Tag Archive | inspiration

FLIP the gratitude switch

Nov20

“There is success embedded in every failure.
Without gratitude, failure is nothing more than disappointment.
There is joy embedded in despair.
Without gratitude, despair is nothing more than a hole left unfilled.
There is hope embedded in tragedy. Without gratitude, tragedy is nothing more than loss of hope.
There is healing embedded in pain. Without gratitude, pain is simply unnecessary.
There is a new beginning embedded in every ending.
Without gratitude, endings are always final.”

Found this in a book by Kevin Clayson. FLIP the Gratitude Switch How empowering! I am naturally positive & optimistic but it’s definitely good to have reminders sometimes and work to strengthen that natural positive disposition!

In every situation we can experience, there is something to be thankful for. Even if the experience itself doesn’t seem to have a bright side, there is something good we can give thanks for in the midst of it or we can allow the terrible, or merely unpleasant, experience to inspire us to do good for others. For example, if we have a difficult disability or illness, or other painful experience, we can reach out to others in similar situations and be a source of comfort & light, as we know just what it’s like. If we lose someone to an illness or other tragedy, we can support organizations that promote awareness or treatment/cures/support….for those struggling with the illness or whatever it may be, & their family/friends. If we hear about a massacre in the news, we can make the decision to donate blood, platelets, power red….if we are eligible, not just for those in that massacre but for people in general who may need it(every 56 days we can donate BLOOD if we want & keep someone else ALIVE!).

(Redcrossblood.org)

Let horrific and other difficult things inspire us to act in love & gives thanks for the opportunities. 💗

We can bring positivity into a place where there seems to be none, even if just in our head. A shift in attitude.

The not so good experience can be something severe like chronic pain, depression, grief & loss or something seemingly small & trivial next to those things like a flat car tire, spilling something on our clothes, stuck in traffic…

At least it’s only a flat tire, not the engine broken, at least we have a car to have a flat tire, give thanks for the ability to get into a car & drive, at least we’re just stuck in traffic & not killed in traffic or in a collision…

This isn’t at all promoting giving thanks that it’s us still alive while someone else isn’t or being relieved that someone else is the unfortunate one. I will never promote that and I don’t believe Mr. Clayson is promoting that either. The point is simply to look at our own situation and see the good in it whatever else is going on. We can all do this. Being thankful for our own goodness isn’t going to hurt others and repressing gratitude out of guilt that we are better off than some, isn’t going to help them at all. So let’s give thanks!

An example I have, which is more on the trivial side but still sucks, is yesterday morning, one of my dogs (one who I take care of for someone, not one of the ones I live with), broke my phone! Oh rats! He’s a very wild boy, doesn’t always listen, & is very strong. He knocks me over when we’re playing! He wasn’t listening to me and he shattered the part of my phone that takes pictures! That’s the last part I want broken, as I love taking pics most days! Oh well.

But instantly, I thought, at least my phone still turns on, the apps still work, I still can take pics, all my info wasn’t lost, it’s so good to have a job working with animals (even when they destroy my stuff!), I’m not sick today…Instead of a stream of negative thoughts like how disappointing, now I have to spend money on a new phone, why couldn’t it have been a different part that broke…I chose to see the good in this situation and just the general good.

Then last night, he jumped into a big puddle, soaking my shoes & socks and wetting my pants. He was all soaked n jumped on me, rubbing his wet face & chest all off on my new hoodie. And the water he jumped in smelled like sour stuff because there was food all dissolved in it.

Of course, I laughed hysterically! It was very uncomfortable, physically but I got a good belly laugh out of it. And’s it’s adorable how he cleaned himself all off on my clothes. 😍 Again, I saw the light in this situation. Any of us can do this on any occasion!

It is important to keep in mind that no matter how unimportant/trivial the unpleasant experience is, this life philosophy applies to it. Each day, many/most/all of us experience minor stresses or annoyances like dropping something, encountering someone we would prefer not to, seeing a post on social media we don’t like,….if we practice FLIPing with these simple things, we will be more equip with skills to cope with more deeply disappointing or devastating things like illness, grief/loss, other more serious situations.

Sometimes it will be easier to see the bright side than others and occasionally, we may have to force it but it can be done even if we have to “fake it til we make it” sometimes. Keep practicing & making the choice to see the good and it will become easier & easier until it’s a way of life.

To keep choosing over & over throughout each day whenever something unpleasant happens, even something very small and trivial like our shoelace untying, all the way up to the horrific & tragic, like someone dying, to give thanks for what is still good, is life-altering, for the better.

Keep making that choice, no matter how difficult it may be, to FLIP that switch & shine light on the goodness! 💖

Much love & light to you, always! 💖

Xoxo Kim

With love, xoxo❤

Nov19

“If you clean the floor with love, you have given the world an invisible painting.” 💖

My job is to love, both as an action/verb & also just in the form of emotion. It’s my job in this life in general and also my paid job, loving animals and the people whose pets they are. There are things I have to do for practical purposes, filling the water bowl, food bowl, snapping their harnesses on, putting on coats & booties, putting down potty mats, cleaning up accidents in houses/apartments, cleaning litter boxes, picking up 💩 with doggy bags, giving medication/supplements….these are the practical things but I realize they are not only that. Just like playing, cuddles, kisses, pets & hugs, all these practical acts, the things that seem more like work and may at first appear to be just “means to an end,” just something that has to be done and over with so we can get to the more fun, pleasant things like playing and going for walks, they too are acts of love. They may not be as obviously loving acts as the hugs and kisses and playing but are part of loving an animal. To get to do these things is a gift.

My baby 💜

This little baby in the picture with me is a sweet girl who I generally take care of five days a week, sometimes more, while her mommies are at work. Sometimes I even get to have sleepovers with her! 😍 I have known her for almost a year and love her like my own! One day a while ago, my schedule was a little bit different and she was assigned to a different petsitter that day. As I was leaving, I realized how much I would really miss the seemingly little things, like filling her water bowl and setting it on the floor for her. Of course I would miss playing with her, the cuddles, & kisses, & walking with her. But not so obvious are the small practical things like simply filling her water bowl for her. It’s something we may take for granted if we aren’t careful.

My experience with not having her on my schedule that day, reminded me more, to always cherish the little things, the mundane, the practical. I always honor the love in these acts.

One of the best things about my job is that I get to experience loving animals the way their own humans love them. Like I mentioned, love, is a feeling but also a verb/action. We all love our pets in different ways. Some people love their dogs by spoiling them and giving them food that isn’t for animals, while others love their dogs by not allowing them “people food.” Some love their dogs by making them go for walks even if they don’t want to go out, because they think it’s good for them, while others give in & let the furbaby stay in. Some people express love for their dogs, putting a coat on them when it’s cold, buying them a doggy bed, lots of toys, while others love theirs just as much but not doing these things.

Some of these things aren’t important for me to do with my own dogs/cat. But if it’s important to the person whose pet I am taking care of, it becomes just as important to me to do for the pet even if I don’t do that for my own. I love getting to experience loving all of these babies everyday, both in my own way, and loving them how they are loved by their own family. I feel that it’s a great kindness to welcome me into their homes, families, & lives, to love their pets.

What a gift to have a job like this. I cherish the moments and honor the love in each one.

Whatever our job is, whether it’s a paid job, stay at home mom or dad, volunteer job….and not just jobs but with each moment in this life, let’s remember the love, be mindful, intentional, conscious…& honor that love in each breath.💖

Almost everything we do, no matter how simple or trivial it may seem, whether it’s required of us or not, is helping someone or something, somehow contributing to the world around us being even if just a little bit better. No matter how unimportant a job may seem or how unfulfilling it is to the one working, it is very likely helping something or someone and that is why it exists. Mopping floors, serving food, filing papers, answering phones….are all important in some way to those being served and/or the employers we work for. And even just doing something that helps no one but our own self, sipping coffee/tea, watching a sunset, coloring…be all there and cherish those moments. Let all that we do be done in love! (I think this is a biblical quote or something like it & it deeply resonates with me!) 😍

“Life is not lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day, in all the small uncaring ways.“

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

Xoxo Kim

Light of the love that I found…♡

Oct9

“It could be someone walking down the street
A stranger on a bus
A little kid on his way to school or any one of us
We all got a little superman ready to take flight
And save a life ohh save a life
Take a look around and you’ll see ordinary angels”

♡

 Much of my job takes place outside, in all kinds of weather, without exception. Today is a very rainy kind of day! ♡ 

I can’t believe how many people, both men & women, stop to offer me their umbrellas on days like today. They choose to be soaked and uncomfortable so I won’t have to be. I love to see people living up to our motto, City of brotherly love. That’s why I’m sharing this post, to promote & share acts of kindness. We all have the capacity to love and there are an infinite number of chances each day, to express love to others, friends, family, strangers, animals, insects….all sentient beings. ♡ Let’s take a chance at least once today, to reach out and love someone! 

“The world can make you feel so small
Steal your dreams and make you crawl
And break you till you got you got nothing at all
When you’re in that dark place and you need that embrace
You know love is never too far away”

♡

Ordinary Angels – Craig Morgan

Much love & light,

Xoxo Kim 

Reminder♡

Oct7

Recently, one of my furbabies died. Not one of mine who I live with but one who I took care of while her furmama goes away on business trips. Her name is Pinky & she was a little Boston terrier mix and so adorable. Just like my baby, Boobie, Pinky is a mama of twins. She has twin boys and my sweet girl has boy/girl twins! ♡ Also, Pinky was thirteen years old when she died just like Boobie. I find this loss shattering just like when my own die. It’s one of the downfalls of having a job working with many animals. The more we come to know and love deeply, the more we lose. The one thing that brings me a great sense of consolation after this terrible loss is, I loved Pinky fully while she was alive. I still love her now but now it’s just a feeling in my mind as there’s nothing I can do for her. When she was alive, I acted on my feeling of love for her, spoiling her and doing as much as I could. To know this and remember it is a great source of comfort, helping to heal my grief. 

I always loved taking care of Pinky and her baby boys. The one dog doesn’t like to stay out long for walks so I take him out to go potty then bring him back and Pinky never wanted to come home! She always wanted to stay out and would run back to the door for a second, longer walk after bringing the little boy back. So I would almost always take her & the other little boy back for a longer walk even when it was late and I was ready to call it a day. 

I prefer when my workday ends earlier than late. It’s not that I prefer less work, I just like when it ends before it gets late. I don’t mind working into the night. It’s just my preference though to have my workday end earlier. But when the babies want me to stay, I stay, even when my work is done. So I would stay and take Pinky for her second, longer walk whenever I could.  Sometimes, I would even be thinking consciously, they aren’t going to live forever, we aren’t going to live forever. I want to make them as happy as I can while I can. 

And after each visit, I always would kiss them goodbye, sometimes more than once. I would sit on the sofa for extra cuddles with them no matter how late it got. 

The reason I share this isn’t to brag about how much good I did. It’s to share my own example of how loving more makes it so much easier to cope with a devastating loss. All I have is my grief and painful sense of loss, which is just a usual reaction to losing someone or something we love. I have no guilt or regrets surrounding it, no “if only’s…”. I share this hoping others will be reminded to cherish everything present right now. Go the distance to help others even if it puts us out a little bit, even if we’re ready to go home and sleep or rest, savor every moment we have with our pets, family, friends, and remember to stop and appreciate our job, house, stage of life we are currently in, even inanimate objects that may seem trivial. When we appreciate & love fully & give thanks right now, it’s easier when we have to say goodbye. It may not lessen our sense of grief or loss but will help so we don’t have an additional struggle of regretting and feeling as if we missed out or could have done better. The main reason I want to love more always, isn’t for me, so I don’t struggle with regret or guilt, but for them, for everyone else, to make the world a better place wherever I can. But it’s also good to not have to be sorry we did not love more. And that’s the aspect I’m focusing on in this post. 

The loss of Pinky is so, so incredibly heartbreaking to me just like when my own furbabies get old and die. It feels like something in my chest being ripped out, physically. Especially when I think about her harness. She would lift her little legs to get them in it when I would go over to her with it. It knocked the wind out of me when my boss told me. But it’s really her sweet mama’s loss(and her twin pups). My heart goes out to her furmama who loves and takes great care of them. And to her puppies who lost their furry mama. All three dogs were always very close. ♡ Pinky had a beautiful, happy life with her loving family. In every experience, I find life lessons to be learned and reminded of. No matter how painful an experience is, there is something we can find in it and use to bring a little bit more beauty to the world. 

So this is a reminder to us all to love more. ♡♡♡ Love as much as possible. 

I hope you are having a beautiful day or night wherever in the world you are. Much love & light to you. ~Hugs~ ♡♡♡ 

Xoxo Kim

Update 

Oct5

This isn’t my photo. I took a screen cap of it on Facebook on the cafe’s account. This is Sal. I posted about him in my post: A Light in the Darkness♡

I’m so sad to write, shortly after I published my post that night, Sal died. It hurts to write those words. He was 55 years old. As I said, I did not know him but know he was one of the best people in the world. I believe the world lost something so significant when it lost Sal. He did so much to help animals & humans and loved so deeply. Even though hes gone, his love lives on. ♡ My love goes out to his family & friends & work family and all devastated by this loss. How traumatic for them to lose someome so suddenly, so unexpectedly. But what a blessing it is to have known or even just met or heard of him! Isn’t this an adorable pic?! 

And on a happier note, the retrievers I posted about here: If you could be

I later found out, the little boy doesn’t bark at all! Even with his own family. The little girl very rarely barks! How cute! It’s not very commonplace to meet a doggy who doesn’t bark at all, ever! There’s a certain dog breed who doesn’t bark but it’s not goldens! 


And on a not so happy note, I made a bad decision at work today, using bad judgment, got in trouble, and it cost my boss some money. I wasnt sure if i was still going to have a job. All day filled with anxiety, tension, distress… If I were someone who labels days as “bad days,” today would be one but I know there’s no such thing as a “bad day.” Everyday, bad & good things happen and I always choose to honor the good, even if just a sliver. 



It’s very rare, almost unheard of, for me to ever think “I can’t way til this day is over” but earlier, very briefly, I was tempted to think that way. Then I felt guilty and realized this day is BEAUTIFUL. This day is full of love, warmth, light, possibility, & beautiful Earth angels. I choose to put my focus on those & cherish them. I give thanks to this day and all the blessings it brings me.

Today, I was outside having trouble with a gate and a random stranger walked up and helped me. Just out of nowhere. He saw me struggling and was kind enough to help. Thank you, Earth angel. My heart wells up with gratitude. ♡

Earlier today, a homeless man asked me for money. As I was walking away, money fell out of my bag and I did not notice and he called me back! “Hey darlin’, you dropped this” A man who lives on the streets with very little to no money each day, called me to let me know I dropped some money. It was just some change, not much at all. But to a homeless person, it can be a lot. And instead of acting in a selfish, greedy manner, he chose to act in love. ♡♡♡

I met an adorable little boy today. I love kids (not for me though! Lol) & always have the urge to talk to them and say hello. I think kids brighten the day! But I don’t want to encourage them to talk to strangers. If they have a positive, safe experience with me, they may think it’s ok to talk to other adult strangers. Also, their families probably teach them not to talk to strange adults and I don’t want to “undo” that. But today, a little boy came over and asked to pet my dogs. The retrievers above. The goldens love everyone, humans & adults, and his mom gave him permission to pet them and talk to me so I let him. It’s the most adorable thing seeing a little kid hugging a dog! And the babies loved being loved by him. ♡

The little boy was so happy and proudly telling me all about how he just started Kindergarten. That’s a great accomplishment for a little boy! He was telling me what I have to do if I want to go to Kindergarten! His mom and me were laughing. How cute! ♡ My heart just melts.

Also, I met an adorable little chi today who looks just like my boy! ♡ 


My boy ♡

And, my boss is collecting clothes & things to help the people devastated by the hurricane in Puerto Rico. I’m so thankful to see so much light brought into the darkness. And look who crawled into my donations bag! Lol ♡

 Little Miss Lacey! ♡ She’s not being donated! My love goes out to all of those affected by these natural disasters. 
There’s so much goodness all around us. It’s so easy to see and even when it isn’t, if we only look, it’s here, there, everywhere. ♡

Much love & light, always, ♡

xoxo Kim 

BeYOUtiful♡

Oct4

“I’m not too short, I’m not too tall, I’m not too big, I’m not too small. Ooh, don’t lemme start lovin’ myself! Ooh, don’t lemme start lovin’ myself! I’m not too white, I’m not too black, I’m not too this, I’m not too that…. I’m beautiful, dammit.”

Check out my under-eye wrinkles. I love to put pretty effects/filters on my pictures to make them look glossy or make the colors pop and things like that. I was going to post this pic on Instagram with inspiring song lyrics (not the ones above) and was looking for a filter to put on the pic, not to cover anything up but just to make it glossier and fix the lighting, things like that.

 I found a filter called “portrait” and love it! It makes the pic look glossy and bright but not overly bright to where it looks washed out or grainy. And then I noticed what that photo effect does to my under-eye wrinkles. It covers them up and makes my skin look almost flawless. My wrinkles don’t show up clearly in every pic but as you can see, they definitely do in this one. 

I wasn’t completely sure what they’re called at first, lines? Wrinkles? Laughlines? So i looked it up on Google. Lol Turns out, they are wrinkles. And every single thing that showed up on Google, that I saw, page after page, after page, is how to get rid of them, conceal them, or lessen them, makeup, medical procedures, home remedies, lifestyle changes….it struck me how much I don’t mind that I have them. In this society (U.S., where I live), we (especially girls/women, it seems), are very much pressured to look certain ways and to look as young as possible, years, even decades younger than we are. We’re not supposed to have wrinkles or gray hair or laugh lines or stretch marks or extra flubber or under eye bags….the list goes on & on & on. 

Seeing all these Google search results with all these women so desperately searching for ways to get rid of & cover up these wrinkles and seeing all these companies desperate to sell their products to help us perfect our skin, I experience deep compassion for all of those girls who obsess and feel so self conscious and like they aren’t enough just how they are. What a blessing it is to not only not mind our wrinkles but to actually find them beautiful. And I do find my under-eye wrinkles incredibly beautiful. And not only mine but beautiful on every face.

They are signs of years of living, years of wisdom, years of laughter, experience, smiles, pain….good & bad, happy & sad…. 

Getting older, aging, old age, middle age, signs of aging….is not something to regret or conceal or fret about. It just is and is a blessing. More years living means more years loving & experiencing.

So here I am sharing my picture with no filter/effect at all, flaunting my wrinkles. In this picture, I have on blue eyeshadow and light bronze eyeliner and that’s it. 

I am sharing this in the hope that anyone feeling low about wrinkles or any signs of aging will be inspired and embrace it instead. I have scars on my right leg (and much lighter ones on the left) on different parts because I was attacked by a dog on a few occasions. My scars are permanent. My skin on my legs used to be flawless. I see so many pictures of girls flaunting their perfect legs and I have no problem with it at all. I’m so happy they love their bodies and want to show them off and I love seeing beautiful women of all sizes, colors, ages, appearances and love celebrating their beauty, both inner & outer beauty, as well as my own.

Sometimes though, I feel a pang, deep inside, a longing, when I see those perfect legs, knowing mine can never again be like that. My scars arent terrible but are very noticeable. I’m not self conscious about them at all but still sometimes wish that I never got them.  Then I see other girls, with way more obvious scars than me, big, beautiful, deep surgical scars, that they share in pictures, along with their stories of perseverance, inner strength, courage and self love and I am inspired. I’m reminded to accept my scars, embrace them, love them. They’re part of me and they tell a story, one of trauma, fear, pain, hope, healing, love. 

So I know that showing off my wrinkles and loving them, can potentially inspire another woman to not feel so low about hers. This isn’t a post against covering up scars, wrinkles….or any blemishes. It’s about accepting and loving who/what we are and loving the body we are blessed with. Nothing wrong with concealing anything. Whatever floats your boat! But some things can’t be concealed or ever go away. So let’s love them. And even if they can be covered up or gotten rid of, love them in the process! It’s beautiful, all the things the body can do, get sick, injured, then heal. Move around, allow us to experience, carry organs, a heart that pumps non stop day & night. Awe-inspiring!

I’m Beautiful (song/youtube)

Much love & light to you, always! And remember to be your own kind of beautiful! ♡ 

Xoxo Kim 

If you could be….

Sep27



Just for fun…..
If you could be any….

month/animal/car/food/color/household appliance/clothing/shoes/alcoholic beverage/song/character in novel 


1.) Month -May – I would choose a month in Spring because Spring is the season of rebirth. It symbolizes hope and is so life affirming. I love the concept more than the season itself and Spring seems to be the most fragrant season, smelling of sweet flowers & grass. So lovely

2.) Animal – dog – dogs are often known for being cute, cuddly, friendly, & bestfriends – Who doesn’t want to be these things?!

3.) Food -Pizza- Pizza is loved by those of all ages, kids & adults alike! It’s simple and fun for parties and movie nights and just yummy! It seems like a fun food to be! And can be dressed up with various toppings!

4.) Color – green – Green, like Spring, is life affirming and I always loved it for that. It’s symbolic of growth & health. Just like Spring, I love the concept more than the color itself, though the color is pretty also.

5.) Household appliance- heater/heating system – They are warm and welcoming & comforting. Imagine being out in a bitter cold Winter night all blustery and the wind nipping at your skin then walking into a warm, cozy house or apartment or any building & the heat is just there waiting to wrap you in a warm, comforting embrace! I want to be that for others. ♡

6.) Clothing- bra – sexy and supportive, a great thing to be!  lol 😉

7.) Alcoholic beverage- Bubblegum vodka because it’s sweet & playful…..like me! 😉

8.) Shoes- Stilettos because they’re sexy & confident

9.) Car – Purple lamborghini because they’re sexy, impressive, & expensive! Lol N I love the color purple! ♡ It’s an unusual and fun color for a car. I have seen one like this in person. 


(Not my photo)

This thing costs a pretty penny! Over $200,000 – Holy guacamole, costs more than my house!

10.) Song – Sailing sung by Christopher Cross – It’s a song that deeply resonates with me, not just the words but the tune, his voice, everything, I don’t know exactly why – I just have this mysterious connection to it. I can imagine being this song, so light and beautiful, deep

“Sailing takes me away to where I’ve always heard it could be
Just a dream and the wind to carry me
And soon I will be free

Fantasy, it gets the best of me
When I’m sailing
All caught up in the reverie, every word is a symphony” ♡

Sailing – Christopher Cross 

Song gives me chills!

11.) Character in a novel- Alex – Alex is a character in a beautiful novel called My Grandfather’s Eyes. She’s a kind of psycho and tried to kill her husband just because she did not want to be married to him anymore. She also fantasized about killing a girl just because the girl annoyed her. She has psychopathic traits but there are three people she loves unconditionally, the only three people she has ever loved, her grandfather (she has his eyes) & her best friend, Lizzy, who she is romantically in love with and has been since they were kids(but Lizzy is a straight girl). She also loves her self. 

When I started reading the book I was repulsed by Alex but then I came to love her. She’s not a very lovable character and it’s easy to judge her negatively but I came to see beauty in her. She has a deformity on her face that people are shocked by and stare at her. Kids made fun of her as a child. But Alex always refused to get cosmetic surgery. She loves herself just the way she is. I read so many books with compassionate, loving, kind characters who are so easy to love but I chose Alex, the psycho. Lol Of course I don’t actually want to be her for real but it’s a fun thought experiment.

Here is what Alex says about herself:

“In the mirror, I see a woman sitting bolt upright in her chair, with her handbag on her lap. She has long mousy hair, parted in the middle, her scalp white in the harsh fluorescent light. There is a large, dark mass spreading across the side of her face. I think her elegantly middle-aged, sensuously beautiful. I cannot identify with her. I see her smile, first with her eyes, which remain young, and then with the whole of her face. We fuse together, and I feel an energy building inside me, so that my reflection seems to disturb the air in the room, like a breeze across the surface of a lake.  It is a lake I have visited many times in my dreams. We are luminous and powerful.”

I’m in love with this! How beautiful! She doesn’t care about her age or her deformity across her face, or what others think of her. To her, she is beautiful and that’s all that matters! ♡ It’s rare to meet a woman like this in reality, a woman so in love with her own imperfections, deformities, scars, her own face, her own body, a girl who doesn’t care about her age or what others think about her flaws. Perfect!

So here are my answers! If you want, take the survey and I’ll check it out, either on your own blog or right here in the comments!

Also, this may be a bit random but there’s an adorable golden retriever girl I take care of and her brother. Dalia & Trigo. ♡ They were rescued and adopted out of a golden retriever rescue organization. I have been taking care of them for almost a year. They are the most calm, gentle, balanced dogs I have ever met. And two of the sweetest, most loving. I can feel the loving energy just radiating whenever I’m near them. In the almost year I have known them, I never once heard them bark. I knew they probably bark sometimes when their mommy & daddy are with them but couldn’t imagine it. Today on our walk, Dalia just started barking with this loud, deep bark! Lol I havent a clue what she was barking at. I was so amazed and find it so adorable! Little things like that just make me laugh & smile. So I find it worth mentioning here since it’s something I think is important and cute. ♡ The simplest things just brighten my day! 😀


♡♡♡♡♡ I love these sweet babies. Such beauties. 

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

Xoxo Kim 

Essence. 

Sep27

“I do not think there is anyone who takes quite such a fierce pleasure in things being themselves as I do. The startling wetness of water excites and intoxicates me: the fieriness of fire, the steeliness of steel, the unutterable muddiness of mud.” ♡

Let’s remember the extraordinary in the ordinary! Even the most mundane things are magical when we pay attention! Things are beautiful just how they are. And sentient beings also. ♡ 😀

Much love & light to you, always 

Xoxo Kim ♡

A Light in the Darkness♡

Sep26

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Light in the Darkness – desktop 

A light in the Darkness – Wayfarers – mobile

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

Let it burn. 

~Hugs~♡♡♡

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

Much love & light to you, always 

xoxo Kim ♡