Tag Archive | inspiration

To My People – Ode to Humanity

Nov24

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“Best friend, acquaintance, lover, co-worker, 
Even if I don’t know you, all the good that you do,
Helps me see my way through,
Service space thanks for sharing all the good news” ~ Empty Hands 

Nimo Patel (of Empty Hands Music) is one of my favorite singers! All his songs are great, I love both the tunes and his messages. You know how you may love the words of a song but not the tune or music? Or the other way around, you really like the tune or music but not the words or message? One example of a song I like the tune and music of but not the words is “Pumped up Kicks” I think it’s called. It’s so uplifting and will get you pumped…..until you realize it’s a song about gun violence! He’s like running through the school blowing away all the kids. I don’t have anything against people listening to it, it’s just not my cup of tea(i do listen to Alice Cooper’s twisted songs about killing and stuff, Alice gets away with it just because he’s Alice! Lol).

Anyway, I love every single one of Nimo Patel’s songs, both the tunes and the messages. Most of his songs are about universal love, loving everyone, friends, family, strangers no matter their views, ethnicity, lifestyles, about togetherness and being thankful for life and every single living being in it, insects, humans, everything. So beautiful! 

So today I want to share this incredible song, “To My People – Ode to Humanity.” I love it because “my people” are not just their own friends and family and community…but people everywhere, even strangers. It’s an ode to humanity. The singers are thankful for every single life, even those they never met. They acknowledge the goodness in everyone all around the world and give thanks. They encourage us to love our friends, our family, our acquaintances, our coworkers, everyone. 

This song resonates with me so deeply. I have always felt this way and sometimes I feel it deeper than other occasions. But I frequently feel that everyone is someone to me, even strangers. Every life matters to me. I can identify with everyone in some way, some more deeply than others. I think if we tune into our empathy and wisdom, we can all feel this way often. We can relate to one another through our basic humanness, even other species because members of other species (animals, insects) share our basic will, desire to live, to avoid suffering and gravitate towards pleasure and relief.  

“To my people yeh,
You’re my soul, you’re my roots 
Your’re my family, my life and my truth
To my people yeh,
Your everybody, every being, every life, every moment, everything
To my people yeh,
Your my God, you’re my soul,
You’re the one that pushes me to help me grow
To my people yeh, 
I bow down to your heart of gold” ~ Empty Hands 

Imagine a world full of not strangers but friends, family, acquaintances, even if we don’t know them, we have some sense of kinship with them. Everywhere we look, in crowded shopping malls, in cars around us, at work, in stores, in hospitals,….we see family, living beings who are all someone to us and have a place in our heart.  Imagine.

Wouldn’t that be beautiful? 

We all have a name, a life, a breath, goals, pleasure, pain, happiness, fears, loves, a desire to avoid suffering, and gravitate towards things that bring pleasure or relief. 

Underneath we are really quite similar.

We can practice feeling this more frequently and deeply by intentionally wishing the best for each person, each sentient being, we look at even if those people don’t know it. Even if just in our heads we can hope nothing but good for each person, animal, life we encounter. Each person we see on the streets, in cars, in stores, we can consciously, make it a point to think positive, pleasant things about those people. This can get our minds in the habit of loving everyone. I often feel this automatically without even trying but when I don’t feel it, I can make an intentional decision to wish each person the best. Not only is it just great to feel this, it can carry over into our actions, consciously or unconsciously. 

I am so thankful for every life I come across in some way, no matter how briefly, online and in person. Every encounter we have with someone can impact that person so let’s make it a positive encounter. Let’s smile and send out love and engage in acts of kindness.

I’m so thankful for Nimo Patel and those who can write and sing these messages I receive so deeply, so lovingly. They take the words right out of my mouth, my heart, my being.

So I dedicate this post to my people.

You, you, you, you, and you! All of you and everyone around the world.

I bow down to your heart of gold.

I appreciate your goodness, your beauty, your love, your kindness, your compassion, your smile….

I love you and wish you the best in everything you do, all the good intentions you have. 

I wish us all the best. It may seem like it doesn’t make sense because sometimes what’s best for one person may not be to someone else. What’s “best” for one may be the “worst” for someone else.For example two people going on a job interview and only one can get it. How can they both get the best? And what if someone wants to murder someone, that may seem best to the potential murderer but certainly not to the victim! The person who doesn’t get the job can still be at peace, still be happy and just try again. And the potential murderer can change and no longer hurt or try to hurt people.  When I wish the best for others, I don’t just mean in an external way but inside, inner peace and love and happiness. Some people argue that universal love cannot possibly work out in a practical sense even if it’s a beautiful concept. But that’s simply not true. When we wish others the best, we are referring to an inner experience whatever happens on the outside. 

Here is this wonderful song! 

To My People – Ode to Humanity – mobile

To My People – Ode to Humanity – desktop

Much love to you, 

😀

Xoxo Kim ❤ ❤ 

Ocean

Nov23

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“Let yourself be open and life will be easier. A spoon of salt in a glass of water makes it undrinkable. In a lake almost unnoticed.”

This is a fantastic message with deep meaning. I love the analogy to life.

If I have a life so full of happiness and love and my virtue of patience is strong, when unpleasant things come along, it will only be like a drop, a drop of unsettling things in an ocean of vast love and happiness. The positive things will drown out the unpleasant, washing them away in all the beauty.

But if I live a life of very little happiness and love and my virtue of patience isn’t yet strongly developed, the unsettling things are more like a spoonful in just a cup of happiness and love. It can taint the whole cup where in an ocean or lake, the water, love, happiness, patience….is vast enough, deep enough to stand untarnished.

Let’s focus on and build on the positive. Then when the unpleasant comes along we’ll be ready.

Love & Hugs,

❤ 😀

xoxo Kim

Love & Compassion <3

Nov22

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(this is not my photo..)

I agree, I don’t eat meat or wear fur or support killing animals for food, clothing, or sport and don’t support animal testing and I do not kill any insects or rodents intentionally, I cherish their lives, but I also do not support violence or hostility against people who don’t agree with me on this and don’t think “less” of them, I’m in no position to. There’s no doubt in my mind that many/most people who consume meat products are just as compassionate as I am. There’s nothing wrong with stating my views to people in appropriate contexts/situations, writing about them, signing/sharing things to help end animal cruelty and other things involving animals but I don’t have to be in people’s faces with it every chance I get, and criticize them in a destructive way. I don’t have to act like my morals are better than anyone else’s. I don’t freak out if people eat meat around me or anything. I won’t throw stuff on your fur clothing or destroy science labs and scientists’ vehicles and other property.
I can be firm in my views, confident, and passionate but still accept others, no matter what our differences are. Some people think if we’re very passionate about some specific issue and someone is on the opposing side, we can’t be compatible with one another without compromising/weakening our own views or passion or morals. When I was young I felt this way about certain issues but as I grew up and practice universal love more and more, deeper and deeper, I now know that’s not true. My greatest passion is love and compassion, all encompassing love. I won’t reject someone as a friend/lover/acquaintance….because we disagree. Also, “attacking” individual meateaters accomplishes nothing good or very little; it’s the corporations and government and people with more authority that would likely be best to contact. And individual people likely aren’t going to want to listen to us if we are going to be vicious, who wants to listen to someone who approaches us with hostility? And the main thing is to extend my compassion to everyone, whether or not we are in agreement or will ever be, on issues I am passionate about and whether or not that compassion is returned to me.
“Be love. Be so much love that when others are with you, they are love too.”
“The power of love has no limits.”

Love & Compassion – Parachute Club – mobile

Love & Compassion – desktop

❤ 😀

Hugs & love,

xoxo Kim

November Sunset <3

Nov22

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“People are just as wonderful as sunsets if you let them be. When I look at a sunset, I don’t find myself saying, “Soften the orange a bit on the right hand corner.” I don’t try to control a sunset. I watch with awe as it unfolds.” ~Carl R. Rogers

This is the sun setting this evening around 4:35pm! My sister and me were sitting in the living room and I saw the walls overcome in a pink/orange glow and I said “Is that the sun setting already?!” It seemed early for the sunset! My dog, Woody, was sleeping on me and I did not want to disturb him but I wanred to check the sunset before it disappeared! So after a minute I made him get up ran to the front door and gasped so loud my next door neighbors who were out turned quickly to look at me but I was in awe! And still am! 😀

The above picture is exactly what it looked like! Not much pink or orange, just blue and bright, bright yellow! Isn’t it stunning?! So beautiful!

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The above pictures have no effect and were not altered in any way, it really looked like that! I never saw a sunset like that with so much bright yellow!! I would surely remember! It’s probably the most beautiful one I have been blessed to witness!

But this one here, I did put an effect on just to see what it looks like. It’s not as pretty as the real unaltered thing!

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And here are a couple more not altered. These ones I took on the other side of my street and there was no yellow! Just pink/orange but still pretty!

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This blue picture is not altered except it’s cropped because someone’s tag number showed up in it. I don’t like when people put someone else’s info online so I cut it out. I don’t know why it looks different than the others, maybe the way I held my phone.

And I ran to the back door and took these out back before the beauty faded into the darker beauty of nightfall!

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This is the side out back with the big tree then just on the other side, the same minute, it looked like this!

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I love the reflections on the cars & windows!

and here are some beautiful Fall leaves out back!

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They are so lovely and they feel amazing in my hands, rough but smooth against my skin.

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“Forests, lakes, and rivers, clouds and winds, stars and flowers, stupendous glaciers and crystal snowflakes – every form of animate or inanimate existence, leaves its impress upon the soul of man.” ~ Orison Swett Marden

There’s so much beauty all around us in various forms.

I watched “The Gallows” tonight! I like it but my family said it’s boring! I find it to be creepy and like the ending!

I hope your day/night is going great!

❤ 😀

Standing Knee Deep in a River (Dying of thirst) – Joe Cocker – mobile

Standing Knee Deep in a river – desktop

Hugs & Love,

xoxo Kim

Me, Me, Me, Mine, Mine, Mine

Nov21

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“The ideas of ‘me’ and ‘mine’ are the seeds of every problem in the world.”

This quote is out of the Kindle book “365 Wisdom Pills.”

It’s true, it’s so ingrained into us to think in terms of “me” and “mine” and “me,” “us” and “them.” 

It’s good to once in a while let the self dissolve into the Oneness. Realize we are a small part of a much larger Whole, the whole uni-verse. The world doesn’t revolve around me. I am not the most important aspect of life. Others have desires, opinions, convictions just as strong as mine. Life will not always work how I want it to.

Let’s give selflessness a try, let others go first, try to understand other views, ways, and accept diversity. It’s good to remember others feel just as strongly as we do and experience in similar ways. 

This is a great concept to think about!  

❤ 😀

Hugs & love, 

Xoxo Kim 

Empathy v. Jealousy

Nov20

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“Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” ~ attributed to Voltaire

By tuning into our empathy for others, not just feeling another’s pain but also pleasure, joy, happiness, we will be happy for others as we would our own selves, instead of jealous in a destructive way or depressed when they have something we want and do not have. 

When someone wins, succeeds, accomplishes something great, or is just happy, and we feel a bit jealous or resentful, imagine how we would feel if it were us who has something great happen and then we can feel more happiness for that person instead of jealous, disappointed, or depressed.

Being jealous and resentful helps no one. Wouldn’t you love if someone was happy for you? Not that we need others to be happy for us to be happy ourselves but it’s a great experience to know someone wishes us well. So why not be happy when someone else is? Empathy will get in the way of resentment. How can we resent someone too much when we are extremely happy for that person? A little bit of jealousy now and then is ok but it doesn’t have to drag us down or provoke us to drag others down. Let the happiness and success of others inspire us instead of provoke envy and resentment in us. It’s better for everyone!  

When one person wins, we all win. ❤

😀

Hugs & love,

Xoxo Kim 

November 19th

Nov19

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“Life goes on
no one gets rehearsal
life goes on
through everyday reversal 
with every dawn everyday is full of chances 
to find some good before it’s gone…” 

Today and tonight is very rainy. On my way to Buddhist class in Center City, I looked up at the tall buildings through the rain and saw people in one of the upper floors sitting around at a meeting! Lol Anyone else probably would have found it not important or thought nothing of it but I just loved seeing it. I saw three men in what appeared to be business suits.  There were probably more who I couldn’t see. None of the men I saw have hair. 

It looked important. 

Lol  

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This isn’t the building, these are different, similar ones.

I love hearing and seeing people in the distance. And I love the sounds of laughter and talking and construction work, it just provokes a feeling of connection and Oneness in me, I love the life all around. 

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The meeting in the building I saw through the window brought back a memory of a day in 9th grade when a girl in class had some speaker thing and either it called people or she hooked it up to her phone and called random people and we all heard it through the speaker. She did not know any of the people she called, it was just random numbers. A man answered one of the calls and he sounded distraught, almost panicked and said he’ll have to call her back, he was in an important meeting at City Hall. She kept telling him it’s important to talk to her right now. He did not realize it was a high school girl just messing around. Lol All the kids were laughing and so was the teacher. 

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His meeting probably looked a little like the one I briefly witnessed way up on that top floor tonight. 

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In class tonight, the monk reminded us to remember that everything is impermanent, the seasons, relationships, our problems, everything we love, our physical traits, our life….so cherish all that we have but be prepared to lose it. Depending upon how we think about it, this can be inspiring or gloomy. Remember to bask in the beauty of all we have and not put too much into problems or pain or negativity, it will all end soon enough.

I found the lecture and meditation to be inspiring and soothing and sad. I thought of my coworker, Diane, who died in February. I was very close to her and I don’t always cope with her death well. And I thought of those I will likely lose later, animals and humans. It was soothing to hear our teacher remind us that loss is just part of life, just the way it goes and it doesn’t have to destroy us. He used an analogy of staying at a luxurious hotel for a few days and having to leave it. We don’t break down over having to leave the beautiful room and bath and breakfast in bed and king sized bed and incredible view and room service and all because we knew all along it would end. It was never ours to keep. We were prepared to have it end. It’s like our life now. It was never ours to keep, the relationships we have aren’t meant to last forever. The very nature of life is change. If we just prepare ourself for it to end, like the way we know vacations end, we will be great. We are travelers just passing through life. 

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We were also reminded that the most important things are love, wisdom, and inner peace, not material things like money and jewelry.

The monk used another analogy of receiving a big expensive diamond then soon after, being diagnosed with terminal cancer. Would we even care about the diamond now next to something like that? We can have expensive things, pretty things, and still be miserable or still be sick, and still die. And we can have a terminal illness, experience a devastating loss, be very old, and still be happy and at peace.

It’s all about our attitude and what we focus on. 

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When we focus on the good and focus on our breath for a few minutes, we can experience inner calmness. When we meditate upon the concept of death and loss, it can at first seem gloomy, negative, uncomfortable, terrible, but eventually it can bring us to peace and lessen our anxiety about it.  

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It was a good class! Very helpful!

Last night was my little sister’s 19th b-day so my family took her bowling! It was a lot of fun! I got 2nd place! My mom got the lowest score and my dad and sister got the same score.

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Here are a couple pictures:

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The people before us left this score sheet.

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Lol

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I’m the only one of us usually who likes to get my picture taken. Lol 

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This is my boys and me. They are just the sweetest things! ❤

Emmy is the little daddy on my shoulder and Woody is his baby looking up at me. They get so jealous of each other and both want all the attention. Lol It's so cute!!

Here is a sweet song relevant to the topic of impermanence and appreciating the good while accepting the bad and the uncertainty.

“You’ll never know which way a day is gonna take you
there’s always some surprise that comes along to shake you
you’ll never see exactly where the road will lead you
and when it comes to love you gamble when you need to
you’ll maybe break your heart on one unlucky throw
but then again, you’ll never know”

You’ll Never Know – Ringo Starr – mobile

You’ll Never Know – desktop

Much love to you!! ❤

😀

xoxo Kim

Father Figure

Nov17

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“If you are the desert
I’ll be the sea
If you ever hunger –
Hunger for me
Whatever you ask for
That’s what I’ll be. .”

Ever hear this song? I listened to it often when I was young. But I never truly listened. I liked the music and the voices singing and the feeling of mystery to it. I still do! I occasionally wondered what it’s about but those thoughts were very fleeting. Then I haven’t heard it for years probably, just once in a blue moon.

Recently I read the lyrics and found that at first they may seem deeply disturbing to someone not truly paying attention or not in tune with the wisdom within. It seems, on the surface, as if an adult man is singing to a child about wanting to be naked at his/her side and wanting to be this young person’s “daddy.”

Or like he’s in love with an adult but thinks of him/her as a child. (eww)

Who wants to lay naked next to your dad?! (Or who wants to think of your man as your daddy? [eww lol])

Unless maybe the person is a baby and like laying on the sofa or bed with the dad. Some babies/toddlers do rip their clothes off and run around in front of people, I used to! Lol

But even then I don’t think the dad usually says or thinks “I want you naked at my side.”

But this song seems to have a sexual overtone, not an innocent song a daddy sings to his child.
And not like a regular romantic love song where the singer acknowledges his lover is an adult.

(I never completely understood why some men like their lovers to call them “daddy.” lol But whatever floats your boat as long as they’re all consenting adults!)

But I felt, while reading the lyrics that this message runs so, so much deeper than the sexual or romantic or pedophile song it may seem at first glance.

I felt it before I knew it intellectually. I felt with my intuition and my deep wisdom before I truly read the words.

“That’s all you wanted
Something special, someone sacred –
In your life”

He may or may not be singing to a (romantic) lover. He does mention a lover but “lover” doesn’t always have to be romantic necessarily although the word is usually reserved for a romantic sense. And the person probably isn’t a child. A lover in the most basic sense of the word is just one who loves. “A lover of life” for example.

“If we have faith in each other
Then we can be
Strong”

What I think he’s saying is, he wants to be wise and strong and help someone else who may be in need. He has a hunger for being just what someone else needs. He has a relentless need to BE for someone else.

And I think that’s beautiful.

A father is often a person a child looks up to and can trust to guide him/her in this life. Our father is (or is supposed to be) someone whose love and wisdom can help us see through the turmoil and pain and negativity in life. We look up to him to protect us and lead us, to show us the way. But we don’t have to be a child to look up to a person like this and the person doesn’t have to be our father. This person can be a friend, a lover, a teacher, a religious person, a man or a woman,….anyone who has realized deep wisdom, deep love, and a strong desire to help others.

A father’s love is (supposed to be) unconditional.

“I will be your father figure
Put your tiny hand in mine
I will be your preacher teacher
Anything you have in mind
I will be your father figure
I have had enough of crime
I will be the one who toves you
Until the end of time”

The person in this song he is singing to may not be an actual child but childlike. Innocent and full of wonder. A person who is in a state for whatever reason, where s/he needs to be protected or needs someone to look up to. All of us are in a position or can be in a position where we are helpless and can be taken advantage of. There will always be someone bigger and stronger and with more power. We will almost all probably at some point need some kind of help or need answers whether it’s a serious situation like a medical condition, a mental health issue, or just needing directions while driving or how to fix something or a recommendation or help finding something. And most of us have power or an advantage over someone, whether physical, financial, emotional….all of us can hurt or help heal, protect or potentially need to be protected.
We will some occasions be in a position to help another in need. And sometimes we’ll be in a position to accept someone else’s help.

The singer (whether for real or just in the song) wants to protect this person and be his/her light, his/her guide, the one s/he can always trust and look up to.

The “child” in the song is symbolic of innocence and vulnerability.

And the “father” is symbolic of fierce, unconditional love & boundless wisdom.

“Naked” doesn’t mean physically naked, the body stripped of clothing. It is a metaphor for the baring of the soul, stripping the self of everything, of all barriers and fears, and insecurities, and allowing someone else to see through to the light and love and wisdom within. And allowing someone to see the flaws, the mistakes, the fears….Strip all the layers of wariness and anxiety and fear and embarrassment and let the true naked self be seen.

It’s actually a very beautiful song and message.

Well, this is my interpretation but someone else may have a different one.

“So when you remember the ones who have lied
Who said that they cared
But then laughed as you cried
Beautiful darling
Don’t think of me”

We can be this to someone else and also have someone else be this to us. We can all take and give, be strong some moments and allow someone else to be our strength at other moments, we can have eyes wide with wonder and innocence, blue with youth, we can break and need, and also be full of deep wisdom, have a soul so old with deep understanding and wrinkled with experience, and a thirst to provide and help and be someone’s strength and source of love.

“Because all I ever wanted
It’s in your eyes baby, baby…”

I hope we will all take advantage of whatever position we are in at each moment. Take advantage in a positive way. If we are feeling strong and wise, let’s reach out to someone not yet so strong, not in this moment in touch with the wisdom within the person, and help that person, guide that person to discover her/his wisdom, if we are feeling weak and in need, let’s reach out for help in whatever form we need it or allow someone who wants to help us, to provide what we need. It’s good to be strong and ok to be weak. It’s good to help and ask for help. It’s beautiful to give and sometimes necessary and good to take what is offered.

We can all be the child & the father.

Father Figure – George Michael – mobile

Father Figure – desktop

Much love to you! 😀

Xoxo Kim ❤