Tag Archive | reminders

30 Days of Photos – Day 17 – {fake people}

Aug20

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Lol! Yep! Mannequins!

They’re the only fake people I know of! 

Monday, August 17th, day 17 of the 30 Days Photo Challenge, for me, is the day for getting pictures of mannequins!

I walked to the store “USA Blues” and got a few pics of the mannequins in the window. It was hard with the glare and reflections on the windows. I tried different angles and things and most showed up horribly. But I got a couple that are better than the rest!

It took some courage because it was kind of embarrassing taking pictures through a store window and taking pics of their mannequins. I was by myself so it was even more awkward. I was hoping no one would see me! Lol But I got up the courage! It pushed me out of my comfort zone and I am reminded that it’s a good thing to try to do things once in a while that are scary, awkward, embarrassing, uncomfortable, things we’re just not used to. 

Suck it up and go for it! 

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When you see it, you will shit bricks.

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A girl one with no head.

And here are a couple pictures I got the next day:

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Just heads.

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Mannequin bums! Sexy, right?

Ever heard of RealDolls (this is an adult website so if you are extremely young or just don’t like that sort of stuff, it’s probably in your best interest not to click it. There’s lots of dolls in the nude! Lol)? I learned about them in my human sexuality class in college many moons ago. They are dolls, the size of a real human and have all the sexual parts of a real one. And their mouth is human-like. They also look very real. They come in male and female and can move any way a person can but not by themselves. You would have to move it yourself. They are used for romantic and sexual purposes. Some people like to just cuddle with them while others like to do a whole lot more! Lol

The girl ones are very pretty!  

Some people think it’s freaky that people purchase these but whatever floats your boat! No judgment here! Lol 😀 

Fun fact: The phobia of mannequins and other inanimate objects intended to represent sentient beings is called,
Automatonophobia (how it’s pronounced? I couldn’t tell you…).

It’s theorized that mannequins give many people the creeps because, socially, we expect each other to act and be a certain way and when someone seems “different” or not what is considered to be normal, we may not understand it and we often fear what we don’t understand. And mannequins resemble people but do not act like people or how we expect persons to act
. So they frighten people or just provoke a bit of anxiety for some. Also, they may remind some people of a corpse, which can be scary.

They are kind of creepy but I’m not freaked out by them or anything. They’re just plastic and wax and whatever other kind of material. I always loved ventriloquist dummies when I was little and even had one! I used to creep people out with him! Lol 

There are museums of dummies and wax figures and things! I would love to go visit! I don’t know of any in Philadelphia.
If you are in Philadelphia and are afficted with automatonophobia, that’s probably a good thing, as those museums are probably your worst nightmare. :-O

I hope your day/night is going great!

😀

Much love to you! ❤

xoxo Kim

Summer Breeze <3

Apr14

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(today is April 13th, not 14th but WordPress insists on making it a day later when it’s late and I post something and it takes a lot of work on my phone to change it so I’m not today)

“I am here to serve. I am here to inspire. I am here to love. I am here to live my truth.” ~ Deepak Chopra
 
“Sweet days of summer
the jasmine’s in bloom
July is dressed up
and playing her tune
And I come home
from a hard day’s work
and you’re waiting there
not a care in the world” ~ Seals & Croft 

I woke up with this song on my mind today, I love the feel of it. Today is very warm, almost feeling like Summer! How pleasant! A soft, gentle feeling, Summer’s song is in the air.

What a light and lovely song with a simple message. Just lay back, appreciate and be mindful of the beauty all around, and let go of all our concerns for a while. Soak up the gentle air and sweet scents of the warm weather. It’s a soothing message, a sweet caress to the soul. 

Spring hours started back up at work so I’m going to be working a lot more. I work at a store and we sell candy & ice cream & water ice. We stay open all Winter but have much less hours. Each shift, only one of us works so it can get very hectic in Spring & Summer. We make ice cream sundaes, milkshakes, lemon splashes, pizza pretzels, banana splits…. 

Sometimes there’s like twenty people at the window. It’s window service so they don’t come inside. Then we have lots of cleaning and stocking to do, which is one of the more stressful things because it can take a while after we close and only one of us is working.  And on top of that people try to come after we already are closed and keep wanting stuff. The other girls have no problem turning people away but I feel so sorry saying no we’re closed. I want them to have what they want but it doesn’t stop at just one or two late night stragglers, more people see them being served then they come and expect things as well. Some nights I stayed open over a half hour after closing. But it has to end somewhere so last year I mustered up the strength to start saying no. Sometimes I still give in but mostly I am good with saying no.

I feel sorry for them and I can see the disappointment but we have a closing hour and also my dad and sister come to pick me up after work and expect me to be done when I’m supposed to and often had to wait very long which my dad can’t stand. 

Sometimes we have to draw the line and say no even when it hurts. 

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It definitely gets to be distressing at some points but I absolutely LOVE this job. I worked here for nearly a decade and always plan on having another, more “real” or “professional” job like in an office, or hospital, or as a legal assistant…but I always said I would still love to work as a server in a store/restaurant for one or two days a week because nothing can take the place of the feeling of serving people, encountering many different kinds of people, most of them happy to be here, seeing the joy in their eyes when I place the sundaes on the counter, hearing their various stories. I love the happy families who come with little kids. 

Having a cashier/server job brings a kind of joy that no other job can. Other jobs can certainly be just as joyful but this is a certain kind that has to do with seeing so many different kinds of people in a happy setting. It’s very rewarding. Not always happy, not everyone is friendly, some are definitely rude and some are kind of creepy, trying to hook up with me by saying weird sexual things (sometimes I have to call/go to the bar across the street and get some big strong men to come over and help me out, lol ;-D) . But even they deserve compassion and those situations teach me about remaining positive and compassionate in unpleasant situations. 

I never viewed this as a life draining or “dead-end” job like some people feel about sever/cashier jobs. It’s true it’s not for everyone and it’s not the most important job someone can have but it’s important to each customer in the moment that person is there. It’s important to be attentive to the person’s desires. I learned so much in my years here. I learned about multitasking, being attentive to the needs of others, patience, keeping calm and staying pleasant even in the face of difficult people and working under pressure, remaining calm in crisis situations like something breaking (cash register, freezers…) when theres lines of people into the streets, and so much more. What great life lessons! And those lessons can be applied to life in general. 

It kind of feels like I’m writing a cover letter or resume here. Lol ;-D

I always wanted a job helping others. I had a specific idea of what “helping” means. What I had in mind is a counseling or psychiatric technician job, talking to people, helping them in a clinic or hospital setting. I still would love to have that sort of job! But I’m more open-minded now and I realize that all jobs are helping someone in different ways. Even something as simple as filing papers all day, alone, is helping. We need people who file papers in offices and other places. But I always wanted a job working closely with people and I still do.

But no matter what job we have, no matter how seemingly trivial, there are opportunities throughout each day to help someone, even in the most simplest encounters. Just a friendly smile or uplifting tone of voice, expressing true concern for their needs…

And even if we have no job, each moment there’s an opportunity to help someone, somewhere.

I am reminded of this quote:

“Your job is not to judge. Your job is not to figure out if someone deserves something. Your job is to lift the fallen, to restore the broken, and to heal the hurting.” ~
Joel Osteen

I don’t like telling people what their job is or whatever and it’s not my place to but I love the beautiful sentiment of this quote. This is exactly how I want to live. But I don’t want to tell people they “should” live this way. It’s up to us to choose for our own selves. Encouraging people is good, telling them how to live is not. 

And on another note…

I have much Spring cleaning to do for my room! I’m the biggest slob! I have books, clothes, even empty soda cans tossed all over in like every corner of the room, on my dresser, my chair, everywhere. Lol My sister says my room is disgusting like a seventeen year old boy’s room. Lol it’s true I do tend to leave food, like pizza, on my dresser now and then. And am very disorganized. 

So that’s my goal for now, it’s not going to be fun! Lol But necessary.

I bought pretty candles at CVS not only on sale but I had a coupon to get even more money off and for two candles it only cost like three dollars! It would have been like twenty something for two. Of course they are tropical scented! My favorite! So after I get my disgusting bedroom in order, I will set them out on my dresser to look and smell pretty! I plan on getting the coral scented one soon! 

My other goal is to go to sleep earlier and wake up earlier and go out to take pictures all over the city! I take lots and lots of pics each day but often it’s when I’m already going out somewhere. I want to make it a point to go for walks and take pics. I love walking and walk everywhere I can. And I take pictures almost as much as I breathe. 

Ok, not really but I think it gets the point across. Pictures are my passion. And I’m learning so much about composition and taking beautiful pictures with an iPhone. I think I’m the only one left on Earth with a blackberry phone and the only one on Earth without an iPhone so I don’t really see any blackberry photo tips. So I read stuff about Iphones a lot and some can apply to my phone.
Many of us are under the impression that we need a big expensive camera and equipment to take gorgeous pictures! And I do hope to get a camera like that one day!

But smartphones can take amazing pics! It’s all about creativity, learning skills, concepts, and determination more than the kind of camera. Someone can take an amazing smartphone pic while someone else can take a very shitty or uninteresting picture with a big extravagant camera. It’s more about skills than the device.

Not only am I a slob, I’m a bum who sleeps too much, too late into the afternoon. It’s very unattractive but I’m planning to fix that. And getting up early to go out and take pics is my motivation! 

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So I love how this song somehow made its way into my head today even though I can’t even remember when I last heard it! And it reminded me of all these thoughts and lessons! So inspiring. 

I hope you’re having a lovely day and cherishing the weather, whatever it may be, wherever you are! Remember there’s something beautiful in every season! 

I’m at work now and when I’m not serving people I’m trying to write this. I can’t really take the time to edit it much so if it’s full of spelling, grammar, punctuation mistakes, that’s why! Lol 

I’m wishing you much love, joy, and happiness today and always!  

Check out “Summer Breeze” here!:

Mobile:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KdWobrZUyMA

Desktop:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&persist_app=1&v=KdWobrZUyMA

Xoxo Kim

Sometimes we can all use a reminder <3

Feb1

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I’m reading a novel called “When Crickets Cry,” and it’s beautiful, I read over half. It’s quite the page turner. 

It’s another one of those books I got just because I like the title/cover. I think I mentioned here before that I do in fact judge books by their covers. 😀 It’s ok though, it’s usually a positive judgment!

;-D

And here, I actually love the content as well!

I’m going to write about it later after I read the entire thing. I have so much highlighted throughout the book that I find beautiful and inspirational and there’s one thing I want to share today.

This is an excerpt or brief conversation out of the book.

It’s not a big spoiler in case you’re intending to read the book; it doesn’t give anything away to ruin the ending (not that I read the end but I’m assuming it’s no big shocker, however the concept does hone in on one of the main themes of the book) or anything. But if you would prefer not to know anything at all until reading it you know to stop reading here. This wisdom applies to all of us whether or not we read this book. 

A retired heart/transplant surgeon is talking to another character, the other character is the narrator of the book so he’s telling this of his conversation with the retired surgeon:

Surgeon:

“‘I knew a farmer once,’ he started, staring out over the fence. ‘Think his name was James. Had an orange tree, a lot like that one. It hadn’t bloomed in several years and wasn’t looking too good. Still had green on it, but not much. One morning I caught him standing next to it, sizing it up and murmuring to himself. In one hand he held a hammer, and in the other he held three twelve-inch spikes. When I asked him what he was doing, he told me to stand back, and then he drove one of the spikes into the trunk, about knee height. That nail split the thin skin on that tree, and the farther in he drove it, the more white ooze seeped out around the head of the nail. He drove a second at waist level and a third about here.’ He raised his hand level with his collarbone.” 

The second character asks:

“‘Why?’ I asked.”

Retired surgeon:

“That’s exactly what I asked him. You know what he said? “

Second character :

“I took the bait. ‘What?'”

Retired surgeon :

“‘He said,’ ‘Sometimes trees forget they were meant to blossom and just need to be reminded.'” 

Second character :

“I look at the three spikes and asked ‘Why not ten spikes?’ He shook his head and eyed the tree. ‘Nope, three is a good enough dose. Don’t want to kill it, just remind it.'”

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I think this is perfect. Sometimes we do need reminders that we are meant to bloom, meant to be fantastic, to be amazing. And it’s good to gently remind others as well as ourselves. 

Have you ever given up on who or what you are for any reason? Maybe you kept trying and not succeeding how you intended. Maybe you were criticized by others in some way, rejected, hurt, broken, exhausted….so you just quit.

Maybe quit something specifically or just quit participating fully, in this life, just walking around feeling stagnant, bland, blah, depressed, maybe succumbing to your bed or walking around like a zombie, not taking advantage of the gift of life we have all been blessed with.

It’s ok, you just need a gentle, sweet, reminder now and again to get back up and embrace you for you.

Since I’m prone to depression, I need reminders, sometimes frequently. Reminders to get back up and blossom into the me I know I am underneath the despair and pain.

I also appreciate the message of gentleness here. 

“Nope, three is a good enough dose. Don’t want to kill it, just remind it.”

We don’t want to be preachy or offensive, giving unsolicited or uncalled for, unwelcome advice, or use a condescending tone. There are appropriate occasions and appropriate ways to provide someone with truly uplifting, comforting, and inspiring reminders. 

It’s almost never good to say “get over it,” “pull yourself out of it,” or “it’s not that bad,” even if we’re intending this in a positive way, when to that person it really feels like the end of the world.  

It’s good to be firm but warm in some cases. 

We can use our intuition or knowledge to detect what stage of the problem someone is in. For example, if someone just experiences a breakup of a relationship or loses a person or pet to death, it’s probably not at all helpful to be saying potentially inspiring, motivational,  or uplifting things like “you’ll move on, find someone better, heal quickly, be happy again, recover….” those things are appropriate in some cases, at some stages but it’s too soon when it just occurs. No one really wants to hear it when two seconds ago, the person’s heart was ripped out and trampled on or when the person is currently in the throes of the deepest, blackest depression. 

At first it’s good just to attempt to provide a sense of comfort, listening, a hug, just being present, helping the person with everyday tasks to make things easier…

Also, sharing quotes, songs, and books on social media just to people in general is a great idea, then people can find it that way and can embrace it or leave it without it being in their faces or condescending. If it resonates with them, they can pursue it more, if not, they can click it off.  

Please, don’t give up, find your little specks of “green” that you still posses like the tree in the little story above. So much wisdom. Then nourish those bits of green in you until they blossom into beautiful vibrant leaves like the dawn of Spring. Keep going, baby, you got this!

😀 

Xoxo Kim ❤

Something tangible {& inspiring}

Jan19

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      I love little reminders and symbols that represent positive things. No matter how happy & inspired we are in general, there will be days and moments where we are uninspired, ungrateful, angry, stressed, and forget to stop and appreciate the beauty and wonder of the world. I find that little tangible things such as jewelry, totem stones, or pins can give us little doses of inspiration and remind us to stay positive, be happy, and/or that things can be ok and get better.

      I have three bracelets, a ring, and a necklace that all inspire me. The ring says “Love Life” on the outside and “Be Brave” on the inside, the one bracelet says “Love Life” on one side and “Be Brave” on the other, and the other bracelet says “Celebrate Life” and the other says “Strength”. The necklace is a cornucopia heart necklace that reminds me to give thanks for everything, everyday and love what I have and what I am.

      I also used to have a cornucopia pin and two totem stones, one saying “Strength” & one saying “Gratitude.”

 

      JCPenny, Target, and WalMart all sell inspirational jewelry that is not very expensive. I bought some there before for no more than twenty dollars each. They have sterling silver and silver plated rings, necklaces, and bracelets that say or symbolize strength, kindness, courage, determination, love, and so much more.

 

      Also you can read about and order a “Positive Pin” here: http://www.positivepin.com/

 

      I haven’t purchased one yet but I love the idea and will get one soon. Whenever you see the pin it will remind you to be positive.

 

      Here is some jewelry at http://www.walmart.com. I have the sterling silver “Celebrate Life” bracelet for $15.00.

 

http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?search_query=hallmark+charms

 

      You don’t even need jewelry or anything that you have to buy. You can make something on your own or use index cards and markers or colored pencils. I have a plastic container that holds index cards. I love to write inspirational words, messages, quotes, and song lyrics on the cards. Or you can buy a box of plain special occasion cards with pictures on the front but plain inside so you can color or write what you want.

 

      I don’t generally promote extreme materialism and do not believe we need material objects to be happy or inspired or to feel valuable or worthy. But I do love the idea of having one or a few tangible reminders and inspirational little gems to uplift us.

<3. If you like this idea, I hope you find your perfect little inspirational gem to carry around, wear, or keep with you. Or if you already have something like this, I would love to read about it!

😀 🙂

 

And always remember, “You can be greater than anything that can happen to you”!!!  

-Norman Vincent Peale 

 

X0xo Kim ❤