Tag Archive | gratitude

Hello, March

Mar2

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(this picture is not mine)

Yes, hello there, March! I love you & thank you for existing! ❤ 😀

I LOVE the Month of March! I'm so inspired every year in March. I'm inspired every month (though I'm least inspired in August and other Summer months) but in March, my inspiration usually runs deeper than other months.

Here is why. March. It's a sweet medley of
 all four seasons. It like has madd mood swings. One day it's all Summery and hot then the very next day there's a snow blizzard and it's below freezing, other days it's sunny & warm or cool and Spring is in the air. Some days, it doesn't know what season it is and all throughout the day the weather changes hot then cold, cool and warm. 

There's something so beautiful about this last Winter month and knowing Spring is about to bloom.

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The trees are still bare but there are some signs of the coming Spring, some green growth blossoming.

The days are often warmer then the nights are still cold. March brings with it rain, snow, sun, wind, moonlight…just lovely!  

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(cute or creepy? To me it’s cute! :-D)

I can strongly relate to this wonderful, beautiful month and all its chaotic beauty. 

I’m like this myself sometimes. 
I recently have been depressed and dangerously suicidal off and on with joy and happiness in the middle. This happens now & again. Sometimes triggered by something specific (like recently), sometimes not triggered by anything. 

(I will share my recent struggle in a later post)

It’s beautiful to be so full of life.

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March inspires me to create even more than other months. It inspires me to take out my arts & crafts journal and to take lots of pictures and to tap into my most creative parts!

Every March, this deeper inspiration just comes flooding into me and it’s just beautiful.

Last night and early morning was perfect! I was laying in bed reading a ghost story and the night couldn’t have been more perfect for a ghost story! It was dark and cold and raining hard and extremely windy! The windows were rattling and the bare tree branches were shaking! 
Just perfect!  

I’m reading a novel called “The Haunting of Blackwood House.” My first impression of the main character, Mara, wasn’t a real good one.

She seems kind of rude at first. And she kind of mocks her realtor who has a breathing condition and talks in a breathless way and calls people “honey” very frequently. I don’t mind being called “honey!” lol 😀

Something about this young woman just rubbed me the wrong way. She acts out of anger and lashes out somewhat frequently it seems. Not like real frequently but she gets all worked up and claims she can’t help it. But she’s sorry later, which is good, because she tries to make up for it. She doesn’t really want to hurt anyone. I prefer reading books where the main character is lovable/likable. It’s not her anger that I have the biggest problem with. I don’t not like people because they have anger problems. 

It’s hard to suck it up and read a book where the main character is super annoying. But it’s a great book and I’m only on page 73 out of 344. It’s a Kindle book.

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I learned later that the young woman was abused as a child. Her family wasn’t trying to be abusive probably, but they are extremely religious and brought her up in a way that damaged her psychologically. She lived on her own for four years now and still has terrible nightmares. Not all extremely religious people are abusive, in fact, I think most aren’t. But it is possible to unintentionally use religion in a very detrimental way against others. These people made her go to people claiming to be psychics and they made her attend frequent séances and told her horrifying ghost stories they claimed were real. They used ouija boards and killed her pet rabbit claiming someone on the other side told them too. 

After learning this, my compassion for her deepened. 

But even when I viewed her in a somewhat negative light, I also have found things in her that are very respectable and inspiring. 
She’s only 22 years old and has been on her own since 18 years old. She doesn’t have much money but she has a job and her own apartment, a loving boyfriend, and she gets by on her own. She’s extremely independent minded and wary of accepting the help of her boyfriend. She’s kind of on the poor side (financially) and he’s upper middle class and lives with his mom. 

He offers to let her have or borrow money which she refuses because she is proud to be independent. I think that is very respectable. There’s nothing wrong with letting her man help her out but it’s great to choose to be an independent woman. And if she wanted, she can take advantage of his money but she never does. She just loves him for him and doesn’t need him. It’s great to be wanted, not needed. She’s with him because she wants to be. 

But she does allow him to help her in some ways. It’s great to find the balance of being independent but also accepting help when needed. 

Him and his mom offer to let her live with them but they are Christians and very into their religion and she is so repelled by religion because of the way she grew up. Just the thought of it sickens her. This is another thing I love about her, she’s not just an atheist, she’s totally put off by religion, outright loathes it, it seems, but she still accepts the views of others and will even have a serious romantic relationship with a very religious man. This shows open-mindedness. Some people in her situation would reject him. But she loves him just the way he is. She just won’t live with him and his mom and their religious ways. His mom is more religious and he lives with her to take care of her but the girl wouldn’t mind living with just him if he doesn’t go overboard with the religion.

They have been together for six months and deeply in love! I love it! ❤ They have an extremely loving relationship. I love watching it unfold. They are so cute together! I'm a sap! Lol ;-D He is big and strong but very gentle and loving and loves to help people. 

Anyway, she has some money she has been saving for a house but it can't be too expensive.
The apartment she currently lives in is trashy. Lol

Recently a house was brought to Mara’s attention. It's like a mansion in the middle of nowhere. She falls in love with it even though it needs serious repairs. The structure is good though and it's safe to live in.

It's way less money than it would have been because in the early 1900's (I think), a serial killer lived there and like seven people died in the house. He took his victims back to his house and murdered them and then he hanged himself in there. (eww)

No one wants to live there now and the house has been on the market for 20 years. It has a reputation for being haunted. But the girl isn't even fazed. To her, there's no such thing as ghosts and so what if people died there, it's just a house.

So she buys the house and still has money left.

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Another thing I love about Mara is she is very intelligent, educated, and informed. I don’t know if she has a college education, probably not, it only mentions her work, but she is clearly just as educated as anyone who does.

She stands up for herself and is assertive and bold and makes decisions based on facts and logic and what she wants. She doesn’t just accept nonsense because most do.

I agree with her atheistic views but I do practice Buddhist techniques but in a secular way. She probably wouldn’t like that. Lol

I don’t think I would want to buy a house seven people died in though, or even one person, especially if they were murdered. Nothing to do with hauntings and superstitions. It’s just the thought of the whole thing! Like eww! :-O

But it’s a great book up until now! And I am reminded of a life lesson to look for the good in others even if we don’t like other things about them and that it’s not always wise to go by first impressions.

I love the feeling I get reading about this young woman starting her life how she always dreamed after struggling so much, buying a new house and getting a new job and becoming who she always dreamed of being. It inspires and thrills me. 

I’m nearly 30 years old and still don’t have a place of my own, work only at a store, the same job I had as a 20 year old college girl, which I love but sometimes I think I should be more accomplished by now. It can seem kind of pathetic, sometimes, how I turned out. Oh well though, it is what it is, and it inspires me to hear about/read about others who are successful whether they are real or characters in a fiction book.

Right now the only ghost-like thing that happens is the old rocking chair started rocking on its own! But Mara brushes it off as a draft of an unknown source. 

The whole kitchen table was set with 20 year old, rancid food, all the old furniture is still in there and it seems as if the last family who lived there (20 years ago, years after the serial killer incident…) all left in a hurry, in the middle of eating their food! The table is all set and all like they were prepared to eat then had to bolt and fast. 

Interesting! I can’t wait to read more! I love reading it in the dark at night! 😀

Something must have been seriously wrong for an entire family to run out, just leaving everything in the middle of eating, and never coming back. I heard something for real like that in the news. A whole family just left in the middle of eating and disappeared and were later found dead, murdered I think. This one is just sad, not thrilling because it really happened. 

❤

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

Hugs & love to you now & always,

Xoxo Kim 

Sisterhood Award <3

Feb9

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So in my last award post I listed some blogs I love! Here I am listing a few more I love just as much!  I have been nominated for another award shortly after the lovely blog one, even before I prepared the first! I’m so thankful because I can nominate more people. I just took a list of all the blogs I could think of at the moment that I love ( I know there’s more I love just as much!) and took fifteen for the last one and seven for this! 
Choosing at least 22 isn’t hard at all because I have 22 and more that I love to read! 

This lovely lady here:

https://justaladywithablog.wordpress.com/

Nominated me for the Sisterhood award!! 

https://justaladywithablog.wordpress.com/2016/01/26/the-sisterhood-of-the-world-bloggers-award/

Go check out her wonderful blog about all the joys she finds in life. A fun mixture of things like beauty, plants, recipes, her adorable kitties, and more! I love it!

Wow, I’m so honored to receive this award! 

This is a very late post! But better late than never, right?! ;-D

I’m assuming this one is just for the ladies? Lol So here are some more blogs I love, like I said before, in no certain order.

http://laliterati.com/

Some of the most beautiful poetry/song writing I have ever read! It’s not easy to find poetry this great! I love poetry that is beautifully dark and well written. I frequently try to find it but it’s rare that I do. I love poetry with fantastic imagery like this! To be able to write like this is a rare gift.

My favorite kind of poetry is not usually happy, sappy poetry. Lol But poetry that captures the darker aspects of life in a beautiful way and this lovely lady does just that!    

http://aflawedruby2015.com/

Love this blog by a very confident lady! 

https://alternativesunnydays.wordpress.com
/

A sweet girl with a very positive attitude about life!

http://alienblob.com/

A beautiful blog that is a tribute to a wonderful son by his beautiful mom. It’s heartbreakingly beautiful how she honors her son each day, remembering the happy moments with him while also expressing her unimaginable pain.  She does a great job keeping his memory alive and his light shining each day. 

http://lifebeyondmommy.com/

Another amazing blog about being a mommy but still staying true to yourself and your other passions by a wonderful lady! It’s a great thing to be able to find that balance of being a mommy and putting the kids first but still honoring your own dreams and passions outside of motherhood. It takes a strong woman to find and honor that balance!  

Howling With the Wolf

https://howlingwiththewolf.wordpress.com/about/

Amazing blog & amazing writing!

 http://outtheboxfashion.com/

This is a beauty blog by a beautiful lady! It’s intended to inspire women to be the best we can be. I love her attitude and loving spirit!  

❤ ❤

Please check out these wonderful blogs, including 

https://justaladywithablog.wordpress.com/

By these beautiful ladies!

❤ ❤

What made you want to start your blog?
What have you wanted to do on your blog but haven’t yet?
What is your biggest fear?
Name one item on your bucket list or more if you like.
What is/was best moments in life?
Have you made any New year resolutions this year? If so ,name one. If not why don’t you like them?
If you could host a challenge on your blog.What kind would it be?
What was the name of your first pet?
Do you ever go to a high school/old school reunion? Was it fun or not?
Do you have a pet peeve?

What made you want to start your blog?
I am deeply inspired almost everyday and always have been by the things and people I encounter, the books I read, the thoughts in my own head, my experiences and life lessons learned, but I struggle with severe depression and that experience in some way, even while often sapping my will to live, even deepened my general sense of wonder and I'm even better than I would be without it. So I decided a few years ago to keep a record of all the things that inspire me each day and share them to try to reach others and always have to look at whenever I want. I would share them a lot on Facebook as statuses and notes and things.  I tried to set up blog accounts before this but they weren't compatible with my phone which is how I mostly access the blog. I did not have a computer. And I like using my phone better anyway. I gave up but then a Facebook friend of mine encouraged me to try again to set up a blog or even write an ebook. I am so thankful! It's amazing what the encouragement of one person can do! It also reminds me what the cruelty of one person can do if we let it. Our messages and words and actions have an impact on others and the world around us. I think we mostly can all act in a cruel manner or a loving manner. I have been both, the loving one encouraging others and the cruel, vicious one trying to inflict pain on someone. But I only degrade myself when I do that. I also have been the target of love & compassion and the target of malicious intent, as are probably most of us at some point. And the people who targeted me with  malicious intent did not degrade me even when I felt they did. They only degraded themselves. We cannot truly degrade another no matter how hard we try. When we are vicious, we show who we are choosing to be in that moment, not who that person is. I'm mostly loving but I still have it in me to be less than loving sometimes and I think that goes for most of us. Lets put more love out into this world both in person and cyberspace. ❤ ❤ That's my goal with this blog, to put more love out into the world. 

What have you wanted to do on your blog but haven’t yet?

This is a fantastic question!

I love to read all kinds of things, including old fiction/literature and I would love to at least one day a week, take an old story and write about the life lessons it teaches or reminds me of. Many old stories and books can be found at no cost online and I have so many wonderful thick literature books. I find the thought so inspiring and overwhelming and maybe one day I will! I definitely often write about the things I read but I never yet made it an organized "thing" or feature on here. 

What is your biggest fear?

I don't usually dwell on my fears. I'm generally not someone who is anxious but one of my biggest fears was always closed in places like elevators and vaults and closed in rooms, especially while alone. I could never stand to close doors to small rooms.

I used to be so terrified of them but through my journey of healing my depression, I accidentally helped that fear get much better. It was like my biggest fear for many years, being in a small, enclosed place. I used to scream hysterically sometimes and throw myself on the floor even as a teenager if I ever had to go on an elevator! Embarrassing! Lol It used to embarrass my mom and dad and I laugh at it now. One day we were on one of those big glass elevators with a lady we did not know, when I was little and only for like a minute and I started pounding on the glass screaming hysterically let me out! Let me out! Let me out! Lol The lady just stared and my mom & dad couldn't get out of there fast enough. I laughed about it later that day. 

I never imagined it would be able to get better. It was usually only a problem to me when I had to be in or near a closed in place. I used to have dreams about being stuck in somewhere. When I was young I thought it meant that I'm weak and I felt like I was deeply flawed. 
Through meditation, Buddhism, positive thinking…I helped it so much and know I can survive anything now. The most fascinating thing about my situation is how I wasn't trying to help this condition. I was trying to heal my depression and learn to cope with my chronic headache that flares up to seemingly unbearable levels off and on. It never occurred to me that I can overcome this horrible fear of being closed in. 

I wrote about that a while ago here:

https://inspirationalgem.wordpress.com/2014/10/08/serendipitous-strength/

Name one item on your bucket list or more if you like.
I don't have an actual bucket list. I'm not much of a planner or big goal setter. I just go with the flow and am very laid back.
I have never been a perfectionist or very motivated in general.  I don't have a timetable or something like "I want to be married by age ____" or before I'm a certain age I have to have a certain job or whatever,…. I never have. I'm just a very simple girl.
I like to call myself simple-minded. Lol
My dad said that doesn't sound very good and that it's probably not a good idea to tell people that about myself but I like it that way.
I'm not boring (at least not to me) or dull but I am not complicated at all. I'm also passionate but not really a big dreamer or planner or anything. I'm inspired but often not motivated. It has its good and bad things about it. But I focus on the good more.

But I have a few things I would love to do.

I want a volunteer job helping people in some way. 

Also I would like a real job. Lol I love to work!

And learn more about photography! And get a real camera one day. But I also love my situation now, taking pics with no rules with just my phone. I love most of my pictures. It just would be so fun to also learn real rules and things and have more options to edit and take various kinds of photos. 

I would love to learn ballroom dancing.
  

What is/was best moments in life?
Like I sometimes say, I don't have just one but many days I have little moments that can be considered my best like drinking hot tea on a quiet day at work, reading a scary book in my dark room at night with my dogs, having sweet conversations with friends at a cafe or restaurant, watching a fun movie with my mom & sister, connecting with a stranger, blogging here, talking to online friends, a sweet meditation session, meeting people I have never met before….it doesn't just have to be big "memorable" things like vacations and holidays and weddings although those are very good too! 

You can read some things I wrote about simple moments here:

https://inspirationalgem.wordpress.com/2015/03/17/the-simple-unidentified-moments-3/

https://inspirationalgem.wordpress.com/2015/10/05/best-days-3/

Have you made any New year resolutions this year? If so ,name one. If not why don’t you like them?
Just the one word challenge! 

Read about it here!
https://inspirationalgem.wordpress.com/2016/01/20/one-word/

And I'm doing quite alright with it, I must say!

😀

If you could host a challenge on your blog. What kind would it be?
Interesting! Maybe a 30 day challenge each day taking a picture of something that inspires us & posting it. 

What was the name of your first pet?
I don't remember the very first one because my mom and dad had pets when I was just born and before.
But I recall many I had since I was little like Wendy, Sandy, & Emily, three kitties!

Sandy was a boy but my mom thought he was a girl first so named him that. Lol I love those kitties and will always remember them. ❤

I had pets my whole life. It's interesting to think, ever since I was just an embryo or zygote or whatever until now, I never lived a day without a furry companion! 

Do you ever go to a high school/old school reunion? Was it fun or not?
No, I never even hear of any that I know of. I really wouldn't care to probably. Lol I love people and being around lots of them but this really doesn't interest me much for some reason. I always had friends in school and loved school and even miss it sometimes but I don't care much to go back really. 

Do you have a pet peeve?
Yeah, one is when people just start doing something they haven't ever before then they act like they're better than people who don't. 
Someone acting sanctimonious. 
Example: someone just starts going to a gym two days ago now acts like s/he's this big fitness freak and if you're not, you're just a slob.
Or someone becomes a vegetarian this morning and is now the healthiest or most compassionate person and all the meateaters are cruel barbarians or people destined to die of a heart attack because of the unhealthy meat eating. Or someone goes for the first dentist checkup  in ages and now is a big oral health freak and people who don't go for checkups are just nasty or don't care about themselves. Lol  I have seen all these exact examples before and more!  

This really irks me for some reason. 

There's nothing wrong with using our life lessons and discovered wisdom  to help remind or encourage others but we don't have to be stuck up about it. It's especially annoying when they just took on a new lifestyle yesterday and are now the experts and perfect moralists and in a position to judge the rest of us.  Eww Get over yourself already. Lol 

Well, this was a fun little survey! 😀

Even if you don't participate in awards, just know, I love you & your blog! ❤ 😀

Please, check out the lovely ladies above!! 

Much love,

Xoxo Kim 

Attitude of Gratitude

Feb3

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“If you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough.” ~ Oprah Winfrey

This is so true! It’s not about what we have but how we perceive this life that contributes mostly to gratitude & happiness. Even with very little, we still have a lot when we have a great attitude.

❤ 😀

I saw this quote today and it's a wonderful reminder!

Much love,

xoxo Kim

One Lovely Blog Award <3

Jan28

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Thank you so much to LifeBeyondMommy

http://lifebeyondmommy.com/

For nominating me for this award! I’m so honored! 

Please go check out her lovely blog!! ❤

One Lovely Blog Award

The rules are as follows:

Thank the person who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
List the rules.
Display the award on your post of the award.
List 7 facts about yourself.
Nominate 15 bloggers and comment on their post to let them know you have nominated them.
7 facts about me:

1.) I love mint flavored anything! Cookies, candy, ice cream…Mint is just the best! mmmMmmmmm
2.) One thing I have never done is color or perm or do anything like that to my hair. In my whole life I only ever had two hair cuts I think, except for trimming. I just love it how it is. 😀
3.) Oldies music & Country are my favorite. 
4.) My favorite kinds of books to read are Philosophy, personal development, Buddhist, and horror fiction books. I also love inspiring novels.
5.) I love wild colored socks with designs and patterns that stand out. Socks are one of my favorite things to buy. When I buy packs and packs of socks, I'm in Heaven on Earth! Lol But I never wear mismatched sox!
6.) I always loved school, elementary school til college.
7.) I cannot stand the feel of soft material rubbing against my skin, especially my hands. It's hard to explain in words. I don't mind wearing clothes but if they rub on my skin it's disgusting. Lol It's kind of like the way nails rubbing on a chalkboard are to some people but maybe not exactly. 

I love a lot of blogs and don't like choosing some and not others. I know there's going to be a few I forget. So I took a list of all the ones I can remember this moment and just took fifteen since 15 is the limit! 

Here goes!

http://www.theseeds4life.com/

https://shirleysheaven.wordpress.com/

https://elizawaters.wordpress.com/

https://insidethelifeofmoi.wordpress.com/

https://worldstrata.wordpress.com/

 
https://meloheartsite.wordpress.com/

https://justaladywithablog.wordpress.com/

https://bhharned.wordpress.com/

https://herladypinkrose.wordpress.com/

https://pathsofthespirit.wordpress.com/

https://transformationearth.wordpress.com/

https://thezenofbeingblog.wordpress.com/

http://clarinabeauty.com/

http://carisaadrienne.com/

https://autismthoughts.wordpress.com/

I understand not everyone participates in awards but it won't make me love your blog any less!

;-D

These aren't in any kind of order and there's other ones I love too that aren't listed! 

Please check out these lovely, lovely blogs!! Thank you!! 😀

Much love,

xoxo Kim ❤

Everything & Everyone <3

Jan27

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“If we could see everything and everyone as beautiful we would not develop anger or jealousy but would feel affectionate love for all living beings.” ~ Geshe Kelsang Gyatso

Let’s focus on the good in each other & our own self & everything around us and get our minds in the habit of loving.

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“You’re my life,
You’re my breath,
You’re a smile
You’re my guest
You’re the earth
You’re the sun
You’re the grass
You are love
You’re my hands
You’re a bug
You’re my eyes
You’re a hug
You’re the light
In the dark
You’re the spark
You are fun
You’re my mom
You are water
You’re the stars
You’re my daughter
Your my friend
Till the end 
You’re my dreams
You’re my father
You’re the ants on the ground
The miracles that surround
I’m feelin’ it all around
The hemisphere and the clouds
You’re my pain you’re my sorrow
You’re my hope for tomorrow
You’re the strength when I’m hollow
You’re the path that I follow
You’re the blessings that exist
The small things that are bliss
The gift to realize that
Everything is a gift.”~ Nimo Patel – Empty Hands

mobile:

desktop:

This is a most beautiful song. It’s called Grateful and is a musical love song to the world. The whole world, everyone & everything. Friends, family, strangers, insects, clouds, the beauty all around….all encompassing love. ❤

"All that I am
All that I see
All that I've been and all that I'll ever be
Is a blessing
Its so amazing
And I’m grateful for it all, for it all" ~ Nimo

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It’s true, everything is a gift. I love the feeling of Oneness. To feel like everyone I encounter is family or can be. To feel connected to the sky, the trees and flowers, the buildings and the air, myself dissolves into the Oneness and it’s a true gift.

❤

I'm wishing you much love & light today & always!!

😀 ❤

xoxo Kim

Collide

Jan26

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“Be melting snow.
Wash yourself of yourself.” ~Rumi

❤

Today I woke up with the headache worse than usual when I wake up, but it wasn’t the worst. Now it’s a lot better. 

I woke up with this feeling like this life can’t be better than this. I have no money (I haven’t been working because of the weather, my boss closes for wicked weather! ) and I have a chronic headache but life is still beautiful! 

I feel so inspired, so beautiful, so hopeful, so grand. The sun is shining brightly through the bare trees, the ground and everything is covered in melting snow and ice and sludge. It’s so hard to walk because my shoes slip and fill with cold slush. And it’s all so beautiful.

I saw a few birds flying by out my bedroom window. Some of my favorite kind of days are cool/warm Winter days that remind me of an impending Spring. Especially when they are covered in snow and the sun is shining brightly!

I love when the seasons collide and mesh together to form a beautiful medley.

Today I’m eating chocolate Oreo cookies with green mint in the middle instead of the original white cream. They are delicious!! Mint is my absolute favorite! The scent of the mint in these cookies is heavenly. 

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The air is so cool and so sweet today. It caresses my skin so gently and is exhilarating.

I’m generally happy but I also have recurring episodes of severe depression. The episodes often come close together. They last hours,days, weeks, or months. They used to last around three and four months, sometimes longer. And often in the middle I would have less severe, but often still severe, depression. Through the years I worked on myself to be better and better. Now I’m still not cured but my depression is much less frequent. The duration of my depressive episodes usually isn’t months anymore. Usually they last a month or less now. And I don’t have longterm depression in the middle anymore. Sometimes I still have symptoms in the intervals but not always and not usually as bad. Also, I cope with the depression much better now. 

This sunny afternoon, I was thinking what a sharp contrast this beautiful feeling is when compared to that deep, dark, depression I lived (and sometimes still live), for years and years.

What a beautiful, sharp contrast. 

Just last night I felt somewhere all the way in the back of my mind that I may be detecting an impending episode. But it quickly vanished. I’m so thankful! Because it’s already in me to have depression, I can have symptoms very briefly that end as quickly as they begin. I can usually detect what kind of episodes I am about to be hit with and approximately how long I will have to endure it. And I can sometimes make it so it doesn’t hit too hard. Isn’t that amazing?! I have different degrees of depression, different severity levels, and different durations. Some only last hours to days while others last weeks to months. Some are severe and some beyond severe. Some are suicidal depression and some are not.

But today there’s not an ounce of depression in me. I am very mindful of not being depressed. One of the great things about having to live a life of longterm depression is when I’m not depressed, I never take it for granted. I realize even more how great it is to be happy! I realize not only how incredible it is to live but to want to live.

And today I am even more mindful of it than usual. 

I am filled with immense gratitude. 

And I am inspired by this beautiful season.
Winter inspires me deeply.

Yesterday I went for a walk to a couple of stores and I went out of my way just to walk more and to take beautiful pictures! 

I will share some here!

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This is the same picture with two different effects. Kids and their daddy sledding up on a hill having fun. It was so sweet and inspiring to hear their laughter & squealing and see their love. I remember when I was a little girl and would go sledding with my friends and my dad.

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I love the shadows and reflections upon the snow that the fence puts there with the sunlight streaming through the slits.

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The sun always comes out again. ❤

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I love seeing workers doing work outside.

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It’s not all beauty & fun though, I heard a few people were hurt and killed in the recent storm and a few died of heart attacks while shoveling the snow including an 80 something year old man and an eighteen year old girl who was pregnant. Seriously?! An 18 year old?! Her unborn baby and her both died. My heart just sinks. My love & compassion go out to all those affected by these terrible tragedies. How heartbreaking.

Last night my mom, sister, and me watched the movies My Girl & My Girl 2. I haven’t watched those movies in many years and never realized how inspiring they are.

Here is a song that the girl’s mom sings on a video in the second movie:

“Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear may be ever so near
That’s the time you must keep on trying
Smile, what’s the use of crying?
You’ll find that life is still worthwhile, if you just smile”
😀

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“Smile though your heart is aching
Smile even though it’s breaking
When there are clouds in the sky, you’ll get by
If you smile through your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You’ll see the sun come shining through for you”

A beautiful, inspiring reminder to smile even when things aren’t so perfect. There’s always something to smile about!! 😀 ❤

Much love to you,

xoxo Kim ❤

If you want to be happy…

Jan23

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“A pretty woman makes her husband look small
And very often causes his downfall.
As soon as he marries her 
Then she starts to do
The things that will break his heart.
But if you make an ugly woman your wife,
You’ll be happy for the rest of your life,
An ugly woman cooks her meals on time,
She’ll always give you peace of mind.”

An ugly woman?! I don’t think there is such a thing! Lol 

Since I’m sharing this song I decided to share a couple of the “ugliest” (there’s actually waayyy uglier ones my sister has of me that she takes of me during moments I least expect it but I won’t be sharing those here – she has them on Facebook though!) pics of me. lol It’s not that I’m ugly but these are pictures I took of myself recently during my horrible sore throat and stuff. I’m totally not in my underwear, just pj shorts. lol And I have chicken legs (natural ones, not because I’m sick) which my mom thinks are hilarious. They aren’t as noticeable in pants.

I took these pictures shortly after I felt my sickness slowly beginning to heal. I was celebrating my desire to “live again” after walking around like a zombie for a few days. lol So for this reason, I think they are beautiful pics!

This is me recovering just after a terrible sore throat and possibly a (mild) kidney infection.
I haven’t been this sick in quite a while. And if I look a wreck, in my defense, like I said, I’m sick but recovering very well!  

Don’t you just LOVE the feeling of getting over a sickness?! It’s a wonderful feeling for sure. When I’m listing things to be grateful for, even when I’m not sick and haven’t been in a while, I frequently think of the incredible feeling when a sickness begins to end. In general, most of us feel this feeling of not being sick but we tend to overlook it I think, take it for granted, because we’re so used to it….until we get sick. Then we realize how absolutely wonderful it is to not be sick. ❤

I was letting my dog out in the backyard to go potty and as I stood there at the door waiting (she doesn't like us to leave and close the door on her lol), I felt flooded with gratitude that I felt so much less sick! 

I'm sharing this funny song & pictures as part of my one word challenge! My word is beauty. It’s just a funny song, but definitely not true! There are lots of pretty girls who can make some delicious food and love to cook for others and are great loyal, wives, girlfriends, lovers…. 

This song, while kind of rude, is uplifting!  

“Say man. 
Hey baby. 
Saw your wife the other day. 
Yeah?
Yeah, she’s uglyyy. 
Yeah, she’s ugly but she sure can cook. 
Yeah?. Okay.”

Lol Whaaattt?!?

I can’t cook (but then again, I never even try…)and don’t want to and I don’t keep stuff neat and organized so I must be totally gorgeous!! ;-D

My view is if you truly want to be happy, look for the beauty in everyone. Not just physical beauty but inner beauty. “Look for the light in others and treat them as if that’s all you see.” Also not to assume things especially based on outter appearances. You may think a woman is ugly and it turns out she can’t cook at all and a woman you find stunning may be a great chef! 

And not just about cooking but anything. Lol Physical appearance can’t generally tell us much about someone!

This may seem like common sense but some people really do judge based on appearances. I’m not completely innocent of this myself. I don’t ever judge based on level of attractiveness but there have been occasions I just looked at someone and thought this person doesn’t seem like the most pleasant person and the person turned out to be the sweetest thing! Even if we get a first impression that isn’t good, we don’t have to act on it! Let’s give everyone a chance! ❤

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(This isn’t my photo but isn’t it sweet?!)

It’s hard though to listen to this song and not want to giggle or sing along! 😀 The tune is quite catchy, wouldn’t you say? 😀

❤

Jimmy Soul – “If You Want to Be Happy”

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~Hugs!~ ❤ 😀

xoxo Kim

5 Things that inspire me this week

Jan17

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1.) My coworker brought her son to work. He’s four years old and the most adorable little boy! He came over to me and said “Kim, you’re the best!” then he walked over to his mom and said “Mommy, you’re the best! You’re the best mommy someone can have!” My heart just melted! That’s the cutest thing! And how beautiful it is to appreciate those who surround us and feel as if we are surrounded by the best! He’s only four years old and already taps into this wisdom of gratitude & appreciation! 

2.) This:

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3.) Years ago I saw a horror fiction movie called “The Eye” which I recently watched again, and a very sick little girl in a hospital says to the young woman about to receive an eye transplant to see again after being blinded in an accident as a young child:

“I know you’re scared. Don’t be. ‘Cause the world really is beautiful.”

I also feel an even deeper appreciation for my sense to see and the other incredible ways in which my body functions in perfect synchronization, watching the movie again. It’s something we often overlook and take for granted. If you are a seeing person just open your beautiful eyes and look! Look at all the beautiful colors, textures, views around you! Imagine having that taken away in an instant. Of course it’s not the worst thing. Blind people can be very happy and just as functioning for the most part, as a seeing person. And often their other senses are even stronger than ours or they are more in tune with them. I don’t feel sorry for them and there are probably blind people who would never want to see because they love how they are. I know there are deaf people who say they love their culture and would never want to hear. It’s probably different for people who have been deaf or blind since infancy than for a person who it happens to later. It has to be traumatic to go blind or deaf as an adult or older child. Because of my facial dysfunction I go deaf occasionally, sometimes partially and on extremely rare occasions profoundly/completely. When I was a young woman and girl it scared me silly. I would go into a serious panic. One day in college, I went completely deaf, got lost, and couldn’t ask for help because I couldn’t hear. It was so scary. Now it’s still not pleasant but it’s not frightening either. I also have problems with my vision because of the same dysfunction. I don’t go blind but my vision gets so blurry sometimes I cannot see anything but a haze of white or swirl of colors. It’s not a progressive thing, it comes and goes.

But there are definitely people with disabilities who wouldn’t have it any other way and that’s beautiful. 

But our senses are a gift. There’s no denying it. A true blessing. And it’s so great to stop all the clatter in the mind and give thanks to our senses for all they do for us. 

Also I love the ultimate message of the movie that we don’t need eyes or a sense of vision to see true beauty and see what is truly important in this life. It’s like that saying something like the best things in life can’t be seen or heard but must be felt or felt with the heart or something like that! How true!

4.) the cold barrenness of Winter.

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This sky is really more of a dull blue and I also find that inspiring. Bright blue skies are my favorite to look at usually. But I put an effect on this to make it look more dreary to better portray the feel of Winter. I also love gray, dreay skies.

5.) Watching this seagull flying through the sky. It’s awe inspiring. 

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I watched him/her soaring through the sky along with a few other ones. Then when this one came very close, I took the pic! I put a bold effect on this picture to make the blue of the sky pop. The sky was very blue that day but in my picture it turned out not as bright so I put the effect on. It looks so pretty!

The world is full of so much beauty in various forms! So full of wonder. I look around each day in awe of the splendor surrounding us.

What inspires you in the last week? I would love to know! 😀

❤ Much love,

xoxo Kim

Blowing through the jasmine in my mind

Jan10

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“See the curtains hangin’ in the window, in the evenin’ on a Friday night.
A little light a-shinin’ through the window, lets me know everything is alright.
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.”

Today is like bordering on Summer here in Philadelphia! And I love it! Often, I don’t even want to think of Summer in Winter! But today is a beautiful taste of the soothing Spring & Summer to come.

How lovely!

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I have this song on my mind today! I love the images it inspires in my head.

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I see visions of green and floral beauty and sunny skies and fragrant air upon my skin! ❤ ❤

As I mentioned, my word for the one word challenge is Beauty. So today I made it a point to focus even more on the beauty of this lovely imitation of a sweet Summer day and take note of it by writing in my one word journal and writing about it here.

I’m also celebrating at work with a sweet iced coffee!

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Tomorrow, I hear it’s going back to below freezing! So I’ll be sure to soak up every bit of the warmth I can today!

All last night & into the early morning (for a couple nights now), the next door neighbors were blasting music so loudly I heard and felt it vibrating through the walls as I was in bed reading then drifting off to sleep. I did not mind. I like hearing people awake in the night while I lay in my dark room in bed. I like hearing them talking, laughing, playing, music…

Some people think it’s a lot of nerve blasting music at that hour. And well I guess it is. But I was pleased to hear it as I was falling asleep. It’s not the kind of music I would ever listen to intentionally but that’s ok.

“See the paper layin’ in the sidewalk, a little music from the house next door.
So I walked on up to the doorstep, through the screen and across the floor.
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.”

These lyrics remind me of it. Lol

Here are five beautiful things I encountered today.

1.) a light, misty rain

2.) this shopping bag mixed in with all the bags we use for work. “Thank you” when said or felt genuinely, are very powerful words. What a great reminder to give thanks.

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3.) a sweet girl and her husband who came to my workplace for ice cream today. They were both so friendly and happy together. What a pleasant encounter! And to top it off, she was wearing lovely stiletto boots!

4.) my phone is so full of photos, e-mails, and everything else. It’s in desperate need of a cleanse but I want to save a lot of photos before I delete them so I send them to my photobucket account first. One did not go through and a red circle showed up in my e-mail box next to the e-mail that did not go through. I can’t stand when that happens. It pisses me off. My e-mail box has thousands upon thousands of e-mails, mostly junk. But I like getting so many because there’s also inspiring messages and stuff that come through. But it can be hard to find certain e-mails I’m looking for in the midst of all that. I sent one of my pictures to photobucket then deleted it out of my phone then later decided I wanted the picture back on my phone to share here. Using my phone, it’s hard sometimes to save my pictures off of photobucket after I put them on. So I decided to look back through my sent e-mails to find the photo in my inbox when I sent it but since there’s hundreds and the e-mails aren’t named, it would be hard to find. But the ugly red circle indicating that my e-mail did not go through, helped me more quickly find the other e-mail I was searching for since I know it was close to that one in my inbox. So I just scanned my inbox quickly til I saw the ugly red circle then knew the e-mail I wanted was close. Turns out the ugly red circle isn’t so ugly after all! Lol I don’t know if any of this seems to make sense but basically something I was pissed at turned out to work in my favor! Yay!! When something that seems unpleasant doesn’t naturally work out in our favor, we can get creative and look for ways to use it to our advantage!


5.) for some reason this light rainy, warm day triggered pleasant memories of college. I was severely depressed back then, somewhat often but along with my very painful memories I also have beautiful, very pleasant memories of those days. There were so many happy days as well. This day inspires a very pleasant memory of another rainy day in my first year of college. But that other day, it wasn’t Winter, it was early Fall, I think, or the end of Summer. And it wasn’t a light rain, it was a heavy thunderstorm and very dark. There is nothing significant about this day back in college. It wasn’t a holiday or anything out of the ordinary. It was my first semester ever in college. I remember I was sad and missing high school and all the people I knew in my old school but still happy to be in college and definitely happy about my experiences there. I had a Criminal Justice paper that had to be turned in that day and I waited til the last minute then my printer wouldn’t work! So I decided to go to campus hours early to work on it before class that day. I had to write it all over to print out. My dad drove me to campus that early morning while it was still dark out before going to his work. I loved the dark and rain and going to campus early. There were very few people there that early and while I sometimes felt lonely back then being physically alone, that morning, I loved my own company. I loved the feeling of novelty. I was full of hope and curiosity about college even with my sadness and longing for high school. I loved my classes already. I was so young, only eighteen years old! Every rainy day now doesn’t inspire me to recall that day in college, most do not. But for some reason today inspired that pleasant memory. I’m so thankful! Savoring our memories and truly feeling them can inspire in us whatever emotion we felt back then. If you tap into your memory of your wedding day or the day you gave birth or your first day of college or moving into a new house, whatever pleasant experience you recall….really tune in, you can feel those same emotions ripple through you even if you haven’t felt them in so long. That’s a great technique for practicing gratitude, recalling old occasions we felt gratitude and truly allowing them to surface and flow through us. It can also bring a pang of sadness, longing, nostalgia of course but that’s ok! That’s beautiful too.

😀

Thank you to every single person who reads, likes, “likes,” follows, shares…my content!! I deeply appreciate it always!! ❤ 😀

I hope you are having a beautiful day/night wherever you are and basking in all the beauty around & within whatever the weather is like. We can always bring our own sunshine & rain. ❤

Much love,

Xoxo Kim