Tag Archive | wisdom

Random Inspiration #18 {Dark Beauty} <3

Here are some of my pictures and some beautifully dark quotes/lyrics to go along with them! 😀

“Only one who dares to enter the Dark, can see the beauty of Darkness.” ~ Veera Karthik Gonagundla

“Judgment of beauty can err, what with the wine and the dark.” ~ Ovid

“Normal people have no idea how beautiful the darkness is.”

“Find beauty not only in the thing itself but in the pattern of the shadows, the light and dark, which that thing provides.” ~ Junichiro Tanizaki

“In Sleep we lie all naked and alone, in Sleep we are united at the heart of night and darkness, and we are strange and beautiful asleep; for we are dying the darkness and we know no death.” ~Thomas Wolfe

“Imagine meeting someone who understands even the dustiest corners of your mixed-up soul.”

❤

“I will follow you into the dark.”

“THE WAY A CROW
SHOOK DOWN ON ME
THE DUST OF SNOW FROM A HEMLOCK TREE

HAS GIVEN MY HEART A CHANGE OF MOOD AND SAVED SOME PART OF A DAY I HAD RUED.” ~ ROBERT FROST (DUST OF SNOW)

“Beauty always comes with dark thoughts.” ~ Nightwish

“Every storm runs, runs out of rain
Just like every dark night turns into day
Every heartache will fade away
Just like every storm runs, runs out of rain
So hold your head up and tell yourself that there’s something more
And walk out that door,
Go find a new rose, don’t be afraid of the thorns
‘Cause we all have thorns” ~ Gary Allan (Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain))

“But the struggles make you stronger
And the changes make you wise
And happiness has its own way of takin it’s sweet time
No, life aint always beautiful
But I know i’ll be fine
Hey, life aint always beautiful
But it’s a beautiful ride
What a beautiful ride” ~ Gary Allan (Life Ain’t Always Beautiful)

“I can’t drown my demons. They know how to swim.”

“He saw the darkness in her beauty. She saw the beauty in his darkness.”

“She walks in beauty, like the night of Cloudness climes and starry skies, And all that’s best of dark and bright meet in her aspect and her eyes…” ~ Lord Byron

“We are all searching for someone whose demons play well with ours.”

“I will leave such an imprint on your heart that anyone you encounter after me will have to know me to be able to understand you.”

“Do not fall in love with people like me.
I will take you to museums, and parks, and monuments, and kiss you in every beautiful place, so that you can never go back to them without tasting me like blood in your mouth.
I will destroy you in the most beautiful way possible. And when I leave you will finally understand, why storms are named after people.” ~
Caitlyn Siehl

😀

I hope you’re having a lovely day! ❤

Xoxo Kim

Befriending our emotions

Apr16

“Life isn’t about learning how to weather the storm. It’s about learning how to dance in the rain.”~Vivian Greene

I read a novel, which I posted about last week, called “First Do No Evil” by Dr. Carey Baldwin, medical doctor and author, wife, mother, and with quite a few advanced degrees! She writes mystery books. The books are part of a series but can also be read individually. They’re mostly about doctors, usually a thirty something year old woman with a painful past who is now in some sort of trouble, like being stalked or the target of murder/homicide attempt, who meets a man who tries to help her and they begin to fall in love. The books are full of mystery, adventure, and romance. The characters are of substance and the stories are fascinating, page turners. Dr. Baldwin, the author of this book, former clinical psychologist, and now a family medical doctor, is a hopeless romantic and a genius! So her novels include romance along with the thrilling mystery and adventure. Her books are intended for adults, not appropriate for teenages, as they contain explicit sexual scenes and adult language/content, and physical violence, even murder. Some romance novels are hallow, with no depth, not much of a plot, but these ones are not like that. They are full of beauty and amazing life lessons.

Here is one such lesson:

“Above the clunking of snow chains, at last, Danny heard his phone. Grabbing it, he checked the display. It was the captain. His breathing grew ragged, and the hairs on the back of his neck lifted. Fear can do funny things to a man. It can paralyze his diaphragm and vocal cords so he can hardly breathe, so he can’t even manage to scream for help; or it can pump his muscles so full of adrenaline he can fend off an army of aliens. Fear can be a man’s worst enemy, or his best friend. Danny knew he had a choice.
He chose friend.”

This is a fantastic reminder of how seemingly negative or unpleasant emotions can serve a purpose if we allow them to.

Guilt – can trigger us to make things right – it can inspire us to say sorry if we wronged someone, tell the truth, and avoid doing things to hurt others and be more mindful of our actions.

Anger – can fuel us or break us. When we get super angry about a certain issue or at a certain person, anger can trigger us to reach out to do something. Reach out not in a destructive way but in a productive way to help or to try to make things better. If we are angry about a political cause, for example, we can reach out in compassion and love to help, not give into the fury and react in a hostile way. Love and compassion can inspire us to act and so can anger and fury when we use it in a constructive way.

Sadness – When we are sad, we can reach out to help or uplift others in similar situations. Our own sadness can deepen our empathy.

Grief and loss– grief can help us in a similar way and can inspire us to build our lives into something better, we can become like new, use our grief to push us forward and rebuild ourselves while also reaching out in love and empathy to console others.

Disappointment/sense of failure/frustration – teach us lessons and motivate us to work even harder. We can acquire/develop more skills along the way and use our experiences to help others.

Pain of any kind can be our catalyst for positive change in general and can deepen our wisdom and strength and empathy. Pain can bring us to ruin and then we can take that ruin and become even better. Sometimes after experiencing severe pain of any sort, we can change our lives to be better in general than even before that pain.

Jealousy – When we feel jealous that someone has something we don’t, that jealousy can inspire us to work harder for what we want or to work on ourselves to accept how we are instead of wanting what we cannot have. It can also provoke us to look within and see what is going on, to see what we feel is lacking or why we feel that way. Then we can become even better/stronger than before.

Fear/panic – fear can pump us to act or trigger us to collapse and we can choose which to allow.

Unpleasant seeming emotions can inspire and motivate us to create, to build, to reach out, to survive.

Depression, anxiety, chronic pain, illness…anything that seems negative or unpleasant can be our friend, our teacher, our motivation.

Think about your unpleasant emotions. How have they helped you? How can they help you now and in the future? How can you use them to your advantage instead of letting them drag you down? What can they teach you? Tapping into the wisdom of each experience and emotion is a skill that we can develop to be better.

~Let pain make you better, not bitter.~

I’m wishing you much love and light today and always. I hope you are having a beautiful day or night wherever you are! ❤

Xoxo Kim 😀

May my soul bloom in love <3

Apr16

Ever since Winter melted into Spring I have been looking to the trees to see the life blossoming around but each day the bare branches have remained. I find bare trees to be beautiful as well as blooming trees with green leaves and pretty colored flowers.

But I have been anticipating the pretty pink & white flowers I see every year in Spring! Yesterday, I was so pleased to finally see pastel pink flowers on a few trees and some with dark pink ones! They seem to have just appeared out of nowhere, right before my very eyes! How sweet!

In honor of the life blossoming around me, I am sharing some beautiful quotes about the life blooming all around and within and mindfully acknowledging the beauty of being alive.

“The cherry blossom tree is truly a sight to behold, especially when it is in full riotous bloom. There are several varieties of the cherry blossom tree, and while most of them produce flowering branches full of small pinkish-hued flowers, some of them produce actual cherries.” ~
Homaro Cantu

“Why should I be unhappy? Every parcel of my being is in full bloom.” ~
Rumi

“How does the Meadow flower its bloom unfold? Because the lovely little flower is free down to its root, and in that freedom bold.” ~
William Wordsworth

“Let a hundred flowers bloom, let a hundred schools of thought contend.” ~
Mao Zedong

(me happy at work!)

“I hope you will go out and let stories happen to you, and that you will work them, water them with your blood and tears and you laughter till they bloom, till you yourself burst into bloom.” ~
Clarissa Pinkola Estes

(I recently had a black bean burrito at some truck and these are the sauces! I tried the “death” sauce and can see why it’s called that! Just one small drop on my tongue and it made my eyes instantly water! 😀 delicious though! I also tried the sweet & spicy kind! Yum!)

(it’s me again! Lol)

“Works of art often last forever, or nearly so. But exhibitions themselves, especially gallery exhibitions, are like flowers; they bloom and then they die, then exist only as memories, or pressed in magazines and books.” ~
Jerry Saltz

(I must be feeling especially vain today! Lol nahh it’s just that all my pretty pics of things I take photos of everyday are in a different part of my phone and my phone is so full it needs more space to work correctly for me to get them moved to the section for blog photos)

“May my soul bloom in love for all existence.” ~
Rudolf Steiner

“Let a hundred flowers bloom.” ~
Mao Zedong

My baby, Quinny and me! She’s an eight month old puppy! I was angry because she jumped up and ripped my necklace off and it broke but I couldn’t stay mad for long! Lol she loves to snuggle and give me kissies! ❤

Us again!

“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” This quote is attributed to our (U.S.) president, Abe Lincoln! One of the best!

“Keep smiling, because life is a beautiful thing and there’s so much to smile about.” ~ Marilyn Monroe

Yes girl! I completely agree!

I’m wishing you lots of love! ❤

😀

Xoxo Kim ❤

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

Today <3

Apr9

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” ~ Howard Thurman

Today is a very cold, very gray, beautiful wet day. It’s not exactly raining but everything seems wet. It’s night now but all day was gray and beautiful. It’s very cold, almost like Winter or the end of Fall. It’s bittersweet. I know it’s probably the last day or one of the last days that is cold. I LOVE all four seasons and they all have their blessings and unique qualities. They are all beautiful. I cherish each one and try to always be mindful of the beauty they are. But it’s always Winter inside my heart. In Winter and Fall I rarely wish for warm days. In Summer, there are more days I long for, even crave Winter or Fall.

I’m soaking up every single bit of wet cold beauty I can today!
Today on my way to Buddhist meditation class I was astounded by the almost palpable beauty. It was almost as if I could touch it, not touch the beautiful things but touch or hold the beauty itself. Touch or hold the concept, the very essence of beauty. I felt very alive and felt the heartbeat of the city become one with my own, as if throbbing in my chest, pulsing through my veins. I felt it deep in my bones, tingling in every cell of my body. Every breath I took, I felt I was breathing in the sounds, the sights, the scents, the intense beauty of the city. This feeling is not new to me but it always feels new. I feel it often, sometimes immensely, sometimes more quietly, sometimes not at all. But I can never get used to it. Sometimes this feeling, this life inside disappears for so long I am convinced it will never be back again. Then out of the blue, it comes and tightly embraces me like a long lost friend who promises to always come back to me.

This feeling has always come naturally to me but with practice and certain experiences, I have come to strengthen it. Sometimes it comes out of the blue, like today. And sometimes I can summon it on my own.

One thing that I find that helps me deepen this sense of beauty and gratitude and awe of everything around me, is taking pictures/photography. For people who are interested in capturing beauty in artistic forms like painting, drawing, or photography, whether as a hobby or professional career, it can be easier to see, feel, taste the beauty all around because our brains get trained to see things and look for things to capture in a photo or painting or drawing. Then even when we’re not out looking, even when we are without our phones or cameras or paints and pencils, these little gems jump out at us. The more interested I have become in taking pictures, the more developed my sense of awe has become. I originally loved taking pictures because I feel so much beauty and want to capture & share it, but then picture taking only enhanced that feeling of awe in me.

Photography, painting, drawing, writing…. can all capture simple beauty in a way that makes it stand out more than it does in “real life.” I think many of us generally overlook very simple, very mundane things such as reflections, shadows, a sliver of light creeping through the slit as a result of a door on a dark room being ajar when the hall or other room outside is lit. We often stand in awe or deep appreciation of something dramatically beautiful such as bright, colorful flowers, a beautiful woman in a wedding dress on her wedding day or in stiletto heels and tight blue jeans walking down a street, a dramatic sunset over the ocean waves while lounging on a beach, a baby who is just born, an expensive mansion, an exotic animal, amazing looking food, an incredible looking car, an elegant dress, a flashing diamond ring,…you get the picture! But how often do we look in wonder at a shadow on a ground, maybe a shadow of a tree or person, the way sunlight reflects on signs or cars, the fuzz on a honeybee, the gentle illumination of street lights on a dark street at night, tattered signs, faded poles at busstops with the bus numbers on them, old pay phones, broken glass glittering in the daylight against concrete, an empty beer bottle resting in vibrant green glass, a lemon floating in iced tea, glistening ice cubes chilling a cup of soda….for many, it’s probably never or extremely rarely. But in photography, paintings, drawings, and writing like poetry or novels or descriptions, these things can be beautifully captured and portrayed in artistic forms that can’t help but force us to see, notice, feel the beauty of them, these things we tend to ignore in real life outside of artistic creations.

And for people who engage in these activities, they can help us further ingrain our habit of seeing and feeling the beauty in real life outside of poetry and novels and photos and paintings or drawings. They help deepen our wonder at the things our eyes and hearts catch. They make it easier for simple treasures to jump out at us as we’re walking up a city street, sitting quietly at a riverside, driving on a busy expressway, meditatively peering out a bus window on a dreary gray day or a green day with life blossoming all around.

But not everyone is interested in photography or painting, writing, or drawing. Whatever you’re interested in though, it’s fantastic to pursue it, engage in it, get lost in it and let it reel you in. This can bring you to life, fill you with passion for all of life, enthuse you in general. When we are so happy and passionate in one aspect of life, it can carry over into other aspects, even ones that aren’t so great at the moment. It’s like falling in love or having a big crush. You know the intoxicated feeling when you meet someone you are very attracted to or seeing someone you are in love with? That feeling carries over to everywhere and suddenly life is amazing in ways you never really noticed or forgot about…it can be like this even if we aren’t in love with someone. It’s falling in love with life itself.

We don’t need “big” things, lots of money, kids, or romantic love to feel this way often. These things are great too but we don’t need them to be in love with life. All we have to do is open our eyes, heart, and look, see, feel, stop ignoring the simple things, the mundane things, the blessings surrounding us always. You don’t have to be a photographer, a painter, or an artist of any kind.

“Such a feelin’s comin’ over me
There is wonder in most every thing I see
Not a cloud in the sky, got the sun in my eyes
And I won’t be surprised if it’s a dream
Everything I want the world to be
Is now comin’ true especially for me” ~ the Carpenters

Imagine feeling this way everyday or at least very often or even just more often than now.

It’s possible.

Isn’t this beautiful?! It just goes to show how someone can inspire us and we can see life through that person’s eyes every now and then even if we aren’t interested in the same things. We can feed off of the passion, life, enthusiasm of others. This police officer is deeply inspired by his wife who is a painter with a passionate thirst for life, and while at work, he wishes she was there. This is out of a fiction book I’m reading called “First Do No Evil,” Book 1 in a series by Dr. Carey Baldwin who is an author, a medical doctor/family doctor, and has like two ph.d’s as well, she’s a wife and mother of multiple children. Ummm…is she like Wonder Woman?! I read Book 2 in this series already, not realizing it’s a series. They can be read together or separately and in any order and still make sense. The same characters appear in the books and there’s some subtle references to other books but the author makes it still make sense just to read one individually. She’s an amazing writer of mystery books. It seems most of her books are about doctors. Usually her main characters are a very strong,
beautiful, compassionate, loving, and broken woman who is 30 something years old, has a very painful past, a medical degree, and gets into trouble like is being stalked and needs help. I love her characters and how much depth they have. They are so realistic. And she’s a doc herself so she knows her stuff! Her novels involve romance, mystery, adventure, and healing. They also involve humor, sometimes I laugh hysterically, uncontrollably. They contain adult content in certain scenes. Very vulgar language at some points, and hot sexy scenes, definitely only for adults. Amazing plots, characters, and endings!

Let’s remember to allow others to inspire us and remember to be the inspiration to anyone we can!

I hope you are having a wonderful day or night wherever you are! Much love to you!

Xoxo Kim

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 ❤

Tact

Apr1

“Tact is the knack of making a point without making an enemy.” ~ Sir Isaac Newton

I think one of the main reasons for hostile arguing and being at each other’s throats over politics, religious views, and any other topic is not even the disagreement itself but our attitude about it and tone of voice/writing. I’m definitely not innocent of having a defensive or hostile or mocking tone while writing or speaking about certain issues, especially politics, before even getting into a debate or conversation. There have been occasions I had a strong view and wasn’t very kind about it. This provokes others to respond unkindly then further perpetuates the animosity and unkindness. The older and wiser I got, I learned to be much better in general with stating my views on any topic. Now I’m very good at remaining calm, kind, and civilized even when others are not.
It is much easier to accept opposing views when people are tactful and kind when stating them. We don’t have to all agree on everything. We can be great friends with people of different opinions and love them just as much as those with more similar views to our own.
This doesn’t mean not having or stating opinions. It doesn’t mean avoiding controversial topics just not to offend each other. I don’t avoid controversial topics when they come up. I gladly share my views and listen to others. It just means being kind about it, being respectful of other people even when they have opinions that we do not find favorable.

“So let’s leave it alone, ’cause we can’t see eye to eye
There ain’t no good guy, there ain’t no bad guy
There’s only you and me and we just disagree” ~ Dave Mason

Some people feel we have to become aggressive over things especially politics it seems. Then there are those who feel we have to never ever discuss politics or religion or any controversial views. Then there are those “social chameleons” who having changing views depending upon who they are with. I disagree with all three. It’s great to get to know each other, open up to different views, see different points, be honest about our own views, and be kind. We can be firm and assertive and stand our ground while still being very loving.

“I ain’t lookin’ for you to feel like me
See like me or be like me
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.” ~ Bob Dylan ❤

The next occasion we find ourselves in the face of a controversial debate or conversation, let’s give tact a try! 😀 Lovingkindness is more important than being right!

😀

Xoxo Kim ❤

Sharing is Caring <3

Mar31

I’m reading a beautiful novel called “The Well of Loneliness” by Radclyffe Hall, which takes place in the 1920’s and is classified as “Lesbian fiction.” It’s considered to be the very first novel to condemn homophobia and the unfair treatment of gay people. It was originally published in 1928.

While it’s not an autobiography, it is inspired by the author’s real life. It’s said to be the “thinly disguised story of Radclyffe Hall’s own life.” It’s about a woman named Stephen who is considered to be very different than the average woman. She’s somewhat masculine and is a lesbian. Even when she’s not open about her sexual orientation, people can kind of sense it. But this is the 20’s and not only is homosexuality condemned by society, it’s not even thought of much and almost never talked about. Even though people have an idea of the concept, it’s like they don’t even know what it’s called or how to even talk about it in words or fathom it. It’s so unheard of, it’s like there’s not even a word for it, it seems in this novel. They all have an idea about Stephen, that she’s not how she “should be.” As a child she was said not to have the “pretty little ways” of the other little girls. She wanted short hair and to be a boy.
Since she was a child, she worked out unlike other little girls. Now she’s muscular and considered to be unusual. She also fences “like a man.” She doesn’t like girly things and dresses in masculine suits with ties.
She is considered quite attractive, just not in a feminine way.
She’s kind of shy, lacks confidence, and often feels as if she’s being mocked by those around her.
But she knows what she wants and goes for it even though others criticize and exclude her. I love how Stephen loves and cares deeply for animals. And people too.

People know as a young woman she’s not romantically interested at all in men. And they do not like this at all. She is only interested in being friends with men.
But men/boys feel threatened by her because she’s better at boy activities than even they are.

Even Stephen herself doesn’t understand what is going on. She knows, as the people in her community suspect, that she’s only romantically attracted to women. She thinks there is something wrong with her but also she knows there’s nothing wrong with her. She knows her attraction and love for other women is not wrong or unnatural or immoral but she can’t help but feel in some way that there’s something “wrong” with her because of how others treat her.

To her, her love feels so right, so natural, so strong, it can’t possibly be wrong.
Most people won’t accept her. They gossip about her very unkindly. The only two people who seem to accept her, homosexuality and all, are her dad and her teacher.
The novel is about how she falls in love with a woman who loves her back and no one around them accepts this and won’t even let them in their houses. This puts a kind of strain on their relationship. Then a man comes along and says he can give Stephen’s lover the “respectability” that Stephen cannot if she will leave Stephen for him. This is a threat to their relationship and puts their love for one another to the test.

One of the most beautiful lines in the novel is:

“‘You’re neither unnatural, nor abominable, nor mad; you’re as much a part of what people call nature as anyone else; only you’re unexplained as yet- you’ve not got your niche in creation. But some day that will come, and meanwhile don’t shrink from yourself, but just face yourself calmly and bravely. Have courage; do the best you can with your burden. But above all be honourable. Cling to your honour for the sake of those who share the same burden. For their sakes show the world that people like you and they can be quite as selfless and fine as the rest of mankind. Let your life go to prove this- it would be a really great life-work, Stephen.'” (pp. 154)

One of the characters in the book plans to say this to Stephen but she has to be careful or they both can get into social trouble if it’s overheard by others, Stephen for being a lesbian, the other character for supporting her .

Isn’t this beautiful?! While there’s nothing intrinsic to homosexuality itself that is painful or immoral or wrong or detrimental and there’s nothing about consensual adult homosexual encounters/relationships that is wrong, to many lgbtq people, it can feel that way because of the way others view and treat them or their sexuality. Homosexuality isn’t a burden. What is the burden, is having to put up with prejudicial attitudes and discrimination.

I think the line I shared above can apply to all of us with any situation we have whether good, bad, or neutral. We can have a situation that is painful or frustrating or distressing either because of the thing itself or the way people view the thing. For example when someone has depression or anxiety, that itself is not good, and on top of it, people often misunderstand or misjudge those who struggle with those disorders. And then there are even good things that can become painful because of how other people react. Like some goals and dreams some people have which may not be supported by friends and family of the person. For example, some people want to be an artist and the family won’t accept it, maybe thinking it’s pointless or that the person won’t get much money or get anywhere in life being an artist. But being an artist of any sort is a great thing! It’s amazing. But it won’t always feel that way with other people pressuring them to be/do something else. Stephen or anyone can have a beautiful romantic relationship with a lover of the same gender or even a different gender but it can feel “wrong” or painful because other people try to get in the way for whatever reason.

But as this line in the book shows, there’s always someone out there somewhere in a similar situation who can really be helped in some way by our stories. They may be feeling very lonely and hopeless and knowing examples of others in similar situations can bring them consolation, inspiration, motivation, and help them muster the strength to keep going.

It’s not always easy to share our stories because no matter what there’s always going to be those who criticize unnecessarily, mock, judge, try to get in the way…,whether they are friends, family, acquaintances, or strangers.

But I think it’s worth it to share our stories, the good, the bad, the beautiful and the ugly, the taboo, and the unthinkable…to help others somehow. Some people want desperately to share their story of a life situation they experience/d but they are deathly afraid of being judged. It’s ok to be afraid. But I think we can “feel the fear and do it anyway.” There’s someone, many someones, out there who need us and can draw on our strength. When people criticize us unnecessarily and judge us negatively, we can love them and move forward, letting them judge and criticize. It has nothing to do with us or how we really are.

I love this book even though I haven’t read it all yet. It’s so beautiful, the story, the love, the imagery, the boldness, and how it’s written, almost poetically. The beauty and imagery just flow. And it’s written with passion and deep understanding as the author herself, has in reality experienced very similar circumstances as Stephen. It’s a very old story but it’s not written in a way that is hard to understand. I was expecting to not understand some things as the English language long ago wasn’t exactly the same as now and in some old texts they had to allude to certain taboo concepts like homosexuality, suicide, adultery…as those things were considered unthinkable. But this book is quite candid. It’s said to be “Shockingly candid for its time.”

There’s not much allusion. The author is upfront in her writing. I love the candor. The author, I feel, is a hero for having the courage to write this novel back then, when she would have been horribly judged and criticized, discriminated against. In fact, her novel was banned and her literary career was almost ended. Imagine how many people were/are helped and inspired by this novel. Sadly, these things linger even today but fortunately they are often less severe than way back then, still, they are all too common. I think this novel is a gift to the world (and I haven’t even read the entire thing yet. Lol) I’m happy she had the balls to write and get it published back then. Imagine the strength it took. Even today lgbtq people are discriminated against and the targets of prejudicial attitudes, so imagine how much more courage it took back in the 20’s to put her story out there!

So I find so much wisdom in the story and feel I must share it!

Much love to you! ❤

😀

Xoxo Kim ❤

Random Inspiration #15 {Struggles & Strength}

Mar29

” I got something to tell you
I got something to say
I’m gonna put this dream in motion
Never let nothing stand in my way “ ~ Billy Ocean

Here are some of my favorite quotes about how struggles can strengthen us if we let them and help us grow. And my pictures to go with the quotes!!!<3
😀

“May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view.”
~Edward Abbey

“Sometimes when you lose your way, you find YOURSELF.” ~
Mandy Hale

“Keep traveling, even if you don’t know where the road will end.” ~
Lailah Gifty Akita

“I don’t need to go to heaven or hell. I have been both places and always wanted more. I will settle for somewhere in between, so eternity never becomes dull and every miracle is something I never take for granted.” ~
Shannon L. Alder

“No one learns to be a good driver by driving along a straight road.”

“Love, happiness, peace – these are not final destinations. They are in every moment, every breath, everything.” ~
Vironika Tugalev

“The path to our destination is not always a straight one. We go down the wrong road, we get lost, we turn back. Maybe it doesn’t matter which road we embark on. Maybe what matters is that we embark.” ~
Barbara Hall

“…and as for this little lady, the best thing I can wish her is a little misfortune.” ~
William Makepeace Thackeray
(The Rose and the Ring)

Struggles, challenges, misfortune, mistakes, guilt, pain, any kind of obstacles can all serve as a catalyst for positive change. We can become even better than we were before. Difficult circumstances can be our inspiration to grow.
We don’t have to go out looking for trouble, it will appear on its own. And we can use it to our advantage.

“When the going gets tough, the tough get going…when the going gets rough, the tough get rough…”

” I’m gonna get myself ‘cross the river
That’s the price I’m willing to pay” ~ Billy Ocean

I’m wishing you much love (and a little misfortune…lol jk ;-D)!! ❤

Check out Billy Ocean’s When the Going Gets Tough:

Mobile:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=opMNboyz5Ng

Desktop:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&persist_app=1&v=opMNboyz5Ng

Xoxo Kim ❤

Spring is in the air! <3

Mar20

But not really!

Today is the first day of Spring!

And this is what we get!

(this pic showed up by accident but he’s cute so I’m leaving it – he’s my baby, Woody, almost eight months old!)

What a hilarious joke it seems the uni-verse has played on us! 😀

Lol it looks like Winter is milking it for all it’s worth, going to snow and be All frigid until the last second it possibly can!

I love it! I’m so so happy it will be warm soon! And life will
Blossom
all around! Green & flowers and a floral fragrance in the air!

Google flowers! @—}—-}

But I’m so happy for one last snow blizzard until Winter/the end of Fall comes again! Yay!

It’s a Winter Wonderland today and I walked in it to get my mom a coffee! It was beautiful but eventually my head was throbbing terribly because of the cold, I thought I would pass out. Or die. Lol ok, not really die but it was almost as painful as brain freeze when I eat ice cream too quickly!

The quote in my daily quote book for today, March 20th is:

“If only we’d stop trying to be happy, we’d have a pretty good time.” ~ Edith Wharton

Isn’t this so true?! How often have you heard someone say or have you said or thought yourself something like “when it’s warm/hot outside and I can go on vacation, I will be happier, when I lose 20 pounds I will be happier, this weekend I will be happy, when I have kids I will be happy, when I find true love or get married I will be happy, when I grow up/get older, graduate college, get better grades, I will be happy, when I get a job or another job I will be happy, when I have more money I will be happy, when I have a place of my own I will be happy…?”

I’m definitely not innocent of thoughts like that occasionally, thoughts like “when…..then I will be happier.” While I’m often mindful of and happy right now, there are definitely occasions I begin to think I need more or “should” have more. And then it leads to a very low feeling, negative comparisons to others, or even a full blown depression.

But the truth is, we can be happy now. Let go of the conditional happiness concept and living too much in the future. Let go and allow the beauty and joy of right Now to seep into our essence and soak it all up! Be happy now!

The external things that we think can lead to happiness or can bring us fleeting happiness will not last very long and are not necessarily as purely blissful as we think they are. Warm weather comes then leaves eventually and we’re stuck in the bitter cold, vacations end and we have to come back to reality, people can leave us, we can put weight back on after the hard work losing it, fashion trends eventually end after buying all those expensive clothes, people die of heatstroke and exhaustion in the Summer, freeze to death in Winter, suffer with horrible allergies in Spring & Fall, are used for money and have lots of financial management when they are financially rich, have the pressure of having to keep up their grades when they have a perfect gpa, even great things like kids and relationships and money, a great job,….come with consequences that aren’t always pure bliss, the thing is to practice and learn to be happy NOW or at least in general under any circumstances.

Pay attention to the gifts right before our very eyes. It’s great to have relationships with others, have kids, get a new job, shop for new clothes, experience the seasons, have money, get amazing grades in school…but we don’t need those things to have a sense of happiness or self worth. They can bring us certain joys and a certain kind of happiness and blessings we won’t have without them but we can also have joy and true happiness and blessings without them. They complement our happiness and our self, not complete us.

There are great things and drawbacks to just about every stage and phase and season of life. Let’s cherish them all and appreciate now!

Coincidentally this is what we talked about and meditated upon in class last night. Then today that is the quote for this day!

Also, I read that today brings with it a Super New Moon, a Total Solar Eclipse, and the Spring Equinox! All of which symbolize new beginnings! A perfect reminder that no matter what happened, no matter how stuck or depressed, or broken we are or have been, there is new hope and a blank slate to turn around and begin again! And we can begin right Now! ❤

Much love to you! ❤

Xoxo Kim

A Dose of Inspiration

One Love <3

Tag Archive | wisdom

Befriending our emotions

May my soul bloom in love <3

Summer Breeze <3

Today <3

Planting Seeds <3

Tact

Random Inspiration #15 {Struggles & Strength}

Spring is in the air! <3