monetary riches but rich in love and joy, generous and comforting to anyone in need. Be a source of inspiration, a source of light, be a friend and a protector, give a helping hand, a warm hug.  

There’s a blog called “Waking up with Ryan” by a man who loves to help and inspire people! Just my kind of man!

http://www.wakingupwithryan.com/

(and he’s cute too! Go check him out! ;-D)

Ryan’s everyday morning e-mails, which are about positivity, love, and inspiration, resonate with me so often. His messages each day can apply to people in general. And so often when I’m thinking about a certain topic or concept or something, his e-mail seems to be about that very issue! 

He asks:

“How do you show up for the people all around you?”

This is a fantastic question, one that is of great importance and is good to ask ourselves each day. 

The possibilities are infinite. There’s so much we can do for others whether or not the people realize we are doing anything to help them. Simple things they may not realize we did but would notice if it wasn’t done. Like doing extra work so our coworker doesn’t have to. Moving stuff out of the way if we see it in a street or the middle of a pavement where someone can trip over it or cars can crash. Feeding pigeons on a pavement. Sharing our snacks with a squirrel. Showing love to a homeless person. Even if it’s just eye contact or a sweet smile to show that person’s existence is something, is important, is valued. Saving insects when we can instead of crushing them. We too often overlook certain kinds of people and other sentient beings. Texting our mom just to say hello. Buying our friend coffee or tea. Putting things on hold to help someone else. Creating a blog/e-mail subscription system to send out inspiring messages to millions of people or just one who may see it, write positive messages to people on social media whether we know them or not, compliment a stranger, share an uplifting quote or song, let someone else have the last available seat on a bus or in a waiting room, or the last product in a store even if we need it, warmly reach out to an acquaintance who seems to be struggling even if just to say hello, when we feel like being judgmental instead of acting on that, seek to understand…

Ryan writes(in his June 23rd subscription e-mail):

“It’s too easy to lose ourselves in the day’s activities. We forget to consider the impact we have on each other.

Let’s slow down today and consider that every single interaction is an opportunity to add a little more hope to someone’s life.”

Isn’t this beautiful?

This is so profound. Think about it. Imagine if our every interaction each day, every mundane encounter, every random encounter, every planned encounter, at home, at work, out and about, driving, on a bus or train or plane, with other sentient beings is grasped as an opportunity to bring hope, love, light, and inspiration to that living being. 

Imagine if we all make the choice every single day throughout the day to lavish love onto each other and the world in every way we can. The world would change dramatically. And even if just one of us does this and the rest of the world doesn’t, the world around us will be better for those we touch. Not everyone will be interested in receiving our love and the love we send out to the world won’t always be returned to us but that’s ok! It’s not about what we get but what we give. 

Truly listen when someone wants to talk, listen to understand, not merely to respond in a mechanical, automatic way just to converse or satisfy social expectations, hold our tongue when we feel like lashing out in anger, encourage when someone needs inspiration, hug the hurt, comfort the sick, befriend the lonely, smile at those who are frowning, love the lost, guide them with your love and light, show compassion to those who seem to be lacking it, help the broken heal, be a varied source of all someone may need. 

We won’t always be able to be what everyone wants and needs and that’s ok. Maybe someone needs money you just don’t have to give, maybe someone wants to hear words you can’t bring yourself to say, needs your time when you really have somewhere else to be and can’t give it right then…

We can’t always be everything to everyone. But as long as our intentions are good, our heart is pure, our energy is loving….it’s all that matters. What we have to give, we can give. Let it be enough for now. And it’s a beautiful way to live. 

This quote attributed to Shantideva, inspires me so deeply. To be the best me I can be for whoever needs me. I won’t always succeed but I can do my best in general. 

I hope you have a varied source of all that you need but more importantly, I hope you will be that varied source to others in need. ❤

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I hope you are having a beautiful night or day wherever in the world you are. I’m sending my loving energy to you and wishing you the best. ❤ ❤ ❤ 😀

Ordinary Angels – mobile link to song

Ordinary Angels – desktop link

Xoxo Kim ❤

We’re Planting Flowers in Hell

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“She’d probably plant flowers in hell.” ~ Riderek (“summer girl”) 

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I saw this quote or lyrics recently and love it! It conveys the message that we can bring our own beauty and light even to places where there seems to be none. In dark, ugly, drab places, we can be a source of beauty and light and inspiration. It’s up to us to bring our own sunshine, our own flowers, our own stars, our own hope and love. There may not always be someone else around to provide that for us. But we can create our own, wherever we are, and send it out into the world. Whatever we want to see in the world that isn’t here, whatever we want to see more of, whatever kind of person we want to be around….let’s create and be that our own selves for others and for our selves. 

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The place where I found this quote or lyrics is  an instagram.com account. I don’t have an Instagram.com account but I can see a limited amount of content on some of the ones I come across. I find this one to be beautiful. I think he’s a writer/poet or lyricist or something.  His writing is grounded in hope and love and pain and kind of dark in a beautiful way. 

Riderek

I hope you are having a lovely day/night! And remember to plant your own flowers even in dark places. Let’s not wait for others to lavish love and light and beauty onto the world; let’s lead the way! ❤ 😀

Xoxo Kim ❤