“The quality of your life doesn’t depend on the quality of what you have; it depends on the quality of your feelings.”
An attitude of gratitude is better than any possession!
Just stopping by to share this inspiring message! 😀
❤
Lots of love to you!
❤
xoxo Kim
Me falling asleep at work.
I’m not exhausted but just a mellow kind of sleepiness. Pleasant, I guess you can say.
“When I am silent, I have thunder hidden inside.” ~Rumi
Warning: My silly side is really showing in this post!
My headache is a bit worse than usual today but nowhere near as bad as when it flares up severely! But a headache will never conquer me! 😀
Thank You so so much to everyone who reads, “likes,” likes, shares, reblogs, comments on….my content here! I deeply appreciate it!
When I set up the account a few years ago, I never expected one comment or like or anything. But I chose to post anyway knowing someone can always find it later and also I just love to write & share! And it’s always here to look back on whenever I want. I’m not good with networking and don’t know much about blogging, I just post things I find inspiring or funny and hope it can touch someone else who may come across it. I post for others and myself but mostly to try to uplift or inspire someone else.
I’m at work alone (but not lonely) on a cool, dark, slow night and next door these people are having a fire sitting out in a lot and it’s cozy and smells like fire. Thankfully it’s just them having a little Fall/cool weather celebration and not an emergency going on!
I painted my nails for Christmas already! It will chip off wayyy before then! But that’s ok!
Here’s more pics of me at work!
I’m not weird or anything! I promise!
Totally not a weirdo!
I’m laughing hysterically at myself.
I don’t know what I’m doing.
Just showing off my pretty nails!
I love being me!! ❤
The sky was so pretty today walking to work, this picture does no justice to the real thing!!
I walked out of my house later than I was supposed to, for work, because I was dicking around doing other stuff, and couldn’t get a good picture!
(I have been wanting to use the term “dicking around” for some reason and finally got my chance! :-D)
I’m thankful the wifi here is working (on & off) and I can check out the Internet once in a while. I have books with me also but like to check the Internet as well when it’s slow.
There’s so many little things to be thankful for like free wifi! The sound of refrigerators buzzing, the warmth of a coffee pot or machine being on, people having a bonfire in a lot on a dark night, pizza fries with extra cheese (which I’m getting after work! My mom is ordering them for me!), friends including online friends!, pretty pictures, beautiful buildings, a lovely city, Kindle app, the pleasant smile of a coworker, moms who order food for us!, the swirling of ceiling fans, the ability to laugh at our own self! The list goes on & on!! ❤
😀
I hope you are having a beautiful day/night! Hugs & love to you!
Xoxo Kim
(Fall is always welcome in my heart!!)
Old friend,
We meet again!!
I see no reason not to be happy in this beautiful season!! Colorful and crunchy leaves decorating the streets, crisp air, cool nights, houses decorated for Fall, cheerful holiday tunes right around the corner (I already have a few Christmas songs on my playlist! To me, it’s never too early for Christmas cheer!), scarecrows & pumpkin pie, my little sister’s b-day!! Yay!!
November is speckled with all kinds of gems of beauty & inspiration!
And it’s actually starting to feel like Fall now! It felt like Summer almost all October!
I couldn’t be happier! It almost doesn’t feel real! 😀
In honor of this lovely month, I’m sharing some quotes and my pictures! 😀
“October extinguished itself in a rush of howling winds and driving rain and November arrived, cold as frozen iron, with hard frosts every morning and icy drafts that bit at exposed hands and faces.” ~J.K. Rowling
(I am not a Harry Potter fan but this is a beautiful quote!)
“November comes
And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows.
With night coming early,
And dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.
The fires burn
And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest
Until next spring.” ~Clyde Watson
“But there is always a November space after the leaves have fallen when she felt it was almost indecent to intrude on the woods…for their glory terrestrial had departed and their glory celestial of spirit and purity and whiteness had not yet come upon them.” ~L.M. Montgomery
“In November, some birds move away and some birds stay. The air is full of good-byes and well-wishes. The birds who are leaving look very serious. No silly spring chirping now. They have long journeys and must watch where they are going. The staying birds are serious, too, for cold times lie ahead. Hard times. All berries will be treasures.” ~Cynthia Rylant
“The November evening had a bite; it nibbled not-quite-gently at her cheeks and ears. In Virginia the late autumn was a lover, still, but a dangerous one.” ~J. Aleksandr Wootton
“November is usually such a disagreeable month…as if the year had suddenly found out that she was growing old and could do nothing but weep and fret over it. This year is growing old gracefully…just like a stately old lady who knows she can be charming even with gray hair and wrinkles. We’ve had lovely days and delicious twilights.” ~L.M. Montgomery
“In November, the smell of food is different. It is an orange smell. A squash and pumpkin smell. It tastes like cinnamon and can fill up a house in the morning, can pull everyone from bed in a fog. Food is better in November than any other time of the year.” ~Cynthia Rylant
I have always felt that food is always better in the cold. It tastes better and has a better feel. Somehow, my experience with severe, suicidal, long-term depression helped me realize this. It’s difficult to explain how. It’s just easier to be painfully and beautifully aware of things in a deeper way with a life of depression. Or something like that.
“In November, the earth is growing quiet. It is making its bed, a winter bed for flowers and small creatures. The bed is white and silent, and much life can hide beneath its blankets.” ~Cynthia Rylant
“In November, the trees are standing all sticks and bones. Without their leaves, how lovely they are, spreading their arms like dancers. They know it is time to be still.” ~Cynthia Rylant
This wasn’t taken today but I’m dressed for Fall weather so why not share it here?! This was a few days ago! I don’t usually wear long sleeved shirts. I like sleeveless ones all year! 😀
“In November, people are good to each other. They carry pies to each other’s homes and talk by crackling woodstoves, sipping mellow cider. They travel very far on a special November day just to share a meal with one another and to give thanks for their many blessings – for the food on their tables and the babies in their arms.” ~Cynthia Rylant
This is one of the best things about the holiday season. I’m in this spirit all year but when the holiday season is near, I feel a sense of unity in the air and receive all kinds of subscription e-mails about gratitude & loving each other and kindness. Many people who aren’t in this spirit every day, get in the mood around now and it’s a beautiful atmosphere.
“November came roaring in with gusty winds and more wet weather. Mandy’s depression would not go away. Her garden seemed sad, too. It was virtually empty now, and the few brave flowers that remained there were flattened by rain, their yellows stalks sprawling in all directions. Most of the trees were bare, and the woods had a wet carpet of leaves.” ~
Julie Andrews Edwards
This is sad but beautiful. I know what it is to be deeply, deeply depressed, I struggle with severe episodes that can feel unbearable and can relate. It always returns but it always ends. Even when I think it never will.
“Flurries early, pristine and pearly. Winter’s come calling! Can we endure so premature a falling? Some may find this trend distressing- others bend to say a blessing over sage and onion dressing.” ~Old Farmer’s Almanac
So much wonder all around! I am overwhelmed! But in a good way!
I wanted to get some pictures outside but I was stuck at work all day and then when I got out it was very dark! Gets dark so early these days! Nightfall is so beautiful! ❤
I hope you like the quotes & pictures!! Happy November to you!! I'm sending you lots of love!
~Hugs~ ❤
😀
xoxo Kim
Here is a list of inspiring/thought-provoking/lovie quotes and some of my pictures!
“We shape clay into a pot,
but it is the emptiness inside
that holds whatever we want”
We can do and be anything on the outside but always keep that emptiness within, reserve a place inside to be love, light, bliss…
“Although gold dust is precious, when it gets in your eyes, it obstructs your vision.” ~ Hsi Tang
“To seek is to suffer. To seek nothing is bliss.” ~ Bodhidharma
This is a very wise concept. It’s good to have goals and desires but it’s also good to let go once in a while and just be. Be without getting attached to goals, people, places, situations, things…
“Detachment is not that you should own nothing, but that nothing should own you.”
“The highest state of love is not a relationship at all, it is simply a state of your being.” ~ Osho
“Learning to let go should be learned before learning to get. Life should be touched, not strangled.” ~ Ray Bradbury
Yes, let go, disown, accept, BE.
“Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace.” ~ Dalai Lama
This is a good one if you’re stuck being around people acting negatively. We can’t always surround our selves with only positive people and sometimes have to interact with or be near people with negative energy and vicious intentions or just bitter, miserable seeming people. But we do not have to let them destroy our INNER peace. I can be whatever I want inside no matter what is going on around me. No one can drag us down if we don’t allow it. Our environment can be chaotic, negative, even abusive but we can remain calm and positive within. True peace isn’t necessarily a peaceful external environment. True peace is being calm and undisturbed INSIDE, whatever our outside is like.
“The quieter you become, the more you can hear.”
Yessir!!
“When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” ~ Zen proverb
When we open up and become receptive, we will see teachers everywhere, in the form of people, situations, things, encounters….
They are always around, we just aren’t always ready to receive.
I love how in these pictures it look like a gray sky kind of day but the sky was really quite blue that day! It was so bright blue with big fluffy clouds looking all pretty! I was amazed at the beauty and size of the clouds and took the pictures in a way so only the clouds can be seen around the trees.
Look closely, you’ll see the blue shining through! This is the same day and so are the ones above these three pics! All blue skies!! 😀
“Flow with whatever may happen
And let your mind be free.
Stay centered by accepting whatever
You are doing.
This is the ultimate.”
We can try to help things when we can but when we can’t, it’s good to accept, just breathe and be and go with the flow.
Seatbelts save lives so buckle up, buttercup!
And it may save you a traffic ticket or whatever. I couldn’t care less if you get a ticket though, (you deserve one if you aren’t wearing a safety belt anyway) it’s your life and safety I care about.
Even if I don’t know you, I want you to be safe and LIVE! ❤ ❤ ❤
“Sometimes the best way to solve a problem is to first let go of the idea that there is a problem.”
It’s all about that attitude!
“Surrender to what is.”
“For sentient beings, poor and destitute, May I become a treasure ever plentiful, And lie before them closely in their reach, A varied source of all that they might need.” ~ Shantideva
“What we learned as children, that one plus one equals two, we know to be false. One plus one equals one. We even have a word for when you, plus another, equals one, That word is LOVE.”
How cheesy! Lol But cute! You know I love my sap!
❤
“If with kindly generosity one merely has the wish to soothe the aching heads of other beings, such merit has no bounds.” ~ Shantideva
I know people often say actions speak louder than words and it doesn't matter what we feel or think if we don't act, and in some cases it seems true but I also think that just what we are, what we wish for, our energy…is important.
We can't always act on what we feel or want and we sometimes, for whatever reason, may just choose not to, but that doesn't take away what we are or want. Just being, is often enough. Well wishes for others is sometimes enough even when we don't express them. What if I see someone suffering and want more than anything to stop it, even if I have to put all the pain on me and bear the burden myself, but for some reason I can't or won't take action or take action but it doesn't work, at least I still have the wish and desire to stop it which is better than not caring or even wanting to add to the pain. What if I see someone on TV suffering or hear of a tragic war in another country and can't do shit about it, that doesn't obliterate my love and compassion. They count for something! And when we feel compassion, we are often more likely to act in compassionate ways.
“Sometimes people are beautiful.
Not in looks.
Not in what they say.
Just in what they are.” ~ Markus Zusak
“Courage to the fearful,
Freedom to the enslaved,
Strength to the weak,
Mutual affection
To all sentient beings.” ~ Shantideva sentiment
This thing, it’s superdelicious!!!!! A caramel apple with chocolate and peanut topping!! oh, my! I have been eating them everyday!! so yummy! The red apples are sweeter, jucier, and tastier than the green! mouthwatering!! ❤ 😀 Delectable! One of my favorite things about Fall!
“Out beyond ideas of wrong-doing and right-doing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there. When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about. Ideas, language, even the phrase ‘each other’ doesn’t make any sense.”
Thank you, Bill ( https://worldstrata.wordpress.com/ ), for sharing this one with me!!
“How wonderful will it be when All beings experience each other as limbs on the One body of life.” ~ Shantideva
WE are all in this together!
This is my baby, my friend today! These things are so cute! I never share their pics on facebook because I don’t think most people feel the affection for them I do and while going through their news feed and seeing this, their heart will probably skip a few beats and not in a good way! I don’t think it’s as startling to see pics here of them, they are smaller pictures here, I think and it’s not like one individual picture just in your face. If i’m wrong and you are freaked out, sorry. I just have so much love for kreepy krawlies, no one can imagine or understand. And I want to capture and share their beauty & cuteness. I’m so thankful for their lives. ❤ I will save them every chance i get. 😀
And since I'm in the Halloween spirit, here's Michael Jackson's Thriller for you!
“You hear the door slam
And realize there’s nowhere left to run
You feel the cold hand
And wonder if you’ll ever see the sun
You close your eyes
And hope that this is just imagination
But all the while
You hear a creature creepin’ up behind
You’re outta time
‘Cause this is thriller
Thriller night”
Much0 luv to you! ❤
😀
Xoxo Kim
😀
Xoxo Kim
“Life is not lost by dying
Life is lost minute by minute
Day by dragging day
In all the small and uncaring ways.” ~ Stephen Vincent Benet
All the “little” things we do or don’t do, not paying attention, not caring, acting mindlessly or absent-mindedly, just drifting through each day not soaking up each moment or gem of beauty…all adds up to days lost, days and occasions we’ll never get back. Living to “the fullest” to me means making each moment, no matter what, the best we can. Whether we are sick or in pain, sad or happy, financially stable, poor, or rich, living our dream or not, have a great job, a dead-end job, or none at all, anxious or depressed…we can “bloom where we’re planted.” Make the most of what we have and where we are NOW.
Each moment won’t be the best but we can choose to make it as great as possible. It’s an amazing goal and habit we can develop.
Let’s pay attention to the simple beauty around us, the leaves, the cool breeze, the city lights, a heated room in the Winter, the deep blue of the sky, the twinkling stars in a midnight sky, the fragrance of flowers in the Spring, the taste of food we love, the sound of cars in the street, rain tapping on a roof, the softness of a blanket that comforts us through the night, the scent of cold air, the look in someone’s eyes, the softness of feathers or fur on a pet…
These are things so often overlooked by us each day. If we stop and pay attention to a single leaf, the crispness or greenness, an individual flower petal, the pastel softness, if we feel, truly mindfully feel the air carassing our skin while outside…it’s like a whole new world! A beauty that can make us go weak at the knees, make our breath catch, make us come alive, make our insides quiver, make us want to jump for joy! We can feel this feeling everyday!
I saw this tree recently which still has green Springy/Summery leaves and not Fall ones yet and I looked at each leaf individually, not litterally every single one, but many. Instead of seeing it as a whole tree as one and all the leaves together like I usually do, I looked at each one separately, the vibrant green, the light tan/brown bark, the narrow trunk and branches, the way it looked against the sunset sky…and was (and still am!) astounded by the beauty. There’s so much we’re missing!!
All we have to do is look, open our minds and receive.
Our idea of living to the fullest may mean having our dream job, doing fun things like sky-diving, having a family, having lots of money…but while we’re working for those things, we can still live to the fullest! By tuning into each moment no matter what we’re doing! Being mindful, giving it our all, giving our whole self to whatever we’re doing.
This quote above is a wonderful reminder!
Lots of love to you! 😀
xoxo Kim ❤
“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
This post is about a day that I can say with complete certainty is one of the best days I ever experienced. I can’t say I have one day that is “the best day of my life.” I have occasions many days that I can say qualify as “the best.” And I don’t think there should be just one or a few days that are the best. I want to make every day as best as possible. Some will be better than others. Some will even suck for the most part and that’s quite alright!
But some days really stand out to me as the absolute best! And Monday, June 1st, 2015 is one such day!
Why do I remember the date? I’m really not sure. Maybe because it’s the first day of the month? Nothing significant happened at all. I wasn’t on vacation. In fact I was at work! How many people can say one of the best days of their life, was at work during the work hours?! Lol But I can!
There was no “socially acceptable” (for lack of a better way of putting it) cause for celebration. It wasn’t a holiday (that I know of), no hanging out with friends, no graduations, weddings, engagements, job promotions, childbirths, amazing news,…that I was somehow associated with.
It was just a slow, calm, rainy night at work. I was alone, drinking hot tea, reading my zombie-like/apocalyptic thriller which I was loving to pieces. It’s my favorite! I was listening to a few great songs over and over, including Len Barry’s Bristol Stomp. I probably had a headache (because when do I not have a headache?), I did not have much money (because when do I ever?), my grief was still somewhat new (I lost a coworker, who I was close with, to unexpected death in February) it wasn’t my favorite kind of weather (except the rain and it was cooler that night than it has been), it was bordering on Summer. I’m more of a Fall/Winter kind of girl, it was quiet and still and I was waiting for a mystery thriller novel to come out that was to be released in eight days.
Book 2 of a series by Dr. Carey Baldwin, and I waited seven months for that thing to be released!! Seven months! (and I’m in the middle of another seven waiting for the next! January 2016!) I could not wait! I was so happy that day knowing in just over a week, it would be in my hands (or on my Kindle app to be more accurate). I read it in less than one day! It’s not a novella or anything, I just read it non stop til it was through. (And so did a few others because when I looked there were already four reviews for the book, just a few hours after it was released! So, it appears I’m not the only fanatic who waited up all night til it showed up on Kindle then devoured it all in one sitting!)
So my point is that nothing significant at all happened. And the conditions were not perfect to me. Like I said, I had no money, it wasn’t like it was my favorite season, I wasn’t at home being able to do whatever I wanted or on a big fun-filled vacation…yet I can safely say it’s one of my sweetest, most cherished memories. One I will always keep with me.
I did not want the night to end. I remember I stood up and looked at the clock on the wall hoping it wasn’t nearing 10:00pm because then I would have had to leave. I wasn’t obsessing over the time. I was being mindful that night. But I stole a glance as I leaned against the counter in the store I work at. I remember the exact moment it happened. It was just after 8:00pm. The moment I declared, just in my head though, this to be one of the best days of this life of mine. I even smiled to myself and felt awe at the fact that I can find so much beauty in simplicity and monotony. And as is typical of me, I also felt amused.
This can seem pathetic of me or absolutely wonderful depending upon the way we look at it.
Pathetic version: “seriously?! This girl must have nothing going on, must have a very boring life for a night at work with nothing happening to be the best! Omg, How sad!”
Or!
Absolutely wonderful version: “seriously?! This girl must have an amazing life to be able to take an ordinary day, rainy, at work, nothing big going on and STILL find wonder in everything!! Omg!”
Lol
See?! All how you look at it! 😀
Let’s go with option number two though!? ;-D
My whole point? Any old day can be the best and our conditions do not have to be perfect to us, at all to be happy, thrilled, serene, to find love and joy and feel that this moment is absolutely, without a doubt, perfect. We can be in pain, broke as a joke, at work!, with nothing of importance (in a social way) going on and it still be the best!! It’s all about mindfulness, gratitude, and attitude!
I can’t say for sure what makes a day “one of the best,” really. There were other great days I was in a fantastic mood, reading something sweet or doing something else fun, even in conditions that were more “perfect” to me. Weather I like better, more money that day, something blatantly thrilling happening, out shopping, on a fun vacation, out at a restaurant….and were still beautiful days but did not necessarily stand out to me as “the best” or as great as that day. It’s not always something that can be identified or defined. But attitude and mindfulness and gratitude definitely play a big part.
“Goodness is easier to recognize than to define.” ~ W.H. Auden
We often tend to think that a “best day of my life” has to be something tremendous like our wedding day, having/adopting a child, getting engaged to be married, graduating some school or program, vacation days, holidays or some dramatic celebration, winning the big lotto,…and it’s fantastic to have those as some of our best days but it’s also ok and amazing to declare a simple, ordinary day as one of those best days! Let’s not hold back waiting for more or better or the perfect conditions, to be happy and consider this day the greatest day of the year/our life! This day is ours to cherish. ❤
“Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so. One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return.” ~ Mary Irion
I found this image here:
Tina Lewis Rowe – Insights, Information, and Inspiration
We may think of normal days as boring or plain or mundane and feel the need for something more. It’s ok to want and work for more. But let’s remember to cherish those normal days and keep in mind that one day, we may wish with everything we have in us, that today was just a normal day. People struck with tragedy, illness, pain, violence today….may wish that today was just like any other day. No matter what happens today though, we can find some good if we try.
And even if a day is really shitty, there can be some happy moments to seize and hold onto! Let’s remember those ones! Let’s create memorable moments each day or most days. Then we can look back and say “Yes! That was the best!” even if we don’t remember the date. Each day, for most/many of us, is probably so mundane, so ordinary, even if it’s fun and happy, that it slips our memory when it ends. If nothing “big” happens, it’s unlikely to stand out later. All those little pleasant moments slip away into oblivion never to be held again. The scent of the flowers that caress our noses as we walk to a store, the comfort of our child or puppy/kitty curling up on us to sleep, sitting in a cafe with a sweet friend, belly laughing at a hilarious joke or something we read or remembered or saw on tv, drinking hot tea, reading a wonderful book on a cool night…these things we appreciate then they’re gone. So let’s be more mindful of them while they are occurring. They are so fleeting. Let’s grasp them. Imprint them into our hearts forever. Make it a point to remember. Take pictures. Create gratitude lists. Publish blog posts/statuses about them, scrapbooking, journaling…or just be genuinely mindful and then we can always remember.
“Life isn’t perfect but it has perfect moments!”
❤
Much love to you,
Xoxo Kim 😀
She Is Gone (He Is Gone)
“You can shed tears that she is gone
Or you can smile because she has lived
You can close your eyes and pray that she will come back
Or you can open your eyes and see all that she has left
Your heart can be empty because you can’t see her
Or you can be full of the love that you shared
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday
Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday
You can remember her and only that she is gone
Or you can cherish her memory and let it live on
You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back
Or you can do what she would want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on.” ~
David Harkins ❤ 😀
This poem is deeply inspiring to me. What the author suggests can be so difficult but it's worth the struggle and some occasions will be easier than other occasions. The poem can be comforting in grief but also apply to life in general. It's very hard to put a positive spin on death, grief, tragedy, and loss. But it is possible to see a glimmer of hope and light in it. And often necessary to aid in healing.
And with life in general, it's good to remember there's often a bright side to even the most unfortunate situations and if not we can create one. If we still just cannot see a positive side to something itself, we can focus on other good things there are in life in general. This doesn't cure all problems but makes them easier to bear and just brings joy into our hearts in the midst of the sorrow.
I just love this poem! ❤ ❤ ❤
My heart goes out to all who struggle with grief, heartache, and loss of a person or pet, depression or physical pain/sickness. ❤ ❤ Grief is one of the worst kinds of pain someone can experience. I don't think there's anything worse whether it's the loss of a human or animal friend. And chronic pain conditions whether physical or depression can also be extremely difficult to handle.
Like the poem says though, for all those lost, let's smile because they have lived. Let's carry their love and light in our hearts always.
Death cannot take away the love we have for them and the love they had for us.
Let's smile for them, love for them, live for them, and keep them alive in our memories forever. ❤ ❤ Let’s display some of their positive qualities whenever we can.
And for any problems we have, let's do whatever it takes to see that light glimmering in the darkness. Even when it's just a faint flickering.
Look at the vastness of all the darkness of a midnight sky, it seems never ending, all the blackness. But just one small star is bright enough to shine through it all.
“Into the darkness I fade. May my light lead me through.”
“The light at the end of the tunnel is not an illusion. The tunnel is.”
Much love & light to you, always. ❤
Xoxo Kim
My favorite kind of soda has always been Coca Cola. But in the Summer I often prefer iced tea and lemon-lime soda like 7up, Sprite, Mt. Dew…they just seem to quench my thirst better in the hot weather and they also taste better warm, to me, than Cola. I don’t mind warmer soda, I actually prefer it to freezing cold. But not piss warm. Soda tends to get so hot quickly in the Summer. And lemony stuff just tastes better to me when it’s hot than Cola does.
So I bought a box of Sprite cans and am so delighted to see they are a limited edition with inspiring quotes on the cans!
My absolute favorite one is “Live with it & love it. ” I cannot believe how much it speaks to me. I was so inspired the second I read it.
It’s not at all rare that I find a quote that deeply inspires me but it’s more rare that I find one that tugs on my insides like this one seems to do. I just felt a click, a pull, a deep feeling of knowing when I read this on my soda can. I even saved the can and my mom wasn’t happy! Lol
But this quote! It reminds me to not just “live with it” but love it! Whatever “it” is. It can be anything. Physical pain, depression, any kind of struggle or problem no matter how seemingly severe or trivial. Live with it. And love it. Even if we can’t love the problem or pain itself, we can love what it teaches us, reminds us, love how it strengthens us and love life itself even with the problem.
And looking at this quote at another angle.
Live with it & love it.
It can even be referring to a positive/happy thing. Live with whatever beauty we have been blessed with and love it. Feel it, cherish it, acknowledge it, honor it. It’s not just pain that teaches us and strengthens us. Happiness & joy can also teach us, remind us, strengthen us.
This quote can apply to absolutely anything and that’s the main beauty of it I think.
What a wonderful reminder this can of soda has brought me! I’m thankful it’s Summer and I needed my thirst quenched!
Much love to you, ❤
Xoxo Kim 😀
When I was at work last night I saw a newspaper that says “50 Shades of Happy” (about coloring). It inspires me to list fifty things that elicit happiness for me.
Here goes!
1.) rainbow sprinkles! Especially on vanilla ice cream & cupcakes! Oh my! How delicious and pretty!
2.) puppy kissies!
3.) rainbows
4.) conversations and tea with friends
5.) cupcakes!
6.) tofu!
7.) a full moon
8.) creepy ghost stories!
9.) Kindle app!
10.) clear blue sky
11.) unexpected rain
12.) packages arriving in the mail
13.) hearing an old forgotten song or a new song/song I haven’t yet heard, that I love! Especially when that new song/song I haven’t heard before now, is called Kimberly!
“Kimberly baby, you make me crazy!” lol
Or Kimberley (it’s close enough!)
“You see Kimberly was special, a rare and wild soul
Nearly every man who met her, their hearts she always stole…”
“You know I got to have this kim, I cant get her off my mind
And I aint gonna stop until shes mine, mine…”
It’s a beautiful political song about wanting to save the land called Kimberley in Australia against too much Industrialization. It’s about greed and selfishness and too much division and arguing. But he writes/sings as if it’s about a girl who everyone loves and craves. It has a deep message and some parts of it can be applied to life in general. Forget the politics and message and all and we’ll just pretend it’s about me! Lol! I got nothing against cowboys though! He seems to have a little something going against them in the song! But I don’t! lol ;-D
Kimberley – John Butler – mobile
Kimberley – John Butler – desktop
And there’s quite a few more songs involving my name! Yay! One is Kimberly by Marques Houston. I discovered this gem a few years ago. It’s a sexy, risqué song:
“Come along with me cus my ride don’t stop
We can make love that the neighbours watch
Open up the blinds let the whole world see”
Lol funny!
But my favorite line is:
“…more than just physical (its more than just physical Kimber…)
Deep inside of every woman there’s a Kimberly
She’s incredible… (She’s incredible)”
14.) photography – looking at people’s photos inspires me! And I love taking pics myself! I want to be a photographer one day!
15.) my kitty with her tongue sticking out!
Lol
16.) hot tea
17.) iced coffee
18.) flowers – especially when they have little kritters on their petals
19.) warm blankets
20.) Christmas songs! How cheerful! 😀
21.) pumpkin flavored coffee in the Fall! How thrilling!
22.) helping people
23.) random acts of kindness
24.) being in a room full of people or surrounded by lots of people in some way – doesn’t matter if I know them or not or if I’m interacting with them or not- it’s so uplifting and energizing
25.) a long thrilling conversation with a stranger
26.) hugs!
27.) snails walking on me
28.) my long hair blowing in the wind
29.) taking pictures of buildings
30.) comedy movies
31.) cherry water ice!
32.) connecting with people on social media accounts
33.) seeing/hearing/reading about good things that happen for people – I’m very empathetic and soak up everyone else’s happiness & pleasure. It reminds me of that episode of “King of Queens” when that girl Kirstie is guest starring and she’s on a diet or something and won’t let herself indulge in some sweet confections and so she insists that the girl, Carrie, eats it for her so she can watch and feel the pleasure herself just using her empathy! Lol that can be me!
34.) philosophy texts
35.) walking in perfect “walking weather” – perfect to me is not too hot or too cold, not too windy, and also a light rainy mist
36.) a sky full of stars
37.) jumping on a trampoline!
38.) makeup! Especially eye makeup!
39.) the sounds of construction work outside! Yes, I love it! Lol
40.) the Earthy scent right before and after it rains, yum!
41.) the first glistening snowfall of the season
42.) reading a book at night with my dogs in bed
43.) getting new fruity body mist or body wash/hair soap/conditioner/lotion
44.) tropical scents
45.) rain droplets on flower petals & leaves
46.) watching a sunset or sunrise
47.) cool nights/windy nights
48.) uncontrollable belly laughs
49.) Buddha statues/figures/pictures
The man is seriously PEACEFUL! Day & night without exception. Totally has his shizz together.
50.) colorful socks! 😀
Nothing wrong with letting the little kid in us run wild and see wonder in everything we look at!
I am disappointed to get to fifty already! It was so easy and I can go on & on! If I ever try to list things I don’t like, it’s much harder! My mind is generally so focused on what I do like! 😀 I guess that’s how you know you have a good life, when it’s so much easier to list happy things than unhappy things! I certainly have a list of things I dislike but it wasn’t easy to create that one and not as uplifting to write/read. But things we dislike are part of us too and no sense denying it! It’s all about our focus, attitude, and reaction. I am so much happier though, reading lists of things people love than the things they can’t stand.
What is your 50 shades of happy?
😀
Much love to you! ❤
Xoxo Kim ❤
Here are some sweet Summer quotes and my pictures!
“Tears of joy are like the summer rain drops pierced by sunbeams.” ~
Hosea Ballou
“I have lived pain, and my life can tell: I only deepen the wound of the world when I neglect to give thanks the heavy perfume of wild roses in early July and the song of crickets on summer humid nights and the rivers that run and the stars that rise and the rain that falls and all the good things that a good god gives.” ~
Ann Voskamp
My next door neighbors put out the rainbow flag & the American one to celebrate love, diversity, & equality! ❤ 😀
“Like a welcome summer rain, humor may suddenly cleanse and cool the earth, the air, and you.” ~
Langston Hughes
“Summer afternoon, summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” ~
Henry James
“In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.” ~
Albert Camus
“Summer has filled her veins with light and her heart is washed with noon.” ~
C. Day Lewis
“It was a splendid summer morning and it seemed as if nothing could go wrong.” ~
John Cheever
“People don’t notice whether it’s winter or summer when they’re happy.” ~
Anton Chekhov
“Oh, the summer night, Has a smile of light, And she sits on a sapphire throne.” ~
Bryan Procter
And here’s a video to the song “Saturday in the Park” by Chicago, one of my favorite music groups which I have loved since I was a little girl! Because today is Saturday and yes it IS the 4th of July! Unfortunately I won’t be in a park tonight though but busy at work instead! It’s all good though! ;-D
I remember years ago on Independence Day, Hall & Oates, who I also love for as long as I can remember, were at Penn’s Landing, here in the fabulous Philadelphia, and my coworker, Sarah, and me wanted so badly to go see them but we couldn’t because we were stuck at work! Lol We complained and laughed about it all night. And imagined what we would do if we were there. She wanted to get a custom made shirt that reads “Sarah Smile” because she always loved Hall & Oates and their song “Sara Smile.” When I was a young girl I used to imagine that my name was Sara and that he was singing to me! ;-D What a sweet song I can listen to over & over. I always think of Hall & Oates and that day at work on Independence Day. I’m drinking hot tea and it’s sweet and rainy here now and I love the gentle fragrance of wet leaves and soil drifting through the open windows and the sweet sounds of the cars sloshing through the streets. And the soft sound of the fans spinning and swirling. There’s a gentle and cool breeze flowing and everything is so perfect. It’s incredible what beauty we find when we just stop what we’re doing, retreat to the quiet stillness within and truly listen and feel. It’s like another world! Tonight it’s supposed to be dry & sunny while I’m at work at the store. It will probably be super busy as we sell ice cream & water ice. A lot of people outside of Philadelphia don’t know what this is! Lol water ice. I can’t believe it because I have known about it since forever and never knew people do not know what it is until I was in college and someone asked me! I found out it’s mostly a Philadelphia thing. I love watching people who never tasted it, try it! They always look so amazed!
Well here it is!
It’s like ice cream I guess you can say but no milk or dairy and it’s like a snow cone sort of but creamy and is delicious and comes in all flavors like cherry, rainbow, root beer, mango, blueberry, apple, coconut, vanilla, chocolate, pina coolata, tropical rainbow, pineapple, and more! It can be called Italian ice. And there’s something called shaved ice.
I hope your day is beautiful as well.
And if you are a girl named Sara/Sarah, lucky you! I’m jealous!
Here’s to you, Sara/h!
Smile! 😀 ❤
xoxo ❤ Kim
