Tag Archive | universal love

30 Days of Photos – Day 3 {Rule of Thirds}

I wrote this on August 3rd but couldn’t post til now(August 4th).

Rule of thirds

I’m not sure if my picture today (Aug. 3) follows the rule of thirds accurately but I like it!

I haven’t quite grasped the rule yet.
But at least my subject isn’t directly in the center of the picture, which is the point for Day 3. And my attempt is all that matters anyway!
(I think this picture may also submit to the rule of negative space?)

This is my Buddha green aventurine bracelet.

It’s supposed to attract positive energy, optimism, amazing opportunities, increase confidence, help us connect more deeply with nature, help with depression, anxiety, be calming, good luck…and all kinds of other stuff.
Aventurine is considered by some to be the luckiest stone!

My sister and me both have one. She loves stones and what they represent.

Unlike my sister, I don’t believe that stones, real or fake, can really bring good luck and things but they can be symbolic and a great reminder! Also, this has a little Buddha head on it! Isn’t he cute?!

His expression is so calm like he hasn’t a care in the world and I feel so calm and peaceful just looking at his face on my bracelet. True calmness is within and not about our environment. We can be in the most hectic, distressing, painful environment but still stay peaceful and joyful. We may or may not naturally be calm & peaceful but whether or not we are, with practice we can develop and deepen and maintain a generally calm mind.

All Buddha figures represent calmness & love but not all of them are crafted as well and look this good. Some Buddha statues and charms just creep me out. It’s a kind of heavy bracelet too, of great quality. I love it!

Along with sharing my picture, I will share some of his sentiments. Buddha’s teachings can benefit everyone in some way, even just a few of his ideas put into practice can be life changing.

Last night I had a Buddhist dream.

Did you ever have one of those experiences where you are dreaming and something happens in real life while you’re dreaming and the thing that happens gets incorporated into your dream? Like a dog barking for real then in your dream a dog appears and is barking in your dream but it’s the real one you hear and you awaken to the real dog barking.

I had an experience like this in the morning.
Only it wasn’t barking that was incorporated into my slumbering dream.
I was in class during a Buddhist ceremony and we were doing some ritual. The monk who teaches our class was, in my dream, performing a ritual and all of a sudden something wet and messy dropped on my head during class. I was drenched in liquid and chunks and slop and heard a retching noise and woke up! Unfortunately it wasn’t just a dream! My big pitbull was in my bed hanging over me throwing up! All over me! My head, my arm, my side… Lol She’s not sick; she just has a weak stomach, she always did.
What a way to wake up!

This is my pitbull, my fuzzy sausage girl, my furry soulmate, Isis Summerjo. How can anyone resist the cuteness?!

I had no idea what I was going to get a picture of today. I went out and forgot my phone then I had to go to work and at work I was thinking of what to get a pic of then I thought oh of course, my Buddha bracelet!”

Then I remembered my Buddhist dream and that unfortunate experience! Lol

So here are some of Buddha’s views.

Do not wish for gratitude.

Help other living beings just to help, not to receive gratitude in return. Someone may be greatly helped or uplifted or inspired by what we do and that’s enough even if the person isn’t thankful to us. We don’t need people to gush over us for helping them or complimenting them and we don’t need credit or something tangible in return. Love to love, not just to be loved in return.

Do not be boastful – sometimes we will be really good at something that others suck at, we will do something great, we will have what someone else doesn’t, we will accomplish something good, we will learn and come to know things that are important that other people won’t seem to grasp, we will be wiser than some people. But let’s remain humble anyway and use our gifts and fortunes to benefit others. It’s ok to be confident in our abilities and gifts and be thankful but not good to act arrogantly with others or be proud at their expense.

Rejoice in the fortunes and success of others –

Let’s not be jealous. Let’s be happy for others when something good happens to them. Remember how it feels to have something good happen to us then know that’s how they feel and take pleasure in it. It gets us nowhere to feel jealous and unhappy because someone else succeeds, it just feels unpleasant and can lead us to act in unpleasant ways to those around us. It generates negative energy. And remember there’s enough goodness for all of us. When one person wins, we all win. We can even let their happiness and success motivate us and inspire us to take action to better our selves.

Do not retaliate – when someone does something to hurt us, whether physically or emotionally, or to hurt someone we know, we may feel like seeking revenge, lashing out, holding a grudge…this isn’t good for anyone. It’s detrimental to harbor anger and loathing for someone and it doesn’t usually make the situation better and it often worsens it.
Act on compassion instead of anger, reach out to help and console the one hurt, not act on fury against the one who hurt the person/other sentient being. And if we are the one hurt, we can reach out to others in a similar situation or just be sure to never do to others what someone did to us. We know how it feels to be hurt, let’s try to avoid doing that to others when we can.

Use every occasion with a person who angers us, as an opportunity to practice patience and cultivating an attitude of compassion, instead of acting on anger. We don’t have to repress the anger, just take a few breaths, consciously, and imagine how acting angry just worsens things, often. It’s good for us and everyone around us to stay calm and loving no matter what. It doesn’t mean not speaking up, just not acting negatively.

Don’t be consumed in guilt – guilt, when it’s excessive or delusional, does no good. Even if we really are guilty, we can be sorry, vow to try to never hurt someone or do something like it again, then move forward. Nearly everyone makes mistakes, acts unkindly, messes up, is wrong sometimes and there’s always hope, just keep going and help others along the way.

Cherish others above the self.

Pay close attention to your mind and thoughts, attempt to have positive, loving thoughts.
When you catch unpleasant thoughts, redirect your mind.

Offer the victory to others and accept defeat upon our self. Let others be right even if they aren’t. It’s ok to speak up. But it’s more important to be loving & kind than to be right.

Advice from Atisha’s Heart

“Profit and respect are nooses of the maras, so brush them aside like stones on the path.” ~ Atisha

Let’s not be concerned with gaining material/monetary wealth or the respect of others. Do what you know is right deep inside.

“Avoid places that disturb your mind, and always remain where your virtues increase.”

When we can, let’s avoid places that drain the life out of us, tempt us to do negative things, and are just not good for us. And visit places that nourish our goodness. But remember it’s mostly not about our physical environment but our attitude and perspective that lead to happiness or pain.

“Avoid friends who cause you to increase delusions, and rely upon those who increase your virtue. This you should take to heart.”

Same with people. We can love them, wish them the best, and go our separate ways.

“Do not be jealous of others’ good qualities, but out of admiration adopt them yourself.”

“Do not look for faults in others, but look for faults in yourself, and purge them like bad blood.”

“Do not contemplate your own good qualities, but contemplate the good qualities of others, and respect everyone as a servant would.”

“Always keep a smiling face and a loving mind, and speak truthfully without malice.”

“Generate compassion for lowly beings, and especially avoid despising or humiliating them.”

“Have no hatred for enemies and no attachment for friends.”

Loving our friends is good, being attached is not. Let them go if they leave and not depend on them for our general happiness. Love them unconditionally. But keep in mind that the relationship as it now is will one day come to an end either through death or a breakup or drifting apart. Most things do not and cannot last forever. Acknowledging this and accepting it while cherishing those we currently have will help it be easier to cope with loss.

See, these things can apply to everyone, not just Buddhist people.

We may not always live up to these things but it’s good to try and each moment we display these qualities is amazing! Whenever we fall, we can just get back up and keep going, lifting others every step of the way.

❤

Much love to you!

❤

Xoxo Kim 😀

This entry was posted on August 5, 2015, in appreciative living, blessings, intentional living, mindfulness and tagged beauty, blog challenge, higher love, inspiration, life, love, photo, photo challenge, Photography, universal love, wisdom. Leave a comment

A Varied Source

Jul12

“For sentient beings, poor and destitute, May I become a treasure ever plentiful, And lie before them closely in their reach, A varied source of all that they might need.” ~ Shantideva

This is an amazing concept. To be “a varied source” of all that someone, anyone may need. Be a source of happiness and riches, not just material, monetary riches but rich in love and joy, generous and comforting to anyone in need. Be a source of inspiration, a source of light, be a friend and a protector, give a helping hand, a warm hug.

There’s a blog called “Waking up with Ryan” by a man who loves to help and inspire people! Just my kind of man!

http://www.wakingupwithryan.com/

(and he’s cute too! Go check him out! ;-D)

Ryan’s everyday morning e-mails, which are about positivity, love, and inspiration, resonate with me so often. His messages each day can apply to people in general. And so often when I’m thinking about a certain topic or concept or something, his e-mail seems to be about that very issue!

He asks:

“How do you show up for the people all around you?”

This is a fantastic question, one that is of great importance and is good to ask ourselves each day.

The possibilities are infinite. There’s so much we can do for others whether or not the people realize we are doing anything to help them. Simple things they may not realize we did but would notice if it wasn’t done. Like doing extra work so our coworker doesn’t have to. Moving stuff out of the way if we see it in a street or the middle of a pavement where someone can trip over it or cars can crash. Feeding pigeons on a pavement. Sharing our snacks with a squirrel. Showing love to a homeless person. Even if it’s just eye contact or a sweet smile to show that person’s existence is something, is important, is valued. Saving insects when we can instead of crushing them. We too often overlook certain kinds of people and other sentient beings. Texting our mom just to say hello. Buying our friend coffee or tea. Putting things on hold to help someone else. Creating a blog/e-mail subscription system to send out inspiring messages to millions of people or just one who may see it, write positive messages to people on social media whether we know them or not, compliment a stranger, share an uplifting quote or song, let someone else have the last available seat on a bus or in a waiting room, or the last product in a store even if we need it, warmly reach out to an acquaintance who seems to be struggling even if just to say hello, when we feel like being judgmental instead of acting on that, seek to understand…

Ryan writes(in his June 23rd subscription e-mail):

“It’s too easy to lose ourselves in the day’s activities. We forget to consider the impact we have on each other.

Let’s slow down today and consider that every single interaction is an opportunity to add a little more hope to someone’s life.”

Isn’t this beautiful?

This is so profound. Think about it. Imagine if our every interaction each day, every mundane encounter, every random encounter, every planned encounter, at home, at work, out and about, driving, on a bus or train or plane, with other sentient beings is grasped as an opportunity to bring hope, love, light, and inspiration to that living being.

Imagine if we all make the choice every single day throughout the day to lavish love onto each other and the world in every way we can. The world would change dramatically. And even if just one of us does this and the rest of the world doesn’t, the world around us will be better for those we touch. Not everyone will be interested in receiving our love and the love we send out to the world won’t always be returned to us but that’s ok! It’s not about what we get but what we give.

Truly listen when someone wants to talk, listen to understand, not merely to respond in a mechanical, automatic way just to converse or satisfy social expectations, hold our tongue when we feel like lashing out in anger, encourage when someone needs inspiration, hug the hurt, comfort the sick, befriend the lonely, smile at those who are frowning, love the lost, guide them with your love and light, show compassion to those who seem to be lacking it, help the broken heal, be a varied source of all someone may need.

We won’t always be able to be what everyone wants and needs and that’s ok. Maybe someone needs money you just don’t have to give, maybe someone wants to hear words you can’t bring yourself to say, needs your time when you really have somewhere else to be and can’t give it right then…

We can’t always be everything to everyone. But as long as our intentions are good, our heart is pure, our energy is loving….it’s all that matters. What we have to give, we can give. Let it be enough for now. And it’s a beautiful way to live.

This quote attributed to Shantideva, inspires me so deeply. To be the best me I can be for whoever needs me. I won’t always succeed but I can do my best in general.

I hope you have a varied source of all that you need but more importantly, I hope you will be that varied source to others in need. ❤

I hope you are having a beautiful night or day wherever in the world you are. I’m sending my loving energy to you and wishing you the best. ❤ ❤ ❤ 😀

Ordinary Angels – mobile link to song

Ordinary Angels – desktop link

Xoxo Kim ❤

This entry was posted on July 12, 2015, in intentional living, mindfulness, universal love and tagged beauty, habits, inspiration, life, love, mindfulness, universal love, wisdom. 4 Comments

Inner Strength <3

Jun21

“You can be greater than anything that can happen to you.” ~ Norman Vincent Peale

So, I had a cluster-like headache at work last night. It’s the second one I ever had at work.
It was devastating.
The last one I had at work was in October, eight months ago. Luckily back then it was a cool, dark, dreary night and was slow so no one had to witness it. But now it’s Spring/Summer and very busy so when I was struck with it, there were customers at the window. I never want to freak anyone out and I learned to control my reactions to these headaches a little bit better in general, not always though. Sometimes I still scream til I lose my voice.
It’s rare to have a headache during work hours; they usually occur around 2:00 in the morning til 5:00am.
I had to keep hitting my face and clutching my head and trying not to scream.

It takes everything I have in me not to bang my head against the walls. There have been nights I cracked my head for hours over n over against a wall. All night long.
And kept feeling what felt like my brain shaking because of the force.
But I was near insanity.
It’s an incredible sense of loneliness.

When I talk about my headaches, I often explain what they are like because they aren’t “headaches.” They are cruel, vicious attacks.
I have tmjd, not cluster headache (CH) disorder, that I know of, but my condition triggers cluster-like headaches.
It feels like a hot poker being driven through the eye socket and being held there for minutes to hours and can be off and on for hours, days, weeks or months or unfortunately for some, every single day with no remission. There’s no known cure. On top of the severe burning agony like scalding hot water being poured over the side of the face, is the worst throbbing tooth pain and ear pain and pressure.
Like all our nerves exposed and being squeezed
It involves the trigeminal nerve, I heard/read.
They are also called suicide headaches & ice pick headaches(like the head being split with an ice pick). It’s that bad.
There’s no pain that I know of that can be used as a reference point to compare the magnitude of this pain to. Being burned and brain freeze are the closest things.

They can make the eye droop and water and the nose run on whatever side of the face the pain is on. Sometimes my face swells up on the side and turns red or even a purple/bruised color. It feels like and sometimes looks like my face is melting. It’s not pretty. Pain pills do nothing. Not prescription ones, not ones bought in a store. The headaches only occur on one side of the face. It can be either side.
Mine was on the right at work.

I thought I was dying, the pain was so bad.
I don’t know if physical pain can literally drive someone insane but I keep thinking it will.
I wanted to run out of work and run to the bar across the street screaming but I knew my boss likely wouldn’t have anyone to come in work for me and did not want to leave her or the customers hanging.
No matter how much I suffer, I have come to generally be mindful of how my actions may affect others and try to always do what is best for them. I don’t always succeed but generally, I try.

It itself is not a life threatening condition and not like I was in danger of dying or anything.
But some people do attempt and die by suicide because the pain is so immense. It feels unbearable. I don’t really think I will kill myself anymore when I have them. I used to though. During the headaches, I often keep thinking “I can’t take this, I can’t take another second, how much more can I possibly endure….?!?!?”

Take something freezing cold like ice cream or frozen drink and let it against your teeth without swallowing or put mouth wash in your mouth and keep it in over ten minutes no matter how much it burns and when you feel you really can’t take anymore still keep it there, and you can get maybe a fraction of an idea of what these headaches are like. The headaches hurt more.

My cluster-like headaches aren’t
very frequent in general. I can go for months without having one. But just one headache is enough. The first one I was struck with when I was 24 years old, scarred me for life.
Just one of these head attacks, even if you never have another, will scar you emotionally, no matter how strong you are, I can almost guarantee it.
It will break you in a way you can never be put back together. The physical pain is extreme. There are just no words.
If I found out someone was going to have one of these and I were able to experience it instead of that person, I would take on as many as I can so no one else ever has to. My heart sinks and breaks at the mere thought of some poor person having to endure this.

That’s why some people with them kill themselves even when they aren’t depressed, because the physical pain is immense in the moments they occur. It’s like nothing else in this world exists anymore.
Just a world of screaming agony.
It’s like being in another dimension, I often say, a kind of pain that feels unearthly and like it can’t possibly exist. But it does exist.

I have said that I couldn’t dream up this kind of agony in my worst nightmare.

I can crumble just writing this.
They shatter me.

But it’s ok. It’s always ok. It’s all about our attitude, perspective, reaction.

They begin abruptly and often unexpectedly and end just as abruptly. No warning.
One day I was out food shopping with my mom and nothing was wrong with me that day. I wasn’t in pain at all. I reached my hand up to pull the handle on a freezer door and in an instant my face and head was struck hard with the agony. It’s pure, raw horror. Hell on Earth.

When the headache at work struck me, I tried so hard not to scream and wail in agony .

I decided to muster all the strength I have in me, all the courage and love.
I decided to be mindful of every sensation around me and on me. I held a wet rag in my hands and focused on the sensations against my skin. I focused on the lights in the room and the colors surrounding me. I summoned the love I have for life itself, living beings, and various things…until the headache ceased. It lasted less than a half hour. It was excruciating.
I kept thinking how can I take this experience and use it to help someone somehow when it’s over. And it helped me bear it better knowing that later I would use it to our advantage.

I still felt a kind of gentle calm in the center of me. And I embraced it with all I have in me.

It inspires me to write. My headache inspires me instead of destroy me like they often seem to do.
All I kept thinking is how many others are suffering or in some kind of pain and how I can share my experience here, to help in some way even if it’s just a fraction.

“I choose to FIGHT BACK! I choose to RISE, not fall! I choose to LIVE, not die! And I know, I know that what’s within me is also WITHIN YOU.” (Mayor Pappas, “City Hall” movie quote)

I can turn my pain into inspiration and motivation and comfort for someone else.
And so can you.

“Displace the pain
Put it in
A camera
A story
A poem
A song
A lover
A canvas”

Whatever you do, displace the pain. Put it into something positive, creative, loving.
And pull others into your light. Use your pain for the better, turn it into beauty and light and love and other people can draw on your strength.

Much love to you. ❤

😀

Xoxo Kim

This entry was posted on June 21, 2015, in Uncategorized and tagged empathy, inspiration, love, mindfulness, motivation, pain, strength, universal love, wisdom. Leave a comment

Insidious Chapter 3 {Love & Hope} <3

Jun8

“I choose to FIGHT BACK! I choose to RISE, not fall! I choose to LIVE, not die! And I know, I know that what’s within me is also WITHIN YOU.” (Mayor Pappas, “City Hall” movie quote)

Last night I saw the movie Insidious chapter 3. I love the Insidious movies! They are seriously the creepiest movies I ever saw! And I’m not a believer in ghosts but hell if they don’t creep me out!

I absolutely love Insidious Chapter 3. It’s creepy, it’s dark, it’s distressing and thrilling. But that’s not why I love it so.

There are a few lessons to be learned, for some people. I don’t know if the writer/s intended to convey these subtle messages or I’m just really reading into the movie and seeing messages that are accidental.

Please don’t read here any further if you intend to watch the movie and haven’t seen it yet, because there will definitely be spoilers here!

Click it off and come back later to read this, please! I’m not trying to ruin any surprises!

Spoiler alert
.
.
.
.
.

So here goes :

First a brief overview of the movie, just the gist of it.

There is more than just our world of the living. There are spiritual worlds full of dead people who once lived, and spirits who aren’t all good. Some are good but some are vicious and want to kill the living people. Certain living people can enter the spirit worlds and it’s possible that they can get trapped there or that spirits can follow them back into our world and haunt them.

Some spirits are good and want to hurt no one.

Some of the spirits want life so they try to abduct the living people and inhabit their bodies. So they can live again on Earth.

Some spirits do not want light and life, they want to remain in their dark hell but take innocent people back with them.

These are the worst of the worst.

The young girl in the movie is a victim of something like this. Her mom recently died of cancer and the girl tries to contact her mom but she summons some other spirit accidentally. An evil one. A dead man wants her soul and manages to steal half of it and tries to steal the other half and trap her in his world of hell.
He doesn’t want life like some dead people do. He wants to remain in his hellish world but trap the girl with him. A psychic lady tries to help her.

This psychic lady’s husband died by suicide a year earlier and she’s real messed up over it and doesn’t want anyone else to suffer or die or lose anyone.

The lady has the gift of contacting dead people but one day she entered the dark spirit world and a woman followed her back threatening to kill her if she ever tries contacting the dead again and this scares the psychic lady and she gives up using her gift to help others.

Then she talks to an old friend who inspires her and encourages her to keep doing what she does even with the fear and threats hanging over her. He reminds her that what she does helps other people and she is strong enough to keep going even with the pain and fear. There’s always someone to help, someone who needs her. And it’s worth the risks and the fear and pain.

He reminds her of her strength and that she has a big advantage over the spirits.

She has life.

And she is strong enough to stay alive and give all she has to the world.

She can choose to rise and not fall, to live and not die.

She can choose to conquer the darkness and demons.

So the lady is inspired.

She keeps going.

Also, the man reminds her that she is much more than just one thing, more than just her gift. If she stops using her gift, she is still her, still someone.

The psychic lady leaves her own body to enter the dark spirit world and find the other half of the young girl’s soul and bring it back to her body. The dead man is desperately trying to steal the other half. The young girl’s body will die if he gets the other half and her soul will suffer indefinitely if he gets it.

The girl appears to be unconscious while her dad, the psychic lady, and two men are surrounding her desperately attempting to keep her alive. They are pleading with her to pull back, to not give in to the dark, to stay alive.

The psychic lady’s body is there but her astral body or soul is in the dark spirit world to retrieve the other half of the soul. It’s dangerous for the psychic lady because she can be killed doing this.

They tell the young girl that she doesn’t belong there in that dark spirit world, she belongs on Earth. She belongs in her body. She’s not ready to die. They want her to be strong and choose life. To not give into the dark force pulling on her. To give into the life force pulling her back.

While the psychic lady is in that dark world, she sees her husband there and she is overjoyed. But he tells her he needs her there with him and wants her to die and join him so they can be together again.

This is how she realizes it’s not really her husband because her husband isn’t selfish enough to want her to end her own life just to join him. She’s broken and devastated over her husband’s death but she knows she doesn’t want to die and belongs here on Earth. She chooses life and attacks the evil spirit pretending to be her husband.

I find these scenes to be so comforting and inspiring because they are so life affirming. They show us that we are supposed to live, to not give up even when it’s hard. Life here on Earth is a gift and we belong right here even if we feel a pull to give up and die. Even when it seems we lose all hope, that it’s easier to give in and give up, we must keep going. I felt this movie so deeply, I felt that it speaks to me as I was in that dark theatre watching with my family. It is an entertaining movie but I feel so much more.

I struggle with depression and suicidal thoughts and urges. Not as much as I used to but I still struggle hard. Even when I’m not having a full blown episode, I can still experience symptoms. Some days I’m very happy and filled with genuine joy then out of nowhere I can be struck with depression and suicidal urges that end as quickly as they begin. I can be depressed and suicidal for just a few minutes or hours and those minutes and hours can feel like eternity when they are occurring.
I can be happy and not depressed for months then five minutes of depression can make it feel like my whole life is nothing, worthless, despair and I can come close to ending it all. Then that fast the depression can end.

The week and month long episodes aren’t as frequent anymore and the general depression in the middle of each severe episode isn’t with me anymore.
But I still have the depressive condition.
I don’t know why I have this.
I think it’s just fucked up brain chemistry. It can be triggered by environmental factors or certain thoughts but not always.
Sometimes the more I try to understand why, it just seems the more suicidal I become.

Sometimes I really think I’m going to give in and end my life when it all feels so hopeless.
I can feel the darkness pulling at me and if I pay close attention, I can also often feel the light and life pulling back. The choice is mine.

Sometimes my suicidal contemplation is so frequent, so routine, it’s just as much a part of my everyday as deciding what to wear, what to drink, where to go, what to read, brushing my teeth, getting a shower….But it always ends again. I’m constantly finding little gems of hope and inspiration to keep me going and share with others. I know there’s people just like me and I don’t want them to give into the horrible suicidal urges.

There’s always something to live for, someone to help, to inspire, to love whether the person is a stranger or family or friend, an animal, an insect…let’s summon all our love and keep going, lavish all that love onto the whole world. Even when it’s scary. Even when it hurts. Even when we have to take risks.

We have life. Life is hope.

Let’s love whoever is around to be loved and let our light permeate the world around us.

Let’s not give into the darkness. Always reach for the light. We belong here, in the light and life of the Earth. Let’s put as much loving energy we can out into the uni-verse.

Sometimes when I’m watching ghost movies, such as this one and the movie “Pulse,” I wonder if they are really about depression and not just all about ghosts and stuff.

I am all that I am because of my struggle with depression and my quest for healing and my endless journey each day. It inspires me. I am much better than I used to be. It may never be cured but I’m not depressed constantly anymore. I’m often very happy now.

I can see the blessing that my experience with depression is. If we look closely, feel closely, listen closely, we can see little gifts throughout the darkness. Little glimmers of light.

I want to be the best me I can be not for myself but for every living thing I encounter.

Whether or not you have depression, I think you can benefit by this message to keep going when you feel like giving up. Whatever you want to give up on because of fear or pain, just keep going. It may be your life, your job, a certain activity, anything….if it’s your true passion don’t give up on it just because of fear or pain. Keep going and help and inspire anyone you can along the way.

“Keep loving….gotta keep the light on through dark & despair..” ~ Nimo Patel

❤

I hope you are having a beautiful day or night!

Much love to you always.

Xoxo Kim

This entry was posted on June 8, 2015, in universal love and tagged choices, depression, despair, happiness, hope, insight, inspiration, life, love, message, movie, strength, universal love, wisdom. 6 Comments

Free Hug Day post (finally!!) {universal love} <3

May28

~ Surrender to universal love.~ ❤

Hello sweethearts!!

On May 3rd I participated in free hug day, which I loved!! It was a beautiful sunny, warm Spring day in LOVE park, here in the wonderful Philadelphia!

Unfortunately my phone doesn’t work well and I did not have access and still do not have access to all my pics! I couldn’t even send my pictures to the Positive Focus Org like I planned! But at least I participated and attempted to bring a little bit of sunlight into the lives of others. And I do have some pictures to share!

I’m very shy so it took serious COURAGE to stand there in the middle of a park with a sign! Alone!
I wanted so badly for friends or family members to participate with me but no one would.

And even if you’re not shy, it still probably takes courage to draw attention to yourself like that! Especially if you’re alone, probably.
I think we often tend to find more courage in groups but sometimes we just have to go it alone and be brave anyway.

I feel very outgoing in my head but unlike a lot of people, I’m often too shy to act on it. I’m much better with this than when I was young though. It’s not anxiety or low self esteem. I can never explain it in words when people ask.
I’m just a shy girl. Definitely not introverted though. Nothing wrong with being introverted, I’m just not. I often feel most uplifted and energized around people. And it doesn’t ever drain me to where I need to rest after being around lots of people.

At one point I really thought I couldn’t go through with it but I pushed through the extreme shyness, awkwardness, fluctuating depression, and grief (over the loss of my coworker/friend), and I did what I intended! I stood in the center of a park and I walked around with a sign welcoming free hugs!
Whenever I felt I couldn’t go on, I reminded myself that it has the potential to help someone and it’s displaying a kind message. And I kept going.

Whenever I am afraid or too shy, depressed, or too overwhelmed in grief to do something I want to do, I will remember those first moments in LOVE park and I will go ahead. I will let LOVE prevail over any less pleasant emotions or thoughts. And I hope you will too. I am right by your side cheering for you, no matter who you are or where you are, even if only in “spirit.” That’s why I share my stories and experiences, to help people empower themselves. So speak even when your voice shakes, reach out even when your hands tremble, share your story even when your heart races, and love even when you risk not being loved back. It’s all worth it.

“When it comes to love, you gamble when you need to.” ~ Ringo Starr

The purpose of global Free Hug Days is to spread a message of love & kindness and show that EVERY life matters. Whether we are financially rich or poor, educated well or not, homeless or live in a beautiful house, single, taken, married, young, old, religious, theist, atheist, have a family/friends or are on our own, immigrant, citizen, Liberal, Conservative, apolitical or other, generous or greedy, kind or not so much, friendly or not, selfless or selfish, loving or just an asshole, healthy or sick, disabled or not, society’s/media’s definition of beautiful and perfect or considered less than beautiful …no matter our skin color, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality, size, weight, religion, views….our life has value. We don’t have to participate in hug day for this, there are simple but significant things we can do each day to spread this message that every life matters. A warm smile, a friendly hello, a sweet blog or Facebook or instagram or other social media post/share, volunteering to help people or animals, paying for someone in line at a store, just being genuinely friendly to every single life we encounter whether human, animal, insect, plant, environment….

My dad asked me “what if a dirty old homeless person comes over to hug you?” And I said then I will happily & warmly welcome him/her into my loving arms. That is what free hug day is all about, Lovingkindness for everyone. That is what I am all about everyday. It’s how I try to live. And when I don’t succeed in being as kind as I would like, I move forward and try again.

A “dirty old homeless person” is no less valuable than a financially rich person who owns a big company and lives in a mansion.

Giving free hugs to strangers in public places is encouraged everyday even though each year there are specific days designated by certain organizations or groups to give those hugs.

Along with a few of my pics I will share some of my favorite quotes about love. Love in this sense I’m promoting here, is a genuine wish for others, whether or not we know or like them, to be happy and well. Not happy at the expense of others like hurting anyone else, but a genuine sense of happiness and inner peace without doing unnecessary negative things to others. A genuine wish for others to be and feel loved.

“Be one deep breath braver than you feel. Be one considerate act kinder than those who are not. Be one gentle hug more loving to someone who hides their pain behind anger. Be brave, kind, & loving. This is your heart’s purpose.” ~ Anna Pereira

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” ~
Leo Buscaglia

“Love is always bestowed as a gift – freely, willingly and without expectation. We don’t love to be loved; we love to love.” ~
Leo Buscaglia

~Hug the hurt
Kiss the broken
Befriend the lost
Comfort the sick
Love the lonely~ ❤

“I am here to serve. I am here to inspire. I am here to love. I am here to live my truth.” – Deepak Chopra

“A purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved.” ~ Kurt Vonnegut

“Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.” ~ Mother Teresa

“Love everybody for who they are. We’re not supposed to try to change people. We should allow people to be who they are and love them as they are.” ~ Dolly Parton

“The meaning of life is to love yourself completely, free yourself and others of guilt, and become totally visible no matter the risk.”

“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

“You may say
I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one
I hope some day you’ll join us
And the world will live as one”
~John Lennon

~Love has everything to do with it ~

“Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.” ~Malcolm S. Forbes

“By being yourself, you put something wonderful in the world that was not there before.” ~Edwin Elliot

“There is so much love in your heart that you could heal the planet.”~Louise Hay

-A single rose can be my garden, a single friend, my world- Leo Buscaglia

“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” — Albert Schweitzer

“Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other’s eyes for an instant?” ~ Henry David Thoreau

“Blessed are those that can give without remembering and receive without forgetting.” ~
Author Unknown

Kindness is a gift everyone can afford to give ♥

“Every person is a new door to a different world.”

This picture warms my heart. ❤

So does this one! 😀 ❤

“Dare to reach out your hand into the darkness, to pull another hand into the light.” ~Norman B. Rice

~Will you be the one bringing light to that person standing in the shadows?~

“I’ve seen and met angels wearing the disguise of ordinary people living ordinary lives.” ~Tracy Chapman

“Every action in our lives touches on some chord that will vibrate in eternity.” ~Edwin Hubbel Chapin

“Someone out there somewhere is looking for exactly what you have to offer.”

I got this cheesy idea to write sappy love messages on colorful index cards and leave them in random places. Lol It’s probably illegal and considered to be littering. So I did this without getting caught! Lol I put them in tree branches, on park benches, outside buildings… ;-D

Hopefully at least one person finds it inspiring and not just ridiculously stupid! ;-D

But I know if I would have found a card like that, I would be thrilled! I know I
can’t be the only one! Chances are if we are a certain way, have a certain problem, feel a certain way, think a certain way….someone else out there somewhere does too! Don’t ever forget it!

“Ordinary Angels” by Craig Morgan
Mobile:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=X4g4VlAgS4o

Desktop:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&persist_app=1&v=X4g4VlAgS4o

I am wishing you much love, joy, and happiness today and always.

Xoxo Kim

P.s.

One of my wonderful Facebook friends shared this song with me:

“Love Shine a Light”

“Let our love shine a light, in every corner of our hearts.”

Mobile:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?sns=fb&v=0Y6r3JrIOFY

Desktop:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&persist_app=1&v=0Y6r3JrIOFY

It’s a universal love song. ❤

Pps. I don’t think the universe meant for me to post this because I had so much trouble all the way around, every aspect and step along the way something got in my way. First my memory cards not working then the WordPress app not working after I finally got my cards to work. Then just as I hit publish, the wifi I’m using cut off! Then a different wifi connected and just as I hit publish again, that wifi cut off too!
It was
a slow night at work because it was raining hard for a while then when the wifi came back, the rain stopped and then lots of customers came so I still couldn’t post this! Lol So if you’re reading this, I somehow was able to win a battle with the universe, who has it in for this post. ;-D And since I kept hitting “publish” and nothing seemed to be happening now like 50 of the same post will probably show up eventually but that’s better than zer0 showing up!
Today is a new day and I’m trying yet again to post it!

This entry was posted on May 28, 2015, in universal love and tagged compassion, empathy, hugs, inspiration, life, love, quotes, universal love, wisdom. 8 Comments

When Love leads our steps, we never get lost <3

May20

These are my pictures I took, mostly in Center City Philadelphia. And on the photos I put words of wisdom about love, most of which I found in my Kindle book called “365 Wisdom Pills” by “Human Angels”

Often, when I speak of love I’m referring to Universal Love. I often write about how Love can be a warm affection either platonic/friendship/family love or romantic love but it can also be a genuine selfless wish for others to be happy, whether they are friends & family, animals, insects, rodents, strangers or enemies, or people we just can’t stand to even look at. Lol It can be an act, a verb, an expression, a mere thought or just loving energy. Reaching out to help, heal, uplift, and inspire others is Love. All love is great love whether romantic, platonic, or universal. Let’s keep loving… ❤ ❤

Even if we can’t or won’t yet be loving of certain people, insects, rodents…it’s ok, we can focus on those we do currently love.

~Lets promote what we love, not bash what we hate. ~

“When love leads our steps, we never get lost.”

This is so true! We can never go wrong with love ever. There’s no such thing as loving too much or caring too much. We can have regrets but let’s never regret something we did with loving intentions even if it did not work out how we wanted it to.

“The feeling of Oneness is the feeling of Heaven.” ❤

Yes! Oneness with all that is. Oneness with the trees, the stars, the sky, the air, the sun & the moon, the animals, the rivers, the lakes, the ocean, Oneness with each other. We are all connected. All created or evolved or appeared the same way. The uni-verse is One and inside of us all.

“Love inspires your life to blossom.” ❤

Yes, love inspires.

“Everyday, everywhere, with everyone, plant seeds of love. Love is the only revolution that can really change the world.”

I completely agree! If every move we make is inspired by love, we can change the whole world!

“Breathing the silence, you can listen to your heart.”

Yes, sometimes it’s best not to think, not move, not talk, just breathe. Soak in the stillness and just be. Feel the rhythm of life pounding through your chest, flowing through your lungs.

“Heaven is Earth.”

Some years ago I saw a picture of a beautiful young model wearing a shirt that says “Heaven is Earth.” I wanted her shirt. A while later I got a custom made shirt with this quote as it inspires me deeply.
I don’t take this quote to necessarily mean there is no afterlife or no heaven outside of Earth. The instant I read it, I interpreted it as meaning right now, right here is great. Right where we are can be amazing if only we let it. We don’t have to wait for something else or something better or more, to be happy. We can be happy right here, right now. Heaven is here now. Heaven is Earth.

“Death brings a heartache nothing can heal, love brings memories nothing can steal.”

Love is so strong it’s indestructible even in the face of death and loss. One way to honor those we have lost is to remember, to incorporate their ways into our own selves, love and live in honor of them. If they were loving, we can be more loving, if they were passionate, we can be more passionate, if they were generous, we can give like they did. Think of how we are better for knowing and loving them and receiving their love for however long we have known them and pay it forward the best we know how any way we can. Nothing, not even death can change what we had with those people or pets. They are still our friends, family, pets, children…even though they are no longer on this Earth with us.

This is my new ring! It’s one of those new (at least I think they’re new but I’m kind of living under a rock when it comes to fashion, trends, tv, modern/mainstream music, celebrities, and things…so who knows…) trendy wire rings that are out now and have all different designs or symbols like the infinity symbol, hearts, stars, names, words…I got the heartbeat/symbol of life one! Isn’t it pretty?! It’s also to support awareness for heart disease, heart attacks, and heart related health and things.

I always love life affirming jewelry and quotes and songs! They are inspiring! And whenever I’m depressed and suicidal, the jewelry and quotes are tangible reminders to keep going, keep living, keep loving.

😀

Much love to you wherever you are. I hope you can feel my love. ❤

Xoxo Kim

This entry was posted on May 20, 2015, in Uncategorized and tagged compassion, inspiration, life, love, oneness, universal love, wisdom. 8 Comments

Supreme Unchanging Friend <3

May1

“Kindness is not an act. It is a lifestyle ”

Kindness can be an individual act but it can also evolve into a way of life if we work on it and practice. Recently, an incident inspired me to ponder this concept more and to write this.

Someone on Facebook who I do not know and is not on my friend’s list and never was but is somehow still able to post on my content (which I don’t mind, I welcome everyone into my world, lol) has been writing uncalled for comments/messages to me somewhat recently. She has done this months ago, disappeared, and then came back. It’s nothing completely vicious, no personal insults, but definitely sarcastic and utterly pointless. She posts these unpleasant comments on/sends these messages about multiple things I post/share, I share lots of inspirational posts which I know do not resonate with everyone but can apply to people in general, stuff like “kindness is best not just when it’s convenient but as a way of life” and quotes by Buddha and other enlightened/wise people, just various positive things by various people, and she posts things like “yeah because that’ll really work!” implying that it won’t and “yeaaah, I think I’ll just leave this advice at the curb…” “uhh good luck with that one!” “hmm, can’t wait to see where this one gets you!” “ugh! You mean people really feel this way?!” “no. I think i’ll just put ME first!” “let’s see where all that kindness gets you in life…”

Lol

I’m just paraphrasing but this is basically what she writes to me. And as you can see, it really has no substance and no purpose or so it seems to me.

And she writes hostile insults about Buddhist people and Buddha and disagrees with the concept of universal love, which is definitely ok.
There’s nothing at all wrong with debating against a religion or philosophy or disagreeing but there’s no need for nonsensical, intentional insults or pointless bitter sarcasm. Some people are a fan of that but I’m sure as hell not!

She doesn’t just comment about Buddhist posts but on various ones. She advocates for always putting ourselves before everyone else. And while I disagree, it’s ok that she feels that way and disagrees with me. And ok that she states her opinions. Her opinions are no less worthy of being heard than my own.
She has no less of a privilege/right to state her opinions than I do. And I’m not preachy or wanting to annoyingly lecture people.

And I won’t always be right. I welcome different views. Even the ones I find less than appealing.

But there’s no need to have a flippant mouth/tone. If we insist on posting on like every thing someone shares or writes just to disagree and sending messages to people just to criticize, we can at least have a more pleasant tone and cut out the sarcasm, which I don’t care for.

Also, I really don’t see the point posting on stuff like this and sending e-mails/messages just to disagree unless we have something valuable to contribute. In my opinion, sarcasm, just to get at someone, is not valuable. By valuable, I mean having an effective or positive outcome or intention, helping someone see different points of views, challenging people to grow…not just being a smartass for the hell of it. I really don’t see the point. It doesn’t mean there isn’t one, I just don’t see it.

I know we may have different ideas of the word “positive” and the word “valuable” and on different occasions, in different contexts, the concept of each word can shift or change. I am aware of that. But this is my concept of the words in this case.

Because her comments/messages are usually just one sentence sarcastic remarks, I usually ignore it because really what else can someone write back that would be constructive? It’s not like she’s debating with me and also being sarcastic and I can just ignore the sarcasm and debate with her in a civil way. It’s all it is is shallow sarcastic remarks. So there’s really not much to say. Maybe she’s stressed out or something and for whatever reason uses my Facebook account to blow off steam. Maybe my sappy love posts and public settings are inviting and she sees it as a safe place to relieve stress or anger by spewing sarcastic remarks?
I’m understanding of that. And if it really is helping her in some deeper way than just trying to tick me off, I welcome it with open arms. It’s ok if she reduces her stress or anger at the expense of my account. That’s why I post things and write, to help people! If anyone at all wants to use my inbox, comments section here, or on fb, or e-mail to vent and relieve stress or anger, or whatever and go off, please go ahead! I’m here to listen/read or just let you vent without judgment! But I really don’t know what her deal is.

“Kindness is the sunshine in which virtue grows.” ~
Robert Green Ingersoll

I definitely wanted to write something rude back to her but that goes against everything I stand for. It was tempting after a while but I resisted. Also, how hypocritical would it be of me to post something unkind to someone on a post about being kind to everyone even when they do not deserve it! Lmao, the irony! But it sure was tempting! It would have actually been super hilarious because of how ironic it would be. I was almost tempted to, just to be funny. Lol (like one day ages ago, when I wrote a blog post bragging about how I learned to put many pictures in one post and no pictures showed up after I hit the publish button! I was about to change it and put the pictures back on but I decided to keep it with no pics just because it was really funny and ironic how I said about all the pics on it, then NONE appeared! )

My main problem wasn’t just that she posted a rude comment but that she posted multiple ones and not once posted anything constructive or positive and the same for a few months ago when she appeared. It was like she just wanted to be an annoyance.

I thought about writing something sarcastic but in a very subtle way. Something not obviously aggressive but gets my displeasure across to her in an implicit unkind way. But then I realized that’s also vicious and not loving.

I began to have compassionate thoughts about her, at first forced. “Fake it ’til you make it!” it’s not really being “fake” but a genuine attempt to evolve into deeper compassion. It doesn’t mean being kind to someone’s face then bashing that person in a gossipy way later to someone else or on an fb status or blog post.

I was a bit annoyed at her one night before falling asleep, but forced myself to have loving thoughts for her. It can be so hard! Not as hard for me as for some because along with being naturally inclined to being loving and overly easy going even when people are being difficult, I am a mindful, intentional universal love practitioner and Lovingkindness meditator. But it can still be difficult sometimes. But I forced it while also admitting in my own head that I am displeased.

This is not repression or being “fake” but practicing Lovingkindness to become genuinely more loving and kind to everyone, all living, sentient beings, everywhere.

Then I woke up and felt nothing but warm compassion and love for her. I realize she’s prone to suffering and death, loss and pain and tragedy just like me. Just like everyone. At any moment she can be struck with an illness, a bullet, a cluster headache, a heart attack…just like I can and then will any of the nonsense matter anymore? Why not love her instead?

She was once an innocent baby and will at one point be a very old person who is even more susceptible to unpleasant circumstances like disease, death, pain… And just like me, she has hopes, happiness, concerns, goals, dreams, interests, joy, love….a life and a breath. A story. A song. A name.

This deepened my compassion even more. Her suffering and pain is no less than mine and her happiness and wellbeing are no less important than mine. I realized I do not want to inflict any kind of anger, unhappiness, pain, annoyance..or whatever, upon her with rude comments back even if she wants to inflict any of that upon me. And if she’s a troll who was merely pursuing negative attention in return for hers then it would just be perpetuating it. That ultimately does no good in my opinion. And if she’s suffering or stressed and is taking it out on my account then she needs love, not rudeness back.

“Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again.” ~
Og Mandino

I was able to take advantage of this amazing experience to strengthen my habit/way of life/philosophy to always be kind even in the face of the unkindness and bitterness of others. It was the perfect opportunity to “practice what I preach.”

She challenged me and the way of life that I advocate for and try to live, not just with her opposing views but the way she chose to go about stating her views, by actually acting in an unpleasant way, actually BEING an example, tempting me to give in and give up on my philosophy of life.

It’s usually harder to be kind and loving when someone is actually being rude and bitter than when the person is just opposing my views with views I find to be distasteful. And it’s so much harder to be kind and loving when a person in reality is being rude and bitter than just an imaginary scenario in my head. I can think in my head and write/say that if people act rudely I will still be kind but when I am faced with the situation for real, not just in my head, in theory, in writing, or in imagination, it is usually much harder. She’s not the first person I have encountered who acts rudely in person or online. And she won’t be the last. So each unpleasant seeming encounter I experience can be my teacher and my chance to practice universal Lovingkindness.

This opportunity is so convenient and so “perfect,” it briefly occurred to me that she may have actually intentionally been trying to teach me, challenge me, help me strengthen, test my life philosophy by acting this way. It’s a kind of irony that she may have noticed if she’s exceptionally wise. I don’t think it’s the case though, it just crossed my mind. I know that many years ago, I used to argue against some people’s views, like political, religious, or philosophical, who I completely agreed with just to try to strengthen both of our arguments. They did not know I actually agreed with them and was just acting. I’m not saying it’s a good thing, it’s kind of shady and seems a bit trollish, maybe? But it did help my debating skills and maybe theirs.

But she probably wasn’t doing this.

I am very thankful for the experience and deeper wisdom I have come to experience as a result of this encounter with this person. She is my teacher. And I really do have compassion and love for her. Not in a way to provoke her to be unhappy, to “kill with kindness” in a passive aggressive way just because I know she doesn’t want my kindness and love. She seems to be an advocate for aggression and hostility so she may not appreciate my love. But because that’s what I am and want to continue to be and be even better and better at. I won’t intentionally use my love to annoy her by expressing it to her. I’m ignoring her but in my head I wish the best for her and if she ever comments something that seems worth responding to, even if I disagree or it’s negative or rude, I will be pleasant in my response, not aggressive in an explicit or subtle way. I’m not going to sarcastically, excessively, “kill with kindness” but actually BE kind. She may or may not like it but I can’t help what she likes or not. It’s not my place to control her and I don’t want to anyway. I will not intentionally try to annoy her. It’s all I can do.

Also,

I don’t judge people negatively, who disagree with my Way and think it’s better to lash out at those who are rude or post/say uncalled for things. It’s true I advocate for and try to live with kindness as a way of life but I still am compassionate and usually understanding for those who hold other views and live differently. Not always, I make mistakes too and do/say things that are better not said or done.

Sometimes when people hold certain views or live certain ways, they try to make others who disagree or live differently, feel unsettled or try to act like their morals are above everyone else’s. Have you ever met a “health freak” who only consumes organic food and works out like everyday and tries to make you feel like a lazy slob for not exercising and for eating junk all day? Or a vegetarian who tries to make you feel like you are less compassionate than that person is or like you are cruel for eating meat? Or a pro life advocate who acts like s/he lives with better morals than you or is more loving or trustworthy than you if you’re pro choice or had an abortion? Or acts like you’re a murderer? Lol Or a pro choice advocate who tries to intimidate you into thinking you are cruel or anti-woman or not for equality or women’s rights if you are pro life? Or like you’re a selfish control freak who tries to run people’s lives? Or a prudish person who acts like you live a very immoral life if you’re promiscuous? Or a very educated person with an advanced school degree who arrogantly acts like you or your education or lack of education is/are inferior to that person? Or a religious person who acts like that person is somehow above you with better morals and is more trustworthy than an atheist or a condescending atheist who acts like s/he is more intelligent or reasonable than you if you are a person who believes in g/ods? Or a person with a lot of money who acts like s/he’s better than those with less? Or a working class/jobless person who tries to guilt trip you for having money and having fun with it and having three family cars while “kids in Africa are starving?” or a Republican/Conservative who thinks you’re a barbarian with no morals and no brain if you’re a Liberal. Or a Democrat/Liberal who claims you’re a heartless, sexist, racist, fascist, homophobic monster who only cares about rich people and corporations, or parents who act superior to other parents who bring up their kids differently…

Certainly not all people in the groups I mentioned above do this but some do and it can be awkward to be around them when they act superior like this.
And it can be awkward even being around them when they aren’t like this because we may assume they are judging us for having opposing views or a different way of living.

“Kindness is a gift everyone can afford to give.”

Some people may become defensive and angry around them and some may feel that they have to justify their own lifestyle or views over and over or like they have to conceal it around certain people.

I am a vegetarian (for the animals, not for me) and have been for over a decade but I’m not going to throw ketchup on your fur coat or throw fire into science labs and throw wet dog food all over the cars of scientists who test on animals and I’m not going to assume I am more compassionate or love animals more than meat eaters. And I won’t go all apeshit if you eat a real hotdog in front of me. I have had people tell me sorry over and over for not being a vegetarian or for eating meat while in my presence even when I wasn’t saying a word or even thinking something negative about those people. Who the hell am I that I must be apologized to or have to have things justified to me? Lol And sometimes I have felt a bit guilty even though I wasn’t intentionally trying to make them feel uncomfortable or guilty.

I usually never even tell people anymore that I don’t eat meat unless it comes up somehow. When I was a girl and very young woman, I did used to be in people’s faces with my vegetarian views and other views and I was arrogant about it, and then I grew up, fortunately.
Some occasions I was the arrogant one trying to inflict guilt and anger on others and other occasions I was the one feeling the need to justify my views and say “sorry” just for being a certain way.
But usually, neither one of those is necessary for any of us.

No matter what side of an issue we support or how we live, someone can make us out to be a monster or to be dumb or say horrible things about us. Even if we’re not so bad. Some opinions really do suck. And some opinions probably are better left unstated even though we have the right/privilege to state them, it doesn’t mean we have to.

But really none of us are better no matter what our views are or way of living is like. I’m not better than people who do what I mentioned above. I understand that many of us do often feel that our way of living, our lifestyle, our views…are best, that’s why we live and believe how we do. But we don’t have to act like we are better than anyone else. We can judge opinions or actions without judging the person as a whole. Judging isn’t necessarily wrong. It’s how we go about it that matters, in my opinion. But of course, I’m not telling people how they should live or act or talk or be. I’m just sharing my opinion and giving suggestions. People can give me suggestions as well! It’s good to help each other open to different ideas.

“Be polite to others, not because they are polite but because you are.” ❤

I may be going off on a bit of a tangent but somehow I feel that it ties into my original topic. When I was writing about not judging and about being kind, I felt that it may be coming off as preachy and that isn’t my intention so I got into all that.

I never want anyone to feel awkward around me if we have different views or ways of living. I don’t even want people who tend to act overly judgmental sometimes, like the ones I mention above, to feel awkward around me because I advocate for being not too judgmental. Also, like I said, I myself have done some of the things above. I learn more and more each day and practice more and more to be as loving as I can be. Like the Buddha, as mentioned in the Buddhist Liberating prayer (http://kadampa.org/buddhism/prayer-to-buddha), I want to be a “supreme unchanging friend” and “love all beings without exception” no matter what. And I will practice and learn and love as much as I can.

I love the idea of “supreme unchanging friend.” Imagine having a friend you know without a doubt will be right here waiting to warmly embrace you no matter what you do or have done, a friend who will never judge you as the person you are even when you are wrong, stupid, cruel, even if you do something terrible to that friend. A person who will help guide you in life, in a loving way, not a condescending way, maybe judge your actions if they are seriously detrimental but never you.

You can “steal” her/his husband, stab him/her in the back, betray that person, disappear for years, kill someone, even try to kill that friend! But s/he will be right here waiting with open arms when you want to come home again! She’ll meet you anywhere at any part of the day. She’ll answer your phone call at 4:00 in the morning, drive or take a bus to meet you across the city at 10:00 at night, miss a day of work to sit and soothe you when you are in pain, hug you when you are lonely, take you out for lunch when you’re having a bad day even if you just said cruel insults about her or betrayed her in some way…

There’s only one thing in this life I want more than to have a friend like that. That one thing is to BE that friend to others. And “friend” doesn’t necessarily have to mean a personal friend you hang out with but just someone who is always here when you want someone. This friend can be a teacher, a family member, an acquaintance, a neighbor, a homeless person, a religious person who teaches you, a monk or nun, a rabbi, or priest or minister, a coworker, your mamma,…. anyone.
Mothers in general and pets are inherently like this. We can look up to them.

Many people see this friend as a pushover who is stupid or naive and let’s people get over on her/him. But it runs deeper than that. It’s about true love, not about fear or longing or need or attachment. It’s not about being too stupid to realize or fear of saying no or needing to be accepted by the ones who call on us. It’s about genuine love for others. Selfless love with absolutely zero expectations.

I hope you have that friend but even more, I hope one day you will BE that friend to others or at least just to one person. And even if we can’t or won’t be this way to this extreme, at least maybe we can keep reminding ourselves that it’s better to be kind than to be shown kindness, sweeter to love than to be loved, greater to accept, understand, and help than to be accepted, be understood, and be helped.
It’s better to be betrayed than to betray, better to be bullied than to be the bully. Better to be stabbed in the back than to be the backstabber. Better to trust and then be deceived or broken or betrayed than to never trust or take chances. Better to love and be crushed than never love.

We can’t control what others are and do, say, or think, and it’s not our place to anyway. But we can help what we are and what we do, and I hope we will all be the best we can be in each moment and forgive ourselves and each other when we’re not.

Some occasions it may be better not to be “soft” or “warm” but to be more assertive and to say what people may not want to hear. To stand our ground, say no, and criticize in a constructive way even if people are angry. The Buddhist concept of “offering the victory,” letting others often be “right” even when they aren’t and giving in, letting everyone else go first, it’s a great way to live in general but sometimes, at least in my opinion, we do have to speak up and be more assertive, maybe even a bit aggressive at some points, but that’s not necessarily unkind or rude. Sometimes “a kick in the ass” and clearly saying “NO!” is more compassionate than warmth and giving in. But often, I think gentleness is good. ❤

If we want to see more kindness, love, and light around us and all over the world, let’s BE kindness, love, and light everywhere we are.
It likely won’t change the entire world but it will be a start and at least put a little bit more light around us and can inspire others to do the same. Even if we alone can’t change the whole uni-verse, we can change our own little corner of the world for the better and inspire others along the way. Then who knows?! Maybe together we CAN change the whole world for the better!

I’m wishing you much love today & always and I hope you’re having a lovely day or night wherever you are! ❤

😀

Xoxo Kim ❤

This entry was posted on May 1, 2015, in universal love and tagged beauty, compassion, empathy, experience, inspiration, kindness, life, love, open mindedness, unconditional love, universal love, wisdom. 2 Comments

Free Hugz!!! <3 <3

Apr27

“Keep loving…everything you touch, everyone you see, they’ll soon become your family.” ~ Nimo Patel ❤

Hello loves!

I have big plans for this weekend if everything works out as I hope it does! On Saturday May 2nd and Sunday May 3rd, it’s Global Free Hug Days and I will be participating! Sunday is the one day in all of my days that I hope it doesn’t rain! Can you believe it!? Lol me! Hoping it does not rain! While I would absolutely love to stand and hug in the rain, I know most probably prefer the sun. And many more people will probably be walking through the park in the sun. So I hope there’s some sun that day! And also on May 2nd for the ones participating that day!

I don’t know that anyone else in Philadelphia is doing this because I signed up to find others in this lovely city who are also hugging so we can go together but no response! Maybe they just have their own groups and don’t care to meet up!

I found this event on “Positive Focus” on Facebook months ago and been waiting and waiting! While “Positive Focus” is the organization hosting the event, the participants go on their own those days to wherever in the world they want to go and give hugs!

Here are some of the benefits of hugging!

1.) possibly alleviates existential fears/fear of mortality for people with low self esteem – hugging may help allay our fears of death and dying
https://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/releases/touch-may-alleviate-existential-fears-for-people-with-low-self-esteem.html

Even hugging stuffed animals can help!

2.) stimulates oxytocin – promoting feelings of contentment, reduces anxiety and stress, helps cope with pain, helps with social bonding, linked to lower blood pressure and heart rate…

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128795325

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301051104001632

http://m.livescience.com/12833-love-hormone-oxytocin-dark-side.html

Just one brief hug releases these chemicals in the body!

3.) Stimulates dopamine – the “feel good” drug responsible for preventing depression and things like Parkinson’s disease. Procrastination, self doubt, and lack of enthusiasm are all linked to low levels of dopamine. Dopamine is a pleasure hormone which is released in the brain and hugs can trigger it! Listening to music that thrills us can also help our brains to release it!

http://today.uconn.edu/blog/2012/11/uconn-researcher-dopamine-not-about-pleasure-anymore/

4.) stimulates serotonin – when a person feels important, serotonin flows more. When serotonin is low, depression and loneliness can occur. Hugging helps this drug flow helping us feel less sadness and loneliness and helping us prolong life and has other positive benefits.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/232248.php

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2612120/

And many more benefits of hugging!

(me! :-D)

I hope you will come and join me for Global Free Hugs Day if you are here in the beautiful Philadelphia!! I will be at Rittenhouse Square on Sunday afternoon, May 3rd with free hugs & love for everyone and anyone!! We’re spreading a message of universal love & kindness for everyone all around the globe! And the message that every life matters.

Whenever we reach out to hug, to help, to heal, to comfort, to inspire, to uplift…we reach out in love. ❤

Check it out!

http://www.positive-focus.com/

We will take pictures those days and send them to Positive Focus for their video. You can register here:
http://www.positive-focus.com/about-gfh/gfh/

Or you can choose not to register and just go hug anyway!

Heres the fb page for positive focus:

https://m.facebook.com/positivefocusnfp?_rdr

I’m using my phone so that’s the mobile website. Hopefully you will find the desktop one if you’re using a computer!

E mail them your pics at: hugs@positive-focus.com

You can go alone and hug, with one or two people, or gather a large group and go together. I think i’ll be going alone except my mom will be joining me to take the pics. And maybe my sister. I won’t be there real long as I have work that day. I have been waiting for months for this day! And I have so many fun ideas for the signs I’m making! I’m going all out! Lol I’ll probably be there around 12:30pm.

No matter who you are, where you are, where you have been, where you’re going, what your views on anything are, skin color, ethnicity, experiences, sexual orientation, homeless or not, if I know you or never talked to or laid eyes on you, if I knew you at one point, if we had a falling out or ended on not good terms, still come and let’s hug! I’m here to provide hugs & love to everyone no matter what and show that every life matters.

No matter what problems or pain or dreams or goals or views or experiences we have, we are all in this together!

If you’re in Philadelphia, Pa that afternoon, come and hug me!! If not then I’ll be sending you virtual hugs! ❤

Much love to you always! And lots of big bear hugs! ❤

And don’t forget on Sunday afternoon I will he providing hugs! So come and get your love!

“You may say
I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one
I hope some day you’ll join us
And the world will live as one”
~John Lennon ❤

😀

Xoxo Kim

P.s. Don’t forget to remember your life DOES matter no matter what you have done, who you are, what your opinions are, what disability or religion or mental or physical health condition you have, whether you have a family and friends or none, whatever your age or job is, no matter how much money you have, where you live, if you’re homeless and live outside under a bridge or in a park or live in a mansion, even if you feel hopeless or worthless and depressed or anxious often….your life and everything you do has an effect on the world around you. this is true for all of us. And we can get better and better.
Life is hope. ❤

This entry was posted on April 27, 2015, in Uncategorized and tagged caring, compassion, diversity, empathy, free hug day, free hugs, global Free Hugs, happiness, hope, hugs, inspiration, joy, kindness, life, love, universal love, wisdom. 18 Comments

Summer Breeze <3

Apr14

(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.

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!

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

This entry was posted on April 14, 2015, in Uncategorized and tagged compassion, goals, inspiration, job, learning, life, life lessons, love, motivation, reminders, song, universal love, wisdom, work. Leave a comment

Planting Seeds <3

Apr2

“Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.” – Martin Luther

I recently discovered an amazing, absolutely AMAZING music group called Empty Hands Music, the main singer is named Nimo Patel and he sings about love in every song. The kind of love he sings about is universal love, love for the world, life itself, and every living being. Universal Love means wishing everyone well no matter what, wanting everyone in the world to be happy (but not at the expense of others) even if those people don’t want the same for us in return, no matter what nationality, skin color, religious views, financial status, living situations, sexual orientation, political views, lifestyle, ethnicity, location in the world, education level…He sings about how it doesn’t matter if we pray to a god or are an atheist, it doesn’t matter what our views are, if we are full of gratitude for life or just trudging through life not thankful for a thing, if we have a family or are on our own, if we act on lust or are celibate, old, young, single…none of it matters, we are all made the same, underneath we are all as One. And it’s good to have compassion and empathy for all living beings.

He sings about how amazing life is, the trees, the bugs, the people, the clouds in the sky, joy, sorrow, pain, the ants on the ground, hope for tomorrow, strength, lessons learned, everything near & far, everything and how thankful he is for it all. He sings about kindness and giving the world all that we can give. Give, give, give even if others do not give to us and even if they are not appreciative. All that matters is that we love. He sings about acceptance. Accepting life as it is. Working to better the world but knowing we won’t always succeed at everything and just try our best and accept the results.

I can’t even decide which song is my favorite but I can now say they are my favorite music group as all of their songs are about loving others. And not just people we know but everyone everywhere. All around the world. It’s the best thing ever. What a dream come true this group and this man is! Nimo Patel was rich and famous, a rap singer who admits that he thought he only cared about money and fame, thinking that is what life is, and he showed video clips of himself running around acting so cool in black shades with like a million fans chasing after him. Lol He had it all and thought he was living the life! Then one day he woke up and realized that’s not love and it’s not for him. So he gave it all up and now works in India helping financially poor and struggling people who have next to nothing financially and materially but have enough love in their hearts to heal the world! And that’s exactly what they’re all doing together! They are children and adults, old and young, and they are all beautiful and he features them in his videos, people of all skin colors. Beautiful inside and out. He still sings but now he uses his talent of singing and song writing to change the world and touch lives for the better.

There’s nothing wrong with being rich and famous or wanting to be. But it’s not good, in my opinion, to believe that’s more important than everything else. But rich and famous people can use their riches and fame for the common good, to bring awareness to and help out with causes that help people/animals. And some of them do! This life just wasn’t for him but the message isn’t that celebrities and rich/famous people should give it all up or can’t be loving. Actors bring characters in tv shows and movies to life to entertain us and inspire us, make us laugh and uplift us. Many of them donate money to organizations to help out in the world and the fact that they’re famous brings even more attention to those organizations. And singers and song writers can use their talent to touch people for the better.

That’s what Nimo Patel does.

I been listening to his songs and watching his videos for days now all day long! Lol

The one I’m sharing here is “Planting Seeds.” This song is about acceptance. Like I said, accepting that the world is how it is. This doesn’t mean not working to change things for the better. It means doing just that, working hard wherever we go to make the world a better place for all of us, doing simple things each day to make each life we encounter a little bit better, then surrendering, disowning the situation and accepting whatever outcome occurs, accepting that we will not always succeed how we hoped. We may “fail” and things will not work out, we may not see results, we may not even be around to see if we succeed in our endeavors but that doesn’t even matter. We don’t even have to see it! Just plant those seeds and let go! Whatever happens will happen.

“…but the roots are always growin’ no matter if I’m there or never around…whatever grows will grow, whatever dies will die, whatever works will work, whatever flies will fly, whatever fails will fail, what’s meant to soar will soar, I am planting seeds, nothing more.”

“It’s like your whole life you’ve been training for this moment
And when the time comes you just disown it,
Meaning you just surrender don’t control it…”

“But now we’re learning when we let it go, it overflows
With no credit to take cuz no credit is owned.”

“…but the real gold is joy, when life starts to flow
And when it does, you just smile, cuz now you know!”

I love these lyrics. This message is all about planting seeds of love and kindness everywhere we go even if we won’t be around to see the results, planting those seeds without expecting credit or anything in return. Pay someone a compliment even if you don’t know if that person will warmly receive it, and if the person doesn’t seem uplifted or touched by your sweet compliment, be happy anyway, write a sweet message to someone on a blog or social media account even if you may not get a message back and still be happy you wrote the message even if you don’t get a response, it’s not about us being appreciated in return, it’s about genuinely wanting to touch others for the better, follow blogs you like and share them even without asking for that favor to be returned, buy a homeless person a coffee, look into a stranger’s eyes and smile and be happy you did even if s/he doesn’t smile back, give tips to people working in coffee shops even when they don’t seem friendly, plant those seeds of lovingkindness even when no one is looking or listening to know you are expressing lovingkindness. Even if it doesn’t work out how you hoped. At least you tried. And that counts for something, it’s a beautiful way to live!

We cannot and do not have to control the outcome or stress about the results. All we can do is try our best. We don’t have to feel low, feel regret, feel like we worked for nothing if we don’t see the results we hoped for or don’t see any results. All that truly matters is that we plant those seeds, leaving a trail of love everywhere we go!

Remember:

“…whatever grows will grow, whatever dies will die, whatever works will work, whatever flies will fly, whatever fails will fail, what’s meant to soar will soar, I am planting seeds, nothing more.”

And be all that you can be.

Here is the video for the song!

Desktop:

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

Mobile:

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

Much love to you! And don’t forget to plant those seeds of love today! ❤

Xoxo Kim ❤

This entry was posted on April 2, 2015, in intentional living, mindfulness, Uncategorized, universal love and tagged action, beauty, caring, compassion, empathy, happiness, inspiration, joy, life, love, lyrics, mindfulness, motivation, song, surrender, universal love, wisdom. 10 Comments

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