Tag Archive | Positivity

Spinning

IMG_14170761_1(1)(1)

“We come spinning out of nothingness, scattering stars like dust.” ~Rumi

I love this quote. My mind conjures up images of something unstoppable. It’s a great reminder that we have the power within to do & be great things no matter what our circumstances are. We can come out of nothingness and unleash that greatness.

Love & light to you….

❤ ❤

xoxo Kim

The Life Before Her Eyes

IMG_14171509_1

“As much as we can be overwhelmed by the world, we can also draw hope from it, from beauty, from promise, from the simple fact that we have the talent to imagine our future selves from all the possible lives that pass before our eyes. We must imagine our lives well. We must engage our conscience.”

Some years ago, I watched a movie called “The Life Before Her Eyes” over & over. I love movies that have to do with friendship. This movie is a very sad movie but very good. It’s about two high school girls who are best friends, one is a “good girl” and the other is a “bad girl” but they are the best of friends. Their friendship is so tender and loving and warm and even after they get into an argument. The girls do a great job playing the part. A true friendship like this one is a great blessing! I think platonic friendship is one of the greatest gifts in life.

A kid comes to school one day with a gun and kills a lot of people, including one of the girls. The other girl develops severe post traumatic stress and struggles with her loss, guilt, and anxiety and caring for her family after she grows up with a family of her own years later. She can’t let go of the past and overcome it and move forward. I wouldn’t expect someone to completely forget that her best friend was murdered and all those other people and wouldn’t expect her grief to go away but it’s possible to heal to a certain point. She has a lot of difficulty. I recently watched the movie again. 

This line above is out of one of the scenes. Isn’t it inspiring? So full of hope & beauty.

I love how many scenes in this movie can be analyzed and interpreted, like they have underlying meanings.

It’s a great movie but I would never recommend it to someone who has ever been involved in a school (or any) massacre, especially one involving gun violence. It may be a serious trigger.

I hope you are having a beautiful day/night!

😀

Much love & light, ❤

Xoxo Kim 

Currently……<3

IMG_14171542

One of those fun bloggy surveys!

Currently….

IMG_14171545

Book: Fatal Decision by John Greenwood- a Kindle book. seriously the most terrifying book I ever read! I’m not through with it yet and it’s very disturbing. I can feel all the terror and emotions along with the characters. It’s not gory or anything (which I prefer – I do not like gory) but the plot is horrifying. A mom and dad of a thirteen year old little boy find that someone went to their son’s school pretending to be his uncle and kidnaps the boy. The father later receives an anonymous phone call by a man telling him not to tell the police he has contact with the kidnappers or they’ll kill his child. Then the man tells the dad he has to kill an innocent person or he’ll not see his son alive again. Either way, the kidnappers will give his boy back but if the dad doesn’t kill the innocent person for them, his son will be brought back dead. If he kills the innocent person, his son will be brought back alive and well. Holy Hell!! And the kidnappers keep killing innocent people to show how serious they are. They have no problem killing. They stalk the boy’s dad and see almost everything he does and know where he is each moment of everyday so they’ll likely know if he tells the police he talks to them. They even see in his house! He doesn’t know how and when he looks around he cannot see them anywhere. The book is very good. It does have quite a few spelling/grammatical errors. Books I read usually do not have this many. I’m no grammar phanatic but it’s surprising that a published book has so many. I can’t (truthfully) say the book is very well written in my opinion, in some way, but in another way it is. The author captures the terrible emotions of the parents extremely well. The characters are very much alive, in my opinion. I can imagine real parents who lose children, reacting the same way, experiencing the same breakdowns and agony. They are very realistic. Some characters in some books are one-dimensional or emotionless seeming. I usually stop reading them when they are. I read part of a fiction book before with a fascinating plot including a little girl going missing and something strange keeps happening but I stopped reading it because the parents have no emotion, not like being shocked and emotionless after a tragedy but they just have no life in them even before the child went missing. It’s like the author wasn’t empathetic enough while writing it to portray real emotions through fiction writing. I don’t recommend books before completing them but I will probably recommend this one to those who don’t mind errors all throughout and less than superb writing. It’s still a great book! It has great reviews too, almost 5 stars out of 5 and 94 people reviewed it. It has 187 pages. I usually prefer them longer but it’s ok! Right now, I still give it 5 stars!

Also a book called “The Philosophy of the Enlightenment” by Ernst Cassirer. Very interesting! 😀

Nail polish: still painted for Christmas! One hand green and the other red! All chipped up now!

Favorite drink: iced tea, coca cola – same as always

Photo: Me on New Year’s Eve!

IMG_14171436_1

& me on New Year Day:

IMG_14171452_1

Guilty pleasure: fictional horror mystery books! Ahh!! ;-D And Christmas cookies on sale! Lol I got up at 2:00 in the morning one morning recently and ate a whole bag while reading a scary book in the dark with my dogs! Fun!

Thing thankful for: I’m thankful for my attitude or feeling that everything works out so well for me. Since I was very young, I have often felt that things just fall into place easily for me. I’m mostly referring to all the little things. I don’t believe in luck but I have always felt “lucky.”
I got to go to the University I always wanted to go to. It’s the only one I applied to. When things of mine break, they usually start working again right when I need them. I usually don’t have to wait too long for a bus I’m waiting for even if I wasn’t looking at the schedule. Whenever I want something at a store, they usually have it….stuff like this. It’s not always that things work out perfectly for me. Sometimes I’m waiting for a bus in zero degree weather for over an hour. Sometimes a store is out of stuff I really, really need/want. But I remember even being in Kindergarten when I was five years old and feeling as if I’m so “lucky” and everything works out in my favor. I can even remember a couple of things I thought of as examples back then! I still feel this way, even right now. I think it’s not just external things working out well but my attitude. I have a strong attitude of gratitude. Even with depression when it would flare up. I can’t feel it to the fullest usually like I do when I’m not depressed but still I feel it often even when I’m severely depressed. The thing is, with depression it’s often hard to focus on that gratitude but it’s possible. Gratitude is so healing. When I truly focus on not only the things to be thankful for but my thankfulness for them, even when I can’t feel it as strongly, it really touches my depression and sometimes lifts it a little bit or even a lot. I never have bad days because even on the rare days where it seems one thing after another goes wrong, I am soon reminded of all the things that go right.
Even on those days where one thing after another goes wrong, one thing after another also goes right. And I usually automatically see that but when I don’t, I try to intentionally focus on it.
When I’m not suicidal, I think any day I’m alive is a good day and when I am suicidal, I can still think of the things going right. I couldn’t always do this when I would be suicidal. I used to know of all my good things but just ignore them for the bad, often. Sometimes good things would keep popping out at me over n over and I would deny them because I was so depressed. But through the years I learned more and more to focus on the good. Even when I want to die, I can still see good. It just doesn’t take away my despair or sense of worthlessness and purposelessness always but does me good still. Gratitude is the best attitude for depression! It’s stronger than depression if we allow it to be. It’s a great attitude for anyone with or without depression. If you don’t have it naturally like I do, you can develop it and if you already have an attitude of gratitude, you can strengthen it or make it more frequent. And if you already live in complete, boundless gratitude every second of every day, that’s amazing! (but probably very rare) 😀 ❤
Richard Branson once said “I was born under a lucky star…” He is a very rich man financially but also in his attitude about life. And I don’t think his money has to do with it. I think he is just a happy man with a great attitude, money or not. We can all have that attitude. His statement “I was born under a lucky star” inspires me. I feel the same way and when I forget, I just remind myself that. And I’m what some people can call “dirt poor” financially(I don’t even have phone service! But I don’t mind!). Lol! So it’s not the money! This goes to show even more that depression isn’t just about being spoiled & ungrateful. An attitude adjustment can do us good but depression is more than just that.

Drink – a “no name” brand of root beer. Isn’t that so weird?! I never liked root beer for as long as I can remember but when I’m sick, I crave it. It’s so weird. It’s actually called Tubz and reminds me of my dog, Isis Summerjo, my fuzzy sausage girl! Little kids often call her piggy or the piggy dog! lol

1654526_587394594690044_1229939204_o(1)

Fashion: hmmm…I know nothing about fashion! lol

Laughing at: the Buddhist class I attended for New Year’s Eve was funny! Our teacher is really funny; I laughed a lot! Lol ;-D

Also this,

e7a85bf258abde0f3074a33b042896f1(1)

(cute picture but it’s not mine!)

Fear: I’m not afraid of anything at the moment!

Weather: a bit cold. Just the way I like it! 😀

IMG_14171164(1)_1

IMG_14171530_1

Grateful for: my good physical health – I have a sinus thing going for the last few days but generally my physical health is great. And for the good physical health of everyone else who isn’t sick. ❤

Feeling: more uplifted than I have been. Writing here is inspiring! I mostly like to write for others who will potentially come across it but it’s also good for me! ❤

Looking forward to: a new Kindle book released next month! A fiction suspense thriller! I been waiting seven months! Ahhh!! ;-D Book 3 in a series by Dr.Carey Baldwin. Totally can’t wait!! I have a big, bright smile just thinking about it! 😀

Thank You everyone for the comments, likes, shares….I always appreciate it! ❤

Much love,

xoxo Kim

Beauty of Darkness

IMG_14171370_1

“I like the darkness. There’s something to the feeling of not knowing your surroundings, not seeing the color of things as they appear, but as they truly are. There’s something about the unknown, the quiet, the cold. There’s something unspoken about the dark, something I can never quite put words to. Something terrifying yet beautiful.” ❤

~Hugs & love~ ❤

😀

xoxo Kim

Like a candle <3

20151223191848

“You are like a candle. Imagine you are sending light out all around you. All your words, thoughts and actions are going in many directions. If you say something kind, your kind words go in many directions, and you yourself go with them. We are …transforming and continuing in a different form at every moment.” ~ Thích Nhất Hạnh

❤ We transform the world with our compassion. ❤

😀

Love & ligt to you!

xoxo Kim

A few of my favorite things…<3

IMG_14170986_1

Today when I woke up I had the song  “My Favorite Things” stuck in my head! Lol Whaaatt?! It was playing in my head really loudly as I was waking up. I must have been dreaming about it. I don’t believe I heard it in years or even consciously thought of it.

My Favorite Things – Julie Andrews – mobile

Julie Andrews – desktop

Mary J. Blige – desktop

My Favorite Things – Mary J. Blige – mobile

It reminds me of Christmas even though it’s appropriate for all year. ❤

I realized how much I love the song after I woke up and listened to it this morning! It's full of joy, passion, and wisdom. When we are struggling or in a low mood, it really does help to remember a few of our favorite things. 

Some of her favorite things are: raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles, brown paper packages tied up with strings, girls in white dresses, door bells and sleigh bells….

I love all these things too! ❤

Here are some of my favorite things:

1.) a cup of hot tea

2.) snow covered hills

3.) a cool Summer breeze

4.) the holiday season 

5.) acts of kindness 

6.) the scent of pine on a crisp day

7.) puppy kisses 

8.) girls in stilettos

9.) soft, warm blankets at night 

10.) mystery thriller books

11.) the feeling of stepping out of a cold air conditioned room into a hot, sunny afternoon 

12.) beautiful dark poetry 

13.) photography 

14.) my long hair

15.) makeup

16.) seeing someone genuinely smiling & laughing 

17.) pleasant surprises 

18.) meeting people I never met before 

19.) sweet conversations with friends 

20.) intriguing conversations with a stranger 

21.) hugs

22.) the swirling of ceiling fans on a warm day

23.) the first days of Fall

24.) the floral fragrance of Spring 

25.) the sound of construction work off in the distance 

26.) the sound of people laughing outside late at night 

27.) the sound of cars sloshing through puddles on a rainy day

28.) kitty kats and other animals licking their paws and cleaning their faces

29.) Christmas lights and decorations 

30.) the changing of the seasons 

31.) Oldies songs 

32.) quiet afternoons and mornings with sunlight streaming through the windows 

33.) reading a thrilling book in the darkness in my room

34.) the taste of candy outside in cold weather 

35.) tall city buildings 

36.) a blue, blue sky speckled with fluffy white clouds 

37.) used bookstores 

38.) old books

39.) books that take place long ago

40.) books that take place in cold seasons 

41.) love 

42.) cupcakes with Buttercream frosting 

43.) rainy days 

44.) the sound of heavy rain pelting upon rooftops 

45.) tea with friends 

46.) Coca Cola 

47.) Christmas 

48.) Christmas songs 

49.) Halloween 

50.) hearing a song I haven't heard in ages (like this one!) 😀

51.) receiving packages in the mail 

52.) caramel apples with nuts

53.) meditation class

54.) positive people 

55.) dogs! 

56.) Christmas pj's

57.) trampolines!  

58.) warm sunny days 

59.)  cold dreary gray days 

60.) getting new books

61.) inspiring quotes 

62.) belly laughs that hurt 

63.) feeling flooded with relief & gratitude 

64.) shadows & reflections 

65.) a black midnight sky full of twinkling stars

66.) septa busses and trolleys

67.) iced tea

68.) old baby pictures! My mom happened to find baby pictures of me today on my first Christmas in 1986!

She was looking for something else and came across these! Which is fantastic since Christmas is a few days away!

IMG_14171107_1

IMG_14171109_1

IMG_14171110_1

IMG_14171114

This is me on Christmas morning, 1986, in my night clothes before I got changed into my little red dress my aunt Mariann bought me. ❤

I was kind of cute wasn't I? lol I was really big for seven months and had to wear toddler clothes already and my mom thought I was going to start needing special extra large sized diapers ordered. I needed jumbo diapers. lol Then when I got older, I slimmed down.

😀

This is a bit more than a few and I can go on & on! It's so uplifting listing nothing but happy things! And so much easier and more pleasant than listing things I don't like!

What are a few of your favorite things?

😀

I hope you're having a wonderful day/night!

❤

Xoxo Kim  

Pro-act

IMG_14170171_1(1)

“You cannot prevent the birds of sadness from passing over your head, but you can prevent their making a nest in your hair.” ~ Chinese Proverb

I love this! We cannot always control what happens to us but we can choose how to react. Sadness and negativity will probably occur for most of us but we don’t have to let it conquer us.

What a great reminder! 😀

hugs & love,

xoxo Kim ❤

Beyond the Darkness

IMG_14170246_1(1)

“Beyond the darkness, the Light laughs.”

Isn’t this a beautiful quote?!

I love it because it’s full of hope and also playful. 

My picture above is one I took recently in Center City, Philadelphia. It’s perfect for this post because it’s so dark but with a few lights in the buildings off in the distance. Even small specks of light are strong.

Here is that hilarious and very popular video, “Charlie Bit My Finger!” It’s so cute and funny! My professor in college showed us it years ago. He is of the same country these little kids are but he moved here and teaches psychology classes. I love their accent! I remember laughing hysterically at this video and couldn’t stop even when everyone else stopped laughing! And it’s still just as funny today! Laughter can brighten any day and lighten a heavy heart. I hope this uplifts you if you’re in need or just gives you a good laugh and maybe you find the quote inspiring like I do!

Charlie Bit My Finger – mobile

Charlie Bit My Finger – desktop

Hugs & love today & always,

❤ 😀

xoxo Kim