Tag Archive | facts

Pick Up The Bones 🖤

Jun5

June 5th Memorial. 🖤

Now maybe someday
The sun’s gonna shine
Flowers will bloom
And all will be fine

Today is the anniversary of one of the most tragic & horrific events in the history of the city of Philadelphia.

In 2013, six people died right here on the corner of Market Street, pronounced dead at the scene. Some sources also report that a seventh person died of his injuries later in a hospital. It’s hard to find information on that one. Most sources report only six deaths, the six who died at the scene.

Along with the deaths, many received non fatal injuries when a building collapsed on top of them, crushing & trapping them all for hours. Some of them died of suffocation, not dying instantly. The incident occurred in the morning, and bodies were still being discovered that evening, even a living person was pulled out after being trapped all day & night. She lost both of her legs and received the largest settlement in state history. (She has since died of Covidvirus)

The building was a thrift store, and the victims were all workers & customers. The building collapse was completely preventable and the result of the recklessness of the workers next door not following proper protocol while demolishing that building. The building next to the thrift store, while in the process of being demolished, collapsed onto the thrift store. The people involved with the demolition were convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to many years in prison.

The building inspector, who was cleared of any wrongdoing and not accused or charged or convicted, felt guilty and took his own life in the aftermath of the tragedy. Everyone agreed that he had no part in the recklessness. There were no violations present while inspecting the building. And no one held it against him. But he expressed overwhelming feelings of guilt & insomnia in a video just before ending his own life in his car one week after the incident. He shot himself.

In my opinion, he is worthy of being remembered as one of the victims and has a place at the memorial even though he’s not officially considered a victim of the collapse.

One heartwarming fact of this tragedy is when the building collapsed, an 18 year old high school student(not sure of the gender), who happened to be walking by, ran into the rubble to try to pull the victims out. 

“Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” 💚

Sharing in honor of all those who died on June 5th, 2013 as the result of a preventable & senseless tragedy. A tragedy that leaves an indelible mark on our city. I wasn’t involved or associated in any way, but I remember it like it was yesterday. I was at work that evening, watching the wreckage on the news. Even though it has nothing to do with me, personally, I have been walking around thinking about it with a heavy heart and overwhelming sorrow in my chest.

I remembered it as the date was approaching. I walked by this memorial day after day for so many years, sometimes multiple occasions a day, and never realized it’s the memorial for that event until this year! So, this year, I decided to take a picture and dedicate a post to the victims.

June 5th Memorial Park now stands where the thrift store once was, the very spot that all those people died all those years ago, the spot where their bodies laid, being pulled out of all that devastation that took over the streets and blocked traffic. It’s now a place of hope & healing, according to the Park’s website.

Memorial Park is a very busy place, there’s always people there, often having lunch or coffee on the benches and talking to each other. It’s always sunny there on the corner. When I stand there now, I can’t feel any hint of the tragedy that once struck. To see people alive, eating, drinking, laughing, it doesn’t feel like a dark place where there were once bloodcurdling screams of pain & terror echoing through the streets, where mutilated bodies laid, scattered through the wreckage.

This memorial also serves as a reminder to always be mindful of safety during construction and to honor all the people who helped that day.

There are always people who are helping.

❤️💔

Dedicated to:

Anne Bryan, 24 years old, an art student at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and daughter of former Philadelphia City Treasurer Nancy Winkler

Mary Simpson, 24 years old, an audio engineer who was on a shopping trip with Anne Bryan, her best friend, both girls died together at the scene that day

Roseline Conteh, 52 years old, nursing assistant

Bobor Davis, 68 years old, a five-year Salvation Army employee

Kimberly Finnegan, 35 years old, a cashier working her first shift at the Salvation Army thrift store when she died at the scene, just got engaged to be married

Juanita Harmon, 75 years old, a retired secretary at the University of Pennsylvania

Ray William Johnson, 32 year old man who died later of his injuries.

Ronald Wagenhoffer, 52 years old, building inspector/suicide victim who ended his own life on the one week anniversary of the tragedy

Pick Up the Bones – Alice Cooper

Xoxo Kim ❤️

Random Introduction post/Fun facts about me 💕

Dec2
💕🎄 I already posted this pic but am out of storage space so here it is again lol

Random introduction post! I have been seeing people posting things like this on social media and decided to be vain so here is mine! Fun facts about me:

1.) I am the biggest sap I know and the biggest hopeless romantic lol I love romantic comedies, love stories, love songs, couples/wedding/engagement photography, Hallmark Christmas movies, they give me all the feels 😆 I believe in love at first sight and true everlasting love lol Give me all the cheesy stuff and I’m good to go
2.) Nearly all the music I listen to each day is 50’s/60’s – Oldies has always been my favorite
3.) I walk 10+ hours a day, seven days a week, for work and for fun; I don’t recommend it because while it’s very fun and keeps me physically fit (not workout level fit but in good condition), I frequently get injuries because of overuse
4.) I have a naturally cheerful temperament but also have s*icidal depression that comes and goes, particularly when I don’t have close in person friends/enough socialization, I’m very social and need basic human companionship consistently. I can be good friends with someone who isn’t very social and comes and goes, but cannot have someone like that as my main or only friend, I need a consistent friendship with enough in person socialization, doesn’t have to be every day, but enough. I wouldn’t try making a friend like that change, just hope to find another who is more social like me
5.) I am very mild mannered and soft spoken and shy and reserved in social settings but still love being around lots of people
6.) People say I have the voice of a child, angel, mouse, Cyndi Lauper…lol I’m frequently told it’s comforting and soothing and have been told my voice should be used as an audio version for kids books. Occasionally strangers think I’m faking it as a joke at first 😂
7.) Some of my interests are: photography, especially night/city/architectural, glitch art, digital art, reborn/silicone babies/hyper realistic dolls(I don’t make them myself, just love them), reading (especially fiction thrillers/mysteries, apocalyptic, psychological, detective, legal, medical…but also like educational stuff), listening to music all day, walking, iced lattes, movies, especially horror and romantic comedies
8.) I am very quiet and calm and not a crier and not very reactive no matter what is happening. My boss says a bomb can be going off and I’ll just be standing there smiling saying oh it’s ok 😆 lol I had teachers throughout school who were concerned about this, but there is nothing wrong with me. It’s just my nature. I’m not emotionless at all, just calm. I have been told by clients that this puts their pets at ease (I’m a pet nanny)
9.) I’m very low maintenance, just give me all the love and hugs and call me pretty and we’re good 😊
10.) I’m very understanding of last minute canceled plans, unreturned texts, stuff like that, I don’t take it personally as long as a friendship isn’t one sided in general or it appears it’s only me someone does that to, people have whole full lives, I am just one part of it.
11.) Now for something not so pleasant. lol I am the biggest slob there is, not like consciously, just am, since I was little. I was told by elementary school teachers I had the worst desk of all the kids, my handbags are always a mess, my boss said he sees trash just hanging out of them, my mom and sister argue with me over it(I live with them), my sister said I have the bedroom of a 17 year old boy, lol pizza crust on my dresser, coffee or milkshake cups spilled over and left there, my bedroom can be on “Hoarders.” lol 😆 It’s the kind of slobbiness that could turn someone right off who is interested in dating me if they found out 😂 We all have to have some flaw though, right? It could be worse lol (not that the slobbiness could be worse, I could have a worse flaw 😆)
12.) Cold weather is my favorite, but I also love the beginning of Spring
13.) I love Christmas and am all decked out for it in Christmas leggings (these are Christmas leggings but may not look it) and other clothing, jewelry every year. I listen to Christmas music all season and like a little kid am joyful over anything Christmasy, even have an empty feeling the day after Christmas
14.) I am a fan of practical jokes, risque jokes, bathroom humor…and just laugh at everything, everyday, like full on bellylaughing. lol My boss says I’m a perv, and my mom & sister say I’m a pig and unladylike and “must have been a guy in another life.” 😂 I always got in trouble for laughing in school during class, and my mom has told me “No one likes a clown!”
15.) Another flaw, I’m not responsible, financially. I buy more expensive lattes than I should, but I never ever ask for or accept money off friends or anything like that. I would never let someone pay for me when we hang out unless we switch it up , I’m not a fan of people who take advantage of others or see people as opportunities
16.) I love kids but never wanted any of my own, not for any particular reason, just no calling for mom life (but I have always loved mommy blogs & jokes lol) Unlike what many assume, this doesn’t mean I don’t like hearing all about your kids, just don’t want my own. I love newborns especially.
17.) I have never been someone with big dreams or very goal/career/family oriented. I could be happy working at Starbucks and living with friends/roommates/pets for the rest of forever. lol I’m a simple girl. I used to see this as a flaw, but it’s just the way I am. My job now is my dream job and what I would do even if I did not need a pay. Only downfall is it’s not an adequate pay to live on my own, not underpaid, but it’s impossible to work enough hours as the traveling (which isn’t paid work) takes up most of the day, not the actual work
18.) Every year in December, since 2019, Amazon shows me my most listened to songs that year, and “Ice Ice Baby” has made it on every list since 2019. lol Who can get tired of it?

If there was a problem, yo, I’ll solve it. 😆

Who can’t use a bit of that motivation each day? 😁

Anyone here relate to any of this? Or are you the polar opposite? Lol Let me know!

Thank you for reading!! ❤️

Sending love & virtual hugs to all who want any. I hope you are having a beautiful day or night wherever in the world you are! 💕

Xoxo Kim 💋😘

A helpful tip for WordPress bloggers

Jan7

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https://en.support.wordpress.com/topics/


A lot of people don’t realize this but if we have over 15 tags and categories (total) for an individual post, that post won’t show up in tags sections listed and less people are likely to see it.

I see people posting something with like 20 or more tags/categories in one post and I know they think this makes it so more people are likely to see it and so that it shows up in more tag sections. It makes sense to think that the more tags, the more attention it’s likely to receive or more it’s likely to be found by others. I used to assume that too until one day I read a post by WordPress. It simply said something like “too many” tags aren’t good but did not specify any numbers. Then a while later I saw a blogger write to another that 15 or less tags is good but anything more and it doesn’t show up. So I keep mine fifteen or less. Then recently I thought about it and how it would be helpful to tell others so I looked it up to see about it.

Here is what WordPress has to say:

“1. You are using too many categories or tags. In most cases, there’s no need to assign more than a handful of tags per post. If you use more than 15 tags and categories (total), your posts will not appear on tag pages (because you don’t want to see irrelevant content showing up there, and neither do we).”

(this is copied off of the link above. Check the link out; it’s really quite fascinating and has other helpful tips!)

I used to try to put as many relevant tags as I could and all different variations of the same word. I used to put “inspired” “inspiring” “inspiration” “inspirational’ “inspire” all for the same post.

Lmao what a waste! ;-D

I see others doing this as well.

Whenever I see people post like 50 (no seriously. I have counted up to fifty on a couple posts by different people and stopped there and there was still many more after fifty) tags/categories I want to tell them and help them out but I don’t because I fear it may come off as condescending or like unnecessary criticism even though it’s not criticism at all. But I want their posts to show up in the categories and tags they list.

So I’m posting it here in the hope that this may help people if they happen to see my post.

Up to fifteen tags/categories (total) is good. Anything more and it backfires and has the opposite effect of what we want. It doesn’t show up at all for those tags/categories we list.

So tags & categories together should be fifteen or less. I was confused at first if it means up to 15 of each but if I understand correctly, the total of both together should be fiftten or less.

I’m no expert. I’m just some woman who happened to stumble upon that WordPress post one day! ;-D Thankfully!

So go easy on those tags! Lol

Hugs & love,

Xoxo Kim ❤

Fun facts about meeee <3

Nov4

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I saw a random blog challenge “get to know me facts” and I love to get to know people and love listing random, useless, but fun facts about me! So here goes!

I did a couple of these before too.
;-D

1.) I love dogs (and all animals) and have six! Three boys and three girls. They are my princes and my princesses! They are the center of my universe and are the most spoiled little things! Four of them sleep in bed with me regularly at night and sometimes five do. They steal my blankets and pillows and it’s annoying but also adorable and I let them keep them. I’m quite serious when I say my world revolves around them. Lol I usually make sure whatever food I’m eating is safe for dogs so when they’re begging I can give them some even if I prefer a different kind of food that they can’t have! My family celebrates their birthdays and all the anniversaries when they were adopted or came to live with us! They get their own Christmas stocking and everything they want. I wouldn’t have it any other way!

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2.) I’m a very shy extrovert but probably live more like an introvert. I would love being surrounded with people day and night if I had the opportunity but I can be just as happy being in my room reading, meditating, or listening to music alone. I love people but also love my own company

3.) I have almost always had a positive body image. When I was a little girl I thought people on TV could see me through the screen and I thought they thought I was the most adorable thing. I had a short denim skirt that was my favorite and I would put it on and dance around the room, showing off, while watching TV, especially that old movie “Pillow Talk” (it was my favorite movie) so they would all see how beautiful I was! Lol

4.) I don’t watch tv because I just have no interest but I love the TV show “King of Queens” when it’s on in my house. It’s so funny! I have the theme song on my phone!

5.) My favorite music is Oldies music. Like old old. I’m not talking about 70’s or 80’s although I like some of that too. I’m talking about 50’s music and also 60’s. Ooollllddd ass music! Lol Oldies was my favorite for as long as I can remember but I used to be too embarrassed to tell people, especially other kids, until I was in college. As a teenager I would look up lyrics to all the “coolest” and latest songs just so I was able to join conversations with other kids about music and act like I loved all the same music. I wouldn’t dare spill my dirty little secret that I only listened to those Oldies but goodies! I even used to change the dial on my handheld radio when I put it down in case anyone picked it up and “caught me” listening to oldies. Lol! Now I will proudly scream it off the rooftops. I don’t care what they say I won’t live in a world without Oldies! (I think I shared this fact on here previously somewhere!)

6.) I love so much when I’m selected for jury service. I love every single thing about it. I love the criminal justice building, center city Philadelphia, learning about the process, the juror sticker, the lunch break, the chairs, the people, the forms, the TV screens, the hallways and rooms, the feel of it, the big room, all the energy I feel being surrounded by all those people ….i would volunteer every week if I could. I wish I were selected every year instead of every other year. I was never selected as a juror and I am so disappointed. 😦 I always wanted a civil case but criminal ones are interesting too.
I heard if someone gets put on a trial the person may not get selected again for like over a decade so maybe it’s good I don’t so I don’t have to go that long without being called again! Most people I hear of try to go to great lengths to get out of it. I would go to great lengths to get into it. Lol like maybe coming up with a fake last name just to get selected more than once every other year! ;-D

“It’s your turn!” lol

7.I’m good at debating. I can blow your mind with my skills. Lol

8.) I always thought I would love to be a model. To try different hair and clothing styles, expressions and makeup and poses! So fun!

9.) I love writing.

10.) I am so easily amused over the dumbest things all throughout everyday even when I’m not in a happy mood and it gets me into trouble but it’s ok, at least I’m having fun and it’s uplifting to be this way! I am so annoyed when I’m angry at someone but also amused and I cannot stop laughing because then it makes it so people probably won’t take my anger seriously!

11.) I love dark poetry better than the happy kind – not because I’m sad and dark, I’m not usually dark and gloomy and even when I’m happy I love it! I’m just in tune with the dark side. It’s beautiful to capture the darker side of life in photos or poetic writing. But I love happy songs, movies and endings to books, usually better than sad ones.

12.) I’m very interested in things that have to do with law. Philosophy of law is a fascinating subject!

13.) I sit around completing logic problems just for fun and I have as much fun as people when they’re on vacation or traveling, just doing this! It gives me the greatest thrill!

14.) I don’t drink alcoholic beverages ever and the only reason is it doesn’t appeal to me just like certain food doesn’t. I’m not morally against it or afraid of becoming addicted, although addiction runs in my family, severely. I never had more than a few sips in my whole life and that was years ago.
But alcoholic bottles, cans, and signs are some of my favorite things to takes photos off. Along with cigarette packs.

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I found this under a bridge one night.

15.) I’m not afraid very easily and generally not prone to anxiety. I’m not afraid of needles or blood or hospitals or surgery or rodents or insects or anything. And I have a strong stomach and don’t get queasy over that stuff.

16.) I would never go skydiving or bungee jumping and roller coasters terrify me. But I think it’s impressive and am tempted just to show off lol

17.) I love holidays but I don’t go all out to celebrate, only in my head. I love the feel and I just bask in the energy, sense of unity in the air, and decorations and beauty all around during the holiday seasons!

18.) I’m not very thoughtful with buying gifts. Some people are so good at choosing the most personalized, touching gifts. Not me. I have no idea what to buy people. My thoughtfulness manifests better in my words or intention to help in some ways, I’m good at writing and expressing my appreciation or well wishes for people even if it’s just a brief Facebook message or blog comment…or thinking of little details that may help make something easier for someone.

19.) I don’t have an aversion to any part of the body, mine or anyone else’s. I see/hear of so many people who claim to not stand people’s feet, even their own (it’s strange how many people I see writing this! Like it’s a trend now or something?). Ummm…it’s part of the body, the way it’s made to be. And some people are disgusted over brain or stomach related things like the acid or fluid! Again, it’s part of the beautiful human anatomy! Not disgusting. Lol
Imagine not having those things! We would be in trouble! The whole body is beautiful.

20.) I wear old fashioned kind of clothes I guess. No leggings or skinny jeans for me! I love only flare pants and low cut shirts. The same kind of clothes I have been wearing for over a decade. I also don’t care that my bra straps often show even though I see people making fun of girls online for their under garments showing. Lol

21.) I go out with my hair wet right after a shower. I read about a study that says most people perceive girls who go out with wet hair as being lazy and sloppy. Oh well, I am lazy and sloppy, think what you will! 😀

22.) I have a strange memory. I can remember birth dates and other dates extremely well and I can remember facts really good but I cannot for the life of me remember to do things I’m supposed to do or all the things I’m supposed to buy at a store. I can’t remember phone numbers either, including my own!

23.) my mom says I have the mentality of a man which she thinks is disgusting and she’s convinced I was a man “in another life.” I like “dirty” songs and memes. I think perverted jokes are hilarious and things that have to do with bodily functions and text them to her just to freak her out. I can be very immature. Lol

24.) In high school, I had perfect attendance all four years, not one day missed. I loved school and rarely got sick. No matter how much pain I was in, how tired I was, how badly I wanted to roll over and go back to sleep, how horrible the weather was….i got up and out the door. There were even some days my mom encouraged me to stay home like if there was a snowstorm but school was still in session or when I would be in severe head/face pain which was related to my pain disorder but I did not know back then, but I was determined to soak up every day of school I could. Luckily I never had anything serious like influenza or something where I would have had to stay home or I would have put everyone else in danger because I wouldnt risk getting others sick! So it’s all because of my health and my determination. At our graduation, three of us had perfect attendance all four years. More did for three, more for two, and even more for one year.

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and there’s this as well:

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It seems I have a thing for showing up.

25.) physical description: I’m 5 feet 5 inches and always wished I was taller but I love wearing 5 or 6 inch stilettos and I feel super tall when I do! And I love it! I have blue eyes with a large green splash in each one. So when I wear green eye shadow or green shirts, my eyes usually look completely green. I have long hair, a bit longer than waist length and it’s naturally a medium shade of brown with natural orange and blond highlights. Some lighting can make it look more blonde while others can make it look more red/orange. But it’s brown. I love it and never put hair dye in it. I don’t change my hair style ever, I never get tired of it. I just trim it occasionally.

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26.) I never needed glasses or contacts but I think glasses are cute and if I needed glasses I would choose them over contacts. Also, less dangerous even though they probably have more complications than contacts.

27.) I have always loved brown eyes. They are so warm and lovely. But I think all colors are pretty.

28.) I don’t really plan things and don’t mind having plans change at the last minute or planning things on the spur of the moment. I’m easy-going and procrastinate with things and am messy and disorganized. I’m not a perfectionist(although sometimes I wish I were perfect – whatever “perfect” is.). It’s not all good but it’s also a lot less negative stress to be this way, I think, than one of these “type A personalities.”

29.) I love when there’s something I swore up and down I would never like, do, or wear then I come to love it! Example: flats. I always disliked flat shoes and said I would never wear them. Ever. I thought they were ugly and just Eww but now I love flats and have a few pairs. I actually had many pairs but my dog chewed them along with a few pairs of my stilettos! Also, cheeses fries with ketchup on them! Eww! I used to see kids eating them in high school and it was disgusting! Then one day in college I ordered cheese fries at one of the window stands and clearly said no ketchup when they asked and they put ketchup on but I was so hungry I tried them and loved them! And I promised I would never read fiction books. I thought it was a waste and only wanted to read education stuff now I LOVE fiction after reading a fiction book just because I liked the title and it inspired me to try more now I’m hooked! And I love how fiction isn’t restrained by the rules of reality even in realistic novels and anything can go!

30.) I’m extremely forgiving and probably couldn’t hold a grudge if my life depended on it, especially when people say sorry or appear to be sorry. It comes very naturally to me, it’s not even like I have to make it a point to try to forgive usually, it just comes easily, automatically. But sometimes it doesn’t and I accept or work on it.

31.) I’m also extremely trusting to the point I’m stupid. And I trust the same people over and over and over no matter what they keep doing.

32.) I believe people are basically good. Some go above and beyond the goodness of the average person and most everyone does not good stuff now and again but I believe deep inside we’re pretty much all good.

33.) I am very easy to please. Very, very. I’m satisfied with nearly every movie I watch, every book I read, all the food I consume, every gift I receive. But once in a while(rarely) I do read a book I dislike and am not used to the feeling it provokes in me. I recently purchased a book about a Christmas story and a mystery baby and it really isn’t that good. It made no sense to me, like the point. I have some sense of it though. And also it just isn’t that interesting and I felt that my night was wasted because I stayed up all night reading it just to find out the answer to the mystery. I usually just stop reading when a book isn’t good but I wanted to see the big mystery! And it was a disappointment anyway!
Lol I don’t care about the wasted money and anyway it was only $1.00 and someone is probably being helped by the money that goes to the book so that’s good. It’s my wasted night I can’t get back. But it’s not really “wasted.” It was my choice and I would never have known if not for staying up reading. I love thinking back even a long while later, to when I read certain books and the feelings they bring back.

34.) Greasy food is heaven to me, the greasier the better!! I love Mcdonald’s french fries but they were better when they were more greasy and less healthy, they tasted better but now they got healthy I think. Still delicious though. I think our president’s wife got to them with her health freak ways! Lol

35.) Coca Cola is my favorite soda!! I drink it everyday! I think it’s the least healthy soda too. I drink water at night now and early in the morning more than soda but all day it’s Coca Cola all the way! I can tell the difference right away with Pepsi and Coca Cola. Many people say they taste the same. Not to me! Pepsi is weaker. And less and different flavor. And I take pictures of Coca Cola trucks whenever I see one!

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36.) I love animated, kiddie movies like Toy Story, Arthur Christmas, and the Nightmare Before Christmas!! My dog is named Woody after the doll in Toy Story. It’s actually Dagwood and we call him Woody! He’s less than four months old!

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37.) I’m not a crier(sp?) for me, it’s not my cup of tea. No matter how happy, joyful, sad, or depressed I am, I will not cry over it. Lol I am good at remaining calm and composed. I experience deep sensation/emotion but it doesn’t provoke me to cry.

” Raindrops keep fallin’ on my head
But that doesn’t mean my eyes will soon be turning red
Crying’s not for me
Cause I ain’t gonna stop the rain by complaining” ~ Bj Thomas

38.) When I was a little girl, I had a bad habit of picking stuff up off the ground. Anything I could get my hands on. My mom used to scream in horror over the stuff I picked up. Unsanitary stuff, leaves, earrings, pins, old razor blades, hospital bracelets, stones, acorns and pine cones…sadly I haven’t outgrown that habit for some reason. Not so long ago I picked up a tube of something thinking it was paint. It was testosterone gel, that stuff advertised on commercials warning women and children not to touch. I touched it.

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(a little something I found under a bridge one night – it’s empty and I don’t smoke cigarettes)

39.) I like to dance around my room late at night and very early in the morning while the world around me is sound asleep. I listen to music and dance dance dance…usually gratitude meditations can trigger this.

😀

Xoxo Kim

Random parts of me <3

Jul29

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A while ago I did a blog “challenge” called “If you really knew me…” (https://inspirationalgem.wordpress.com/2013/01/12/if-you-really-knew-me-3/ )
which is a list of things about the person that people may or may not know. I decided to do another one with more random facts about me! 😀

If you really knew me, you would know….

I love the sounds of the city especially at night. The cars and voices and laughing, the music…It all stands out to me in a profound, beautiful way. I love laying in bed late at night and hearing people out in the back or out in the streets, talking and laughing and living. There’s something amazing about knowing that people are awake and alive while I’m in bed at night.

Rain is one of the greatest loves of my life. Sometimes I can’t quite find the words to describe the depth of joy it brings me and the thrill that surges through me when it rains. Or even looks or feels like it may rain. I am exhilarated by the mere thought of rain. I feel so alive in the rain. So secure. So liberated. Whenever I walk in rain or mist I am completely free. No matter what may be going on, no matter what fears or concerns are troubling me then, they disappear into the rain. Every insecurity I have that comes and goes, temporarily, goes out the window when I walk alone with raindrops pelting upon my soft skin, streaking my long hair, kissing every inch of me.
And I become the rain.
Something about it is so protective like nothing bad can ever happen to me when it’s raining. The sounds, the scents, the tastes, the feel, the look…it’s all so perfect.

Dreams – I often remember my dreams, always have. I rarely have nightmares, almost never. Sometimes my dreams know things before I do in life, and they send their wisdom to me during my slumbering hours. Sometimes I don’t consciously realize something or I’m convinced of something that isn’t true and I go to sleep and it’s there that the answers manifest. Sometimes I get depressed and suicidal and believe I want so desperately to die and I sleep and I dream. This recurring dream that comes often when I’m depressed. A Dream that someone is trying to kill me and in my dream I desperately want to live. In my dream I do everything to survive, whatever it takes. I run, hide, do things that are impossible in my reality, I find solutions when I think there are none. The emotion, the desperation, the Will is so strong, so overwhelming. So real. When I wake up I know what this dream is telling me. To live.
Once, I had a dream about myself. I was torn about a decision I made. I wasn’t sure what to do. Deep inside me I felt that I knew the truth but still wasn’t sure. I felt a voice deep inside me, I heard it say to listen to my intuition, to surrender to that pull, that tugging deep within, it always knows what I need, want, desire, crave. It knows best. My deep wisdom inside me, in places I’m not all conscious of, knows what’s best for me. It whispers quietly, gently, waiting for me to receive. Waiting for me to welcome it with a completely open heart and let it sink deeper into me.
When the uncertainty and pain and negativity and fears and defeat and demands of society, life, and others are screaming loudly, blood-curdling screams, that quiet, gentle whispering wisdom is more powerful, still.
I’ll never forget that dream and I carry it with me, every day.
My sleepy dreams are why I have a B.A. Degree in philosophy.

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Cold – I get cold so easily. In 100 degree weather a light wind can blow and I can become freezing wishing I had a hoodie. I also can’t tolerate cold like most people can. Although cold weather is some of my favorite weather. I’m always wanting to turn the air conditioning off, open windows to let the warmth of the sun stream in. One morning, recently, I woke up in my bed in 80 something degree weather wrapped in three quilts with my air conditioner turned as low as possible and my bedroom door wide open with just a ceiling fan swirling.

I’m a city girl and no place will ever have my heart more than my own city but for my whole life I have felt drawn to the countryside, to the warm South. I have always loved Texas though I never laid eyes on it. I will visit one day and make it a point to visit again and again.
I always dreamed of Texas and I feel a deep pull in me to be there. I yearn for the quietude, the green, the southern accents, the nature all around…my dream is to live there part of every year, probably in the Summer. One day a novel found its way into my arms completely randomly and unlikely, like magic, and I read it and it takes place in Texas and is one of my favorite books and made me want even more to go there.
I also feel drawn to Aspen, Colorado and my dream is to visit some Winter again and again. I long for the cold, the glistening snow, the pine.
I find it so beautiful how I can be so deeply drawn, mysteriously called to people, places, and things and not know why at a conscious level but something deep inside me must know.

I have a strong stomach and like to seriously gross people out just for shits and giggles. My mom and sister don’t have such strong stomachs and when I see or think of something that I know would make them disgusted or queasy I burst out laughing and run to tell them. One day my dog threw up and as I was cleaning it, I described to them, in great detail, the contents of it and said “MmmmMmm this is making me hungry…!” they were so disgusted and appalled.

I think everything is hilarious. I laugh everyday and play annoying, immature jokes on people. Taking my mom’s phone when she isn’t looking, talking in silly voices to my sister that annoys her, sending dumb or perverted jokes in text messages….lol

I love poetry, especially obscure poetry with a kind of darkness to it. I love when the meaning of the poem isn’t very obvious but seems to make some kind of sense. When the author doesn’t explain it and allows the readers to interpret however they will and guess and wonder at the author’s intention or just make up their own meaning to it.. I like to write poetic things which have a certain meaning to me but if I allowed someone to read them I would like the person to apply his/her own meaning.

I love to read and am deeply inspired by just about everything I read. My brain hungrily devours the words and concepts on the pages. When I read novels I fall in love with the characters and the places in the books. I miss them when the book is over. And days, weeks, years later I still cherish the memories of reading certain books that have spoken volumes to my heart and living in the book’s world when I did. I find reading to be very comforting. To be wrapped up in another world, another place, another time. I am sad when the book ends. I feel a kind of emptiness.
But I like it. I love being touched so deeply.
Before I usually wouldn’t even read novels. I saw no point. I only wanted educational stuff but I’m happy I changed. I was really, really missing out. I love books with profound messages, valuable life lessons, beautiful writing, characters with true substance, page turners that I’m happy to fall asleep with and thrilled to wake up to.

If the only way I were able to live is to be supported with feeding tubes and plugged into machines, I would still choose life not because I’m afraid to die or let go but because I have a will to survive and my life can still be beautiful and valuable even if I need extra help.
Brain dead, which is often as good as dead, is not the same as brain damaged or disabled. So if I’m not brain dead in significant ways I would choose life.

Sometimes I have difficulty sleeping at night because of happy thoughts. Thoughts that are so overwhelmingly positive I want to get up and dance, jump for joy, blast sappy love songs into the night, because I’m bursting with love and gratitude for all of life. Because I just read a good book or am in the middle of reading one, because I can’t stop thinking about wonderful inspirational, uplifting quotes I have come across, because I think of sunsets and sunrises and life itself, because I think of beautiful people I know, have known, and want to know, because my music won’t stop playing to let me rest….sometimes I actually do get up at 1:00 or 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning and dance around my room in the dark with my earphones in or dance in the bathroom and it annoys my sister when she comes through my room to get into the bathroom and I’m in there bouncing off the walls. I’m not manic, just happy. 😀 i find it not in my best interest to do gratitude meditations, even sleep ones, at night because they keep me up with all the goodness that comes flooding into me. I’m just bursting at the seams some nights, like a child who can’t sleep because she wants to get up and play.

I can fall asleep anywhere and sleep through anything, on a public transportation bus with screaming kids, on the floor of a crowded public place, outside, in class when I was in college(I got in trouble more than once for sleeping in class), with music blasting, at someone else’s house, with dogs barking….lol
And if I get woken up I can easily go right back to sleep.

I love when people are raw and open and honest about themselves and share their life story, proudly displaying their names and faces, not holding back. It’s deeply inspiring to see/hear/read people spilling their lives and hearts to all who will
listen. I want people to know my name, to know me, the good, the bad,the ugly,the beautiful

“What would happen if one woman told the truth about her life?
The world would split open.” ~ Muriel Rukeyser

Xoxo Kim

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The Versatile Blogger Award – Thank You Dr. Rex!!!! <3 :-D

Oct22

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I am so incredibly honored to be nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award by The incredible Dr. Rex!!!
Please visit her blog here:

http://hrexach.wordpress.com/

And see her nominations  post here:

http://hrexach.wordpress.com/2013/10/19/the-versatile-blogger-award/

I love when I receive awards, not only because it’s an incredible honor but I love the challenge/rules! And choosing a list of deserving people/blogs. That’s often hard because there’s so many!!

Here are the rules: 

Display the Award on your Blog.

Announce your win with a post and thank theBlogger who nominated you.

Present 15 deserving Bloggers with the Award.

Link your nominees in the post and let them know of their nomination with a comment.

Post 7 interesting things about yourself.

1.) I attended Temple University in Philadelphia, Pa, where I live, for Psychology & Philosophy.   I graduated with a B.A. Degree in 2010. I plan on being a mental health counselor or peer specialist of some sort. I took Philosophy just because I love it deeply and have a passion for it, purely out of interest. I took the classes just for fun without realizing I was getting credits that would qualify me to have some sort of job like a paralegal assistant or something.   They told me in school before graduation. Lol good to know but not my intention! 🙂

2.) Oldies music and country music are my love and I rarely find people who love those kinds like I do.

3.) People often speak of childhood dreams and ask kids what they would love to be when they grow up. The truth is, as a young child, I always lived in the present moment, naturally, not as a conscious decision. So I never really had any big dreams for when I would grow up. When people would ask, I would make stuff up. Lol I have said I would be a veterinarian, a chemist, a scientist…but I was always interested in counseling, even as a little girl. My mom and dad always had marital problems and I often felt that I knew what they can do to make it better. 
it wasn’t until I was sixteen years old though, that I knew I want to be a counselor of some sort if I lived to be an adult and could function well enough (I struggle with suicidal depression and have since I was a child and never knew I would live this long.)

4.)  I’m so easily amused, I laugh at everything and nothing.   I have those good belly laughs that hurt, everyday, usually more than once a day. I don’t laugh at the expense of people. I laugh at stupid jokes, risqué jokes, little things that happen throughout the day, at myself…   No matter how sad or low I am I can usually laugh hard til it hurts. I’m genuinely amused, I’m a playful, silly girl with a tender and light heart. It gets me in trouble sometimes but oh well! Lol. ;-D

5.) I’m very good at putting on eye makeup, even liquid eyeliner, and even in two seconds if I have to.

6.) I’m real good at debating. I have natural debating skills. I can argue so good for any side of an argument even a side I strongly oppose. I have been told since I was a young girl by various people in various places, that I should be a lawyer. Lol ;-). In my critical thinking class in college, during an exam, I found an alternative answer to some logic problem, I can’t remember what, that even the professor, a lawyer, himself, did not realize at first. I got extra credit, along with one other student who solved the problem the same way.

7.) I’m terrible with numbers, I failed math classes in college and almost got thrown out.  I’m even horrible at basic math like simple addition, subtraction, and counting.   It was suggested to me by an educational psychologist in college that I may have an actual mathematical disability but I was never tested even though I struggled my whole life with it.  Numbers confuse me so much but I’m good with words, I suppose. 🙂

Here are fifteen blogs other than Dr. Rex’s that I adore, some I have known about for a while, others I have recently come across and I’m so blessed!

http://etsuchan.wordpress.com/

http://whitneyism.wordpress.com/

http://greenhornphotos.com/

http://theaustrianrose.wordpress.com/

http://wordslikesilk.com/

http://selflovewarrior.com/

http://awindowofwisdom.wordpress.com/

http://icanbeatit.wordpress.com/

http://studentswithbirds.wordpress.com/

http://abbeygallagher.wordpress.com/

http://gyatoday.wordpress.com/

http://rosebushchronicles.com/

http://thebettermanprojects.com/

http://journeyofshe.wordpress.com/

http://5kidswdisabilities.com/

Thank You, Dr. Rex, I’m so happy to receive this award and thank you and all of the other people listed above for blessing us all with the beauty of your light that shines brightly on us all!

😀

Xoxo Kim

Sunshine Award….Thank You Dr. Rex <3

Oct11

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The amazing Dr. Rex nominated me for the Sunshine Award! She is beautiful, amazing, and very expressive. She has a sweet way of impacting people for the better and showing people deep gratitude and appreciation. We share similar views on things too.

Please go visit her beautiful blog here:

http://hrexach.wordpress.com/

And here is the award nominations page:
http://hrexach.wordpress.com/2013/10/10/sunshine-award-2/

I am so beyond blessed and grateful that someone reads my writings and finds me worthy of this award!

I read and love many blogs and they are all amazing and bring light into the world. My life is much better because of many of the amazing people and their love, courage, and need or desire to share their beauty with the world using their blogs. I don’t know them in person but they greatly impact me.

Here are the rules:

The rules of this award are the following:

1) Use the logo above in the post.
2) Link to whoever nominated you.
3) Write ten pieces of information about yourself.
4) Nominate ten fellow bloggers “who positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere.”
5) Leave a comment on the nominees’ blogs to tell them of the award.

Here are my ten facts:

1.) I love reading. My favorite subjects are Personal Development, Philosophy, and Psychology. I love reading books, ebooks, plays, blogs, websites…and I read more fiction now than I used to and love it! I also love poetry of various kinds.

“I adore the feeling of being completely taken in by a book. When the tears of joy or sadness wet your cheeks. When you snort with laughter in a crowd and when you shout at the pages in anger.” ~ Unknown

2.) Photography is something I’m very interested in but know almost nothing about. I take pictures with my BlackBerry phone constantly and it takes amazing pictures! I would love to be a Nature/wedding /engagement/couples/baby/family photographer. I love natural things like sunlight flowers, moon, birds, insects…and I love everything about weddings and families and babies. To me they symbolize love, new beginnings, and togetherness. I plan on learning more about it and am entertaining the idea of taking photography classes for fun one day when I get money!

“To photograph truthfully and effectively is to see beneath the surfaces and record the qualities of nature and humanity which live or are latent in all things.”
Ansel Adams

“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever… it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.”
– Aaron Siskind

No, the camera can’t steal the soul. But it can occasionally hold it hostage.
– author unknown

3.) I strongly value friendship and unity.

“Friendships are different from all other relationships. Unlike acquaintanceship, friendship is based on love. Unlike lovers and married couples, it is free of jealousy. Unlike children and parents, it knows neither criticism nor resentment. Friendship has no status in law. Business partnerships are based on a contract. So is marriage. Parents are bound by the law. But friendships are freely entered into, freely given, freely exercised.” ~ Stephen Ambrose

“But oh! the blessing it is to have a friend to whom one can speak fearlessly on any subject; with whom one’s deepest as well as one’s most foolish thoughts come out simply and safely. Oh, the comfort – the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person – having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all right out, just as they are, chaff and grain together; certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.” ~ Dinah Maria Mulock Craik

4.) I have struggled with depression off and on since I was 13 years old.

“I will keep a smile on my face and in my heart even when it hurts like today.” ~ Og Mandino.

“Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy. -~ Anne Frank

5.) I love people and animals and love and accept unconditionally. If I love/like you I won’t reject you for political/religious/philosophical views or for decisions you make or have made that I disagree with. I see the good and the beauty in people. I see the person, not mistakes or disagreements.

“I ain’t lookin’ for you to feel like me
See like me or be like me
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.” ~ Bob Dylan

6.) Two of my favorite things are quotes & songs. They can be so deeply inspirational.

“Life itself is a quotation.” – Jorge Luis Borges

7.) I am a very simple girl with a very simple life for the most part. I am not complicated or hard to understand. I don’t participate much in or cause complicated arguments with people. I do not make things more complex than they have to be. I usually say exactly what I mean and do not expect people to be my mind readers. This is not to say my external environment is always calm and peaceful. I experience stress, chaos, disorder, drama…sometimes but have learned to mostly handle it well and remain still & calm within. Simple isn’t dull. I have a deep, rich inner life. I ponder philosophical ideas, concepts, questions…I love meditation…

Confucius says it best “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”

8.) I am extremely loving. I am overflowing with love & gratitude for people, animals, things, life, the world, love & gratitude itself.

“When I start loving I just can’t stop.” ~ Sam & Dave (“Soul Man” lyrics)

“There is so much love in your heart that you could heal the planet.”
~Louise Hay

9.) Oldies music, country music, sappy love songs, uplifting music…is the best!

“Just take those old records off the shelf
I’ll sit and listen to ’em by m’self
Today’s music ain’t got the same soul
I like that old time rock and roll
Don’t try to take me to a Disco
You’ll never even get me out on the floor
In 10 minutes I’ll be late for the door
I like that old time rock and roll ” ~ Bob Seger

10.) While I love seeing some traits in people that I, myself, also possess, I have a deep respect and adoration for people who possess characteristics that I do not. For example: I am not very assertive and do not always speak up for myself when I should and I LOVE assertiveness in others. Even when someone speaks up to me about something the person disagrees with me for and even when I feel that person is wrong/incorrect. I sometimes neglect/abuse myself in ways like denying I have a problem and not taking medication and putting everyone who takes advantage of me first and love when people are devoted to self-care and nourish themselves. I love to see people stand up for and advocate for themselves. Not being overly selfish but a healthy dosage of selfishness. It’s not good to be purely selfless!

I believe Buddha is correct in saying “You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”

Other than Dr. Rex’s blog, Here are the eleven (sorry, I broke the rules! ) blogs that to me are perfection. The authors make the world better and touch lives with beauty, wisdom, and light. Thank You!! 😀

http://etsuchan.wordpress.com/

Beautiful girl, beautiful blog! I love her writing so much! So uplifting and real. And fascinating.

http://gyatoday.wordpress.com/
Very inspiring! So heartwarming and touching!

http://wordslikesilk.com/
Beautiful writing!

http://terry1954.wordpress.com/
She is beautiful and displays much strength and wisdom.

http://awindowofwisdom.wordpress.com/

So wise & inspiring.

http://studentswithbirds.wordpress.com/
Love this blog and we share a love for feather friends!

http://rosebushchronicles.com/

Very inspiring and lovely.

http://timelessferry.wordpress.com/

Beautiful writing and photos.

http://journeyofshe.wordpress.com/

Very inspiring and amazing.

http://5kidswdisabilities.com/
Very strong, inspiring, and positive.

http://thebettermanprojects.com/

We share the similar goal of being the best we can be and working constantly at personal development.

Thank You again Dr. Rex and to the above bloggers and all the others who touch this world with wild wonder & sunlight & moonlight.

Xoxo Kim

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Your Beautiful Body – {awe}, {wonder}, {inspired} WOW! :-D <3

Sep1

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I am often filled with wonder and awe at the things around me and within me. I believe that every single one of us should take full advantage of being alive. And not just by realizing your big dreams or doing more of what you love or being around people who make you happy. All of that too. But one way to take the experience of being alive and conscious and make the best of it is to milk it for all you can, yup, milk that shit for all (or awe?!) it’s worth! Lol 

And I’m not the only weirdo who thinks this way! Lol. Need some convincing? Here you are:

http://thedailylove.com/don’t-just-think-about-it-–-thank-about-it/

I read that when it first came out and I could not believe how it resonates with me and how someone else feels this way!  Wow!

Look around you. Look. What do you see? Hear? Feel? Smell? Taste?  The same things you always do, right? All the ordinary. Mundane occurrences. Monotonous things.   Nothing special, right? 

Wrong! 

Everything is amazing. Beyond amazing. Everything is truly incredible. Wondrous. Miraculous. There is astounding beauty all around. Within.

Look at the trees, the branches and leaves blowing in the wind, feel the air on your skin, look at the sky, take in the scents all around you, listen to the songbirds, the crickets, the cars, taste the food you put into your mouth, citrus like the sun, sweet like honeysuckle flowers drenched in morning mist, salt like tears, tears of heartbreak & joy, pain & gratitude..bask in the wonders, the rain upon your skin..watch the sun awaken or set. Or both.

You don’t have to believe in any supernatural beings, religion, or any spiritual realms to see everything, even the “ordinary”, as a “miracle.”

Just because we have instant access to something every single day doesn’t mean it’s not beautiful or wondrous or that it can’t be awe-inspiring. I love that I can see every day. That I can hear. That I can wake up.  That I can walk.  That I can look up at the sky and feel life surge through me like electricity.

I have been able to do these things all my life and if nothing goes very wrong, I always will! But it just never gets old.

Sometimes beautiful things and a feeling of wonder and awe of life may come so easily,  naturally, automatically but other occasions it may be hard to see beauty or feel inspired and we really have to look and make a conscious decision to look for it and receive it.

I don’t know most people but it seems to me that most of us do not have many awe-inspiring experiences or feel wonder and beauty with each breath or even just once a day.

I’m not talking about the overuse/”misuse” of the word “awesome ” that many people are in the habit of saying, like when people say like “that car is awesome ” or she’s so “awesome” or that baseball team, well they’re just so…
 Awesome, meaning those things are “cool” or those are what’s up. Not something that’s trendy and “neat-o” .

Awesome like something provoking a deep feeling of awe in us. Awe – respectful fear & wonder.  Like the way Lionel Richie uses this word in his song, “Say You, Say Me”.

Yup! Some things are so wondrous, so beautiful, it’s quite scary! ;-O

We see aesthetically pleasing things or hear them frequently if our senses function but how often do we let those things inspire us to the bones, to the core? How often can we feel them tingling in every cell of the body and deep into the marrow of our bones?  How often are we overwhelmed, weak at the knees just thinking about the astounding gift of being alive?  And not just things experienced through the senses but everything.   Everything felt inside. Heartwarming.  Look at your friends. Your family. Your pets. Yourself.   And feel how incredible it is to have have those things.   Those people. Not just like having fun with, & loving them but how amazing it is, the experience of knowing them, of having them.

We take so much for granted. The beauty I feel runs so deep. The love.  The inspiration is so ingrained. I have these moments usually at least once a day, usually strongest at night or the early morning. It’s like the wonder of a child, or a philosopher.  Or someone who has just stepped out of a life of utter darkness.
As if a big, thick, heavy quilt was just snatched off of me after a life of being covered by it. And now I can see.  And I will never be used to this feeling.

What is it? This feeling that overcomes me, breathes in me when everything just astounds me and I cannot believe I am blessed with such shocking, unbelievable beauty & love & inspiration & life ?

I speak of developing & strengthening positive habits frequently and this is one habit that I believe is incredible to develop and maintain. 

When we look and appreciate and meditate upon the goodness of these wonders and joys, and look & see with “new” eyes as if we have never really seen before, when we imagine a life without these wonders, it can help us so much to feel, live, and breathe life, inspiration, beauty.

When we think, “What are the chances?”

Think of your body.   How often do you think we think of our bodies? Very frequently right? But usually when we think of our own body, it’s about or in relation to its appearance, the aesthetics of it, how it looks to us and others, or when it’s hungry.

And usually it seems, at least to me, when people think of their own body, it’s in a very negative way. It doesn’t match up to those standards of beauty we have in our heads about how it should look or be.

But for once, I would like everyone to silence the hostile and toxic criticism of the appearance of their own bodies and even the mere thought of its physical appearance and instead look upon it with wonder & awe. Not for what it looks like but for what it does.

You think your fantastic car is amazing? Your intelligent phone? Those “I” things with access to the Internet? They sure are but they don’t even come close to the beauty and wonder that is your body!

Your body is one of the most amazing wonders no matter what it looks like or how perfectly or imperfectly it functions.

Your heart. Your lungs. Your kidneys. Your stomach. Your liver. Bones. Blood. Veins. Breath.  Nerves. Your eyes. Your ears. Your tongue. Your appendix. Your intestines.   Your skin. Every gorgeous curve of your body. Your spleen. Your boobies. (big or small, it doesn’t matter! Lol) Your back. Your spine that holds you.  That lovely smile. Your uplifting laugh. Your beautiful eyelashes. Your dna, your fingerprints, your blueprint.  Your finger/toe nails. Your hair. Your nose.   Your fingers & your toes.   All of those things! Isn’t it amazing?!??!

All the things it can do! It allows you to think. Experience. Feel. Live. Be.

Put your hands on your face. Make eye contact with someone, even a stranger, and connect on a basic human level. Smile. Feel those little, beautiful bones in your neck. Look at those lines of life in your wrists. Look at someone else’s body and feel the awe surge through you.

We’re so used to having a body. So used to seeing everyone else’s bodies everywhere we go. We overlook the miraculous wonder of them. The way they exist. The way they function. They way they let us live.  My body is beautiful. Your body is beautiful. Breathtaking.

Here are some mind – blowing facts just for you today!
 
The average adult heart beats 72 times a minute; 100,000 times a day; 3,600,000 times a year; and 2.5 billion times during a lifetime.

Source:
(Parramon’s Editorial Team. 2005. Essential Atlas of Physiology. Hauppauge, NY: Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.)

A kitchen faucet would need to be turned on all the way for at least 45 years to equal the amount of blood pumped by the heart in an average lifetime.

Source :
(Avraham, Regina. 2000. The Circulatory System. Philadelphia, PA: Chelsea House Publishers.)

Every day, the heart creates enough energy to drive a truck 20 miles. In a lifetime, that is equivalent to driving to the moon and back.

Source:
(Avraham, Regina. 2000. The Circulatory System. Philadelphia, PA: Chelsea House Publishers.)

During an average lifetime, the heart will pump nearly 1.5 million barrels of blood—enough to fill 200 train tank cars.

Source:
(Avraham, Regina. 2000. The Circulatory System. Philadelphia, PA: Chelsea House Publishers.)

Check this for more lovely facts!
http://facts.randomhistory.com/human-heart-facts.html

And here ‘s another one for you :

Stomach acid is strong enough to dissolve metal, even sharp objects such as razor blades. Although swallowing metal is never a good idea, it will seriously injure or kill a person before it’s dissolved by the person ‘s stomach acid. 
(Li. P. K.; Spittler C.; Taylor C. W.; Sponseller D.; Chung R.S.; Department of Surgery, Meridia Huron and Hillcrest Hospitals, Cleveland , Ohio
Gastrointestinal Endoscopy ISSN 0016-5107)

But isn’t that amazing?! ;-D

And think of when you have a cut or a broken bone. Whether or not you need medical assistance, that body of yours heals itself. Your skin closes back up. It’s almost too good to be true. But it’s not because It IS true!

Imagine walking up a street and out of nowhere being overwhelmed by the incredible beauty of living, imagine the feeling as if you will burst into tears at any moment.   Not tears of sorrow or pain. But tears of joy and gratitude.  

I want you to love your body for letting you live. And live so well. Nourish it. Cherish it.  Your body hears everything you say & think so watch what you say, you don’t want to stress it out! Or piss it off.

Here is something to ponder written by Albert Einstein :

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.

But without deeper reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people; first of all for those upon whose smiles and well-being our own happiness is wholly dependent, and then for the many, unknown to us, to whose destinies we are bound by the ties of sympathy.

A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving.

A human being is part of a whole, called by us the “Universe,” a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest -a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us.

Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.

Only a life lived for others is worth living.”

–Albert Einstein

(I don’t necessarily agree with it in its entirety. I like this.  Very compassionate & intelligent, generous man!  But that last line, it kind of rubs me the wrong way. And not merely because he says we should live for others but the gall to assume only certain kinds of lives or worth living. I don’t think he’s saying we should live to be servants at the expense of our own sanity and welfare but some people may take it that way. I completely agree we should help others and not demand or expect tangible things or favors in return and should have compassion and empathy and that we are all connected in ways. We can help others and love all living creatures without wearing ourselves out to be their servants. We must find the correct balance and set healthy boundaries. But yeah I wouldn’t say any life is ‘not worth living’. But I guess that calls for a whole other post!)

Ohhhh, the wild joys of living…..

“Oh the wild joys of living! The leaping from rock to rock … the cool silver shock of the plunge in a pool’s living waters.” ~ Robert Browning

I hope you find that inspiration, that music in your bones, that magic in your heart, that awareness, & gratitude, those awe-provoking moments that will blow you away.   And always remember, even the ordinary is truly extraordinary when we really. 

😀

Xo Kim

P.s.

https://livingmindfully.org/

http://www.meditationoasis.com/

If you really knew me…<3

Jan12

So this is a blogging trend and I decided to do my own.

It’s just random facts and things that people may or may not know about me! Maybe you’ll find them interesting, maybe not. Maybe they are useless, maybe pointless, or maybe fascinating! Yay! Lol 😉

 

So if you really knew me..

 

 

You would know that I’m a makeup junkie and love getting dolled up at all hours of the day or night. Sometimes I don’t put my makeup on until late at night just before retiring to bed just because I feel like it. Or I wash off my makeup that is already on and go for a different look. Lol. Sometimes I straighten my hair before bed even though I’m only going to get a shower in the morning and it will go right back to it’s extra wavy, sometimes almost lightly curly self! And I prance around in 5 inch stilettos in my house sometimes at midnight and put on dresses. Yeah, don’t ask…. 😉

 

You would know that I am a self-help/inspiration junkie who loves self-help books, blogs, websites, articles, whatever I can find and I can find inspiration in just about anything. And want to teach the world all I can. ❤

 

You would know that I am extremely simple but not dull.

Girls are often known for being complicated or complex and somewhat hard to figure out. But not me! 😉 And while I have a rich inner-life/thoughts and stuff I am easy to understand when I say something there’s usually not some underlying implication for people to have to analyze or interpret or rip apart to understand. If I say “that’s ok.” It IS ok! I don’t expect people to be my mind readers. If I had a boyfriend, I would tell him like it really is and not expect him to have to delve deep inside to figure out what in the hell I’m actually talking about. If I say, “do what you want” then do what you want! Lol. Straight talk is what’s up! I don’t make things more complicated than they have to be. I am willing to compromise, even give some things up to avoid big blow ups. And since my family is looney, I have learned even better how to be more simplistic to avoid lots of bs.

 

You would know that I generally don’t get angry, anxious, or even too unhappy when things accidentally don’t go as planned. I just go with the flow even when plans turn out to be a wreck. Stuck in traffic? Oh well, I’m here what can be done now?! Someone Cancels at the last minute? Alrighty I’ll just make new plans!

 

You would know I’m a lazy kind of girl. Truly! I don’t have that “A” kind of personality that people speak of. I’m not uptight and perfectionist-like. Noperz! I just take things lightly, I procrastinate, I’m a slacker. Lol. But I won’t let others down and at my job I do the best I can. Yup! Lol 😉

 

You would know that I love my gossip just as much as the next girl. But I won’t gossip in a way that will hurt anyone or to people who will blab someone’s stuff to someone else.  

 

You would know that I don’t watch tv and haven’t in years. I cannot bring myself to sit and watch a television show but I know there are so many I find interesting. I don’t know about tv or all those tv shows people speak of these days and all those young/new celebs and reality tv. Nothing wrong with watching tv, it’s just not my cup of tea!

 

You would know that I am what is considered an “open book”. I’m good at expressing myself, sharing my stories, struggles, dreams, happiness, pain, anything really. Even to people I don’t really know.

I am shy but not secretive or shady. I can keep other people’s secrets but don’t really have many of my own.

 

You would know that I’m very easy going, easy to get along with, super friendly but very shy at first.

 

You would know that I feel other people’s pleasure and pain almost as if it were my own even if I don’t know them or just read about them online. I once stumbled upon a beautiful girl’s blog who was getting married in just a few days.

And I could just feel her immense joy and elation and so much happiness for her. The anxious-ness, the disbelief! The “omg! This is really happening!!” feeling!! I felt as if it were someone so close to me getting married, like my sister or friend, or me, myself! And I never even met her!

❤

 

You would know that I’m extremely patient. Good with kids and difficult people. I work at a store where people change their minds often after I already make up their ice cream hot fudge sundae with crushed cherries, pineapples, wet walnuts, extra whipped cream, carmel and chocolate syrup and cherry on top to a large ice cream cone with rainbow sprinkles. Lol! I just make it over, no problem!

And they are usually very friendly about it and apologize frequently but I tell them there’s no need! You should get what you want!

 

You would know that I think I would love to and be good at working with special needs kids. They require so much love and care and patience and I just am bursting with all of that and would love to care for them.

 

You would know that “misery loves company” is not really true for me. When I’m miserable I usually like to know that great things are still happening to other people. One day not so long ago I was in a low mood feeling like a failure and like nothing would ever go right for me, like I wouldn’t accomplish anything, ever. Then I saw a group of beautiful young women in a wedding, walking up the street towards me. A stunning young bride in a gorgeous white dress that clung to her and all her gorgeous bridesmaids holding beautiful red flowers and wearing clingy black dresses, all in stilettos, with their hair all beautifully fixed.

It immediately uplifted me. They were all genuinely glowing and getting their picture taken together. I thought to myself my world kind of sucks today but at least all is right in their world! ❤ 😀

 

You would no that I’m know grammer or spellin’ nazi! Don’t care!! Lol. As long as I get the gist of what someone is saying/writing it’s alright with me! And yup! I spelled those words wrong on purpose as a joke! Lolz. I’m a joker!

When people are debating or arguing online and start attacking each other for spelling and grammar, to me it’s a sign of weakness in their arguments. They probably don’t have a strong enough argument or points so they resort to attacking spelling mistakes. Or they are just bitter for the other side and want to get them however they can. :-/

 

You would know that I’m the biggest fan of Oldies, 50’s and 60’s music that you’ll probably ever meet and always have been for as long as I can remember!! If it’s an oldies, I can guarantee you I probably know it and the name of the singer/band who sings it. And in school, as a young girl, I would lie to other kids about it and act like I liked the music they liked. The newest, “coolest”, trendiest music. And I would search the lyrics online and facts so I would be able to join in and answer questions that I was asked! I wasn’t about to spill my dirty little secret! Lmao! When I was 18 years old in college I finally quit my lies and embraced my true, passionate love for Oldies! Now I’m a PROUD Oldies lover! And I’ll scream it off the rooftops! Mmmm hmmmm! ❤ 😉

 

You would know that I’m kind of a “good girl”. Never got in much trouble anywhere, never enjoyed the club scene or been bar hopping, don’t care about loud crazy parties, never hosted any or been to many, never been to college parties….no alcohol or cigarettes for me. I like staying home, Reading, cafes with friends, restaurants, movie theatres, walking….things of that sort. 

 

You would know that I’m the kind of girl who goes to great lengths no matter the cost to myself, to help others whether or not I know them.

One day I dragged my ass to the acme and 1:00 in the morning because I found out the gay/straight alliance in college was having a bake sale to get money for awareness for lgbt issues and I just knew I had to help so I bought stuff to make cookies!! Lol!

 

You would know that I rarely negatively judge people. No matter how different they are than me. No matter how “unusual” or “abnormal” they or the things they do are. I’m laid back, easy going.  

 

You would know that I don’t understand math or politics for the life of me no matter how much I try but still find those subjects fascinating. Seriously, I couldn’t do a basic addition Math problem to save my life. But I can write good essays and research papers, or so I have been told. Lol. So I’m not completely dense. I guess? Lol 😉

 

You would know that I’m absent-minded as can be. I lose things. I lose money, probably more often than not. I lose 20 dollar bills a lot. I forget where I put things. I look at the clock to see what time it is and am not paying attention and have to look again, I walk into a room and forget what on Earth I’m doing in there. Lmao! I’m a disorganized mess! 

 

You would know that I’m easily amused. Very. Very easily amused. I laugh at everything and nothing. At myself and all! The most inappropriate things and the most “boring” (according to others) things. When I’m in the movie theatres I’m the one still laughing hysterically long after everyone else has stopped. Lol! I laugh when I’m alone and with people. But I don’t like jokes that have to do with death or disease. I don’t laugh at those. They are cruel and they disgust me. I don’t like jokes about presidents being killed and the Titanic sinking. I don’t care how long ago it was. I don’t like jokes about Michael J. Fox and his Parkinson’s Disease. That is vicious. I don’t like jokes about suicide victims. That is low. I’m very easy to entertain. 🙂

 

You would know that I’m not easily offended. And I don’t always take things too personally or too hard. Life just isn’t meant to be taken so seriously!! 😀

 

You would know that I used to mostly always only dress in black when I was a girl. About 20 (or a bit younger) – 23 or 24 years old, only wear dark makeup, black nail polish. Lots and lots of bracelets, piercings all over (still wear the bracelets and have the piercings). I was constantly labeled as “goth” or “semi-goth” and called the gothic girl frequently. But I myself have never considered myself goth. But never minded the label. Now there’s much color in my world. I paint my nails various colors, wear colorful clothes….

 

You would know I love reading facts about people whether or not I know them. I love reading people’s bio sections, their favorite color, favorite food, “weird” quirks, funny stories, personal blogs about their families and kids and happy lives, even what many consider “boring” facts, lists such as this. I just love people and their lives!

❤

 

You would know that I love babies. My heart melts at the sight or sound of them! I wouldn’t mind watching someone’s or holding a big baby and as a girl, I loved playing dolls, house, kitchen, but I never not once wanted a kid of my own and I know I never will. Just zero desire, not my cup of tea. Doesn’t interest me. Not for any specific reason. As much as I adore kids I just don’t have that natural desire that I guess most girls have, to have kids. I have been criticized for that one but guess what….? I don’t care! Lol 😉 

 

You would know that I am also the biggest fan of sappy love songs, specifically old ones, and I love my sap! I love love and friendship and songs and poetry that conveys the warmth of it. I love romantic comedies and friendship movies….

 

I guess this is it for now! Thank You for getting to know me better! ❤

 

P.S. When I get a shower, it usually steams up the medicine cabinet mirror. Which is the mirror I like to use to put my makeup on because I can get closest to it. I can’t keep the door open because my dad’s parakeets can get out. I got tired of it always being steamed up and even when I make an attempt to clean it with a towel, it smears and gets worse or whatever. So today I came up with the absolutely brilliant idea to put a towel over it! So the steam wouldn’t get to it! I felt proud of my sudden great idea! So after the shower I ripped the towel off and……. Much to my surprise, it was steamed up anyway! Lol! Words cannot express my disappointment and confusion! I stood there for like two minutes all grim and doing nothing! And then? I laughed at myself and went about my day! Yeah this is probably like the most random thing you have read all day! I know. But I just felt like it! 

😀 

 

You just gotta love me! :-p

 

Xox0 Kim 😀 Image