“Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.” ~
Robert A. Heinlein
My kitty, Lacey and a funny quote!
;-D ❤
I hope you are having a great day/night! ❤
xoxo Kim
Archive | November 2015
Beyond the Darkness
“Beyond the darkness, the Light laughs.”
Isn’t this a beautiful quote?!
I love it because it’s full of hope and also playful.
My picture above is one I took recently in Center City, Philadelphia. It’s perfect for this post because it’s so dark but with a few lights in the buildings off in the distance. Even small specks of light are strong.
Here is that hilarious and very popular video, “Charlie Bit My Finger!” It’s so cute and funny! My professor in college showed us it years ago. He is of the same country these little kids are but he moved here and teaches psychology classes. I love their accent! I remember laughing hysterically at this video and couldn’t stop even when everyone else stopped laughing! And it’s still just as funny today! Laughter can brighten any day and lighten a heavy heart. I hope this uplifts you if you’re in need or just gives you a good laugh and maybe you find the quote inspiring like I do!
Charlie Bit My Finger – mobile
Charlie Bit My Finger – desktop
Hugs & love today & always,
❤ 😀
xoxo Kim
Honesty vs. Being an asshole {let your heart lead the way}
“If you find yourself saying ‘But I’m just being honest,’ chances are you’ve just been unkind. Honesty doesn’t heal. Empathy does.” ~ Dan Waldschmidt
Honesty is one thing. Being an asshole is quite another. Lol ;-D
So many people brag about “telling it like it is” or how they are “brutally honest” or love when people are “honest to a fault.” Like that’s a good thing. But I don’t see how it necessarily is.
Maybe it’s cute when a three year old blabs everything that’s on her mind but for adults…not so much. Honesty is a good quality and a good thing in general or in theory but it’s not always necessary. Too many people, in my opinion, have jumped on this bandwagon or trend of “I tell it like it is” or “speak my mind without hesitation” and “if I don’t like you, you’ll know it” and act like it’s a good or cool thing when it’s really often just an excuse to be insulting or say uncalled for things at the expense of others. That’s a turn off to me. What is so cool about it? What is good about it? How is that a good quality to possess to make it a point to always make it known you don’t like someone or something about someone? It’s ok not to like someone. And not to like things about people. But we don’t have to be vicious about it. As adults we can not like people and not like things but suck it up and be civil when we have to encounter them. It’s not being fake; it’s being mature and being kind. So, yes honesty in itself is surely a good thing. But it’s not always necessary to express something merely for the sake of honesty. I’m not saying never, but just not always. And in many cases, I don’t believe it’s really about honesty but about being rude just because someone feels like being rude but not owning up to it and pushing it off on being “real” or honest.
For example, commenting on someone’s picture of her new haircut or new dress or glasses with something rude like “meh” or “this isn’t one of your best outfits or pictures…” or “wow you put on some weight!” or “what happened you used to be so hot, you really let yourself go!(yup, I actually saw a man write this on his girlfriend’s old pictures of herself a while ago!)” in the name of honesty. Is it really necessary for your honesty in this case? This is just a random example, not meant for any specific incident or person now. But I have seen these comments and heard similar things in person to/about various people.
It’s uncalled for in my opinion.
I love the brilliant quote above. Empathy helps heal. If we don’t like someone’s new haircut or someone’s new clothes or whatever someone does, we can still be happy for that person for getting something s/he likes or being happy. If someone puts on weight, so what, and don’t you think saying that to a woman is very rude and can be damaging? If we don’t like how someone acts, we can tap into our empathy and try to better understand.
I think when people are “brutally honest” in a rude way, it’s probably often because they aren’t happy either with themselves or current circumstances or just in a bad mood that day and want to try to drag others down or get out their unpleasant emotions being rude to others. So instead of calling them an asshole (like I just did lol), we can try to also show compassion and tap into our empathy for them. I don’t always do this. Sometimes when someone is unkind, I react with more unkindness(either to the person directly or complaining about the person to someone else), which is tempting sometimes but not helpful. I’m much better with reacting to negativity and unkindness with patience and love either being kind in the face of it or just holding my tongue (which can also be an act of love) so as not to further fuel the negativity, pain, or anger of someone. But I’m still not perfect at it.
So this is a good reminder to me as well!
Let’s chuck that brutal honesty out the window once in a while, kick it to the curb and give empathy a try instead!
Here is a beautiful and heartwrenching song and video about holding off on the unpleasant words and letting love lead the way!
What Do You Say – Reba McEntire – mobile
“So what do you say in a moment like this
When you can’t find the words to tell it like it is
Just bite your tongue and let your heart lead the way…”
😀
Hugs & love,
❤
Xoxo Kim ❤
Inspiring quotes & pictures! {beauty} <3
Here are some lovely quotes and my pictures!
“If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be. We are not wise, and not very often kind. And much can never be redeemed. Still life has some possibility left. Perhaps this is its way of fighting back, that sometimes something happened better than all the riches or power in the world. It could be anything, but very likely you notice it in the instant when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the case. Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid of its plenty. Joy is not made to be a crumb. (Don’t Hesitate)” ~
Mary Oliver
This is an old picture of me kissing my puppy last year shortly after he was born! His mommy ran out of milk and we had to feed him and his sister with a dropper. His name is Woody and he’s a big boy now!
“Beauty doesn’t have to be about anything. What’s a vase about? What’s a sunset or a flower about? What, for that matter, is Mozart’s Twenty-third Piano Concerto about?” ~Douglas Adams
“Kindness and awareness work together. Through awareness we understand the underlying beauty of everything and every being.” ~Amit Ray
This is me! as a kaliedoscope! lol
“Compassion is all inclusive. Compassion knows no boundaries. Compassion comes with awareness, and awareness breaks all narrow territories.” ~Amit Ray
“The beauty of that June day was almost staggering. After the wet spring, everything that could turn green had outdone itself in greenness and everything that could even dream of blooming or blossoming was in bloom and blossom. The sunlight was a benediction. The breezes were so caressingly soft and intimate on the skin as to be embarrassing.” ~Dan Simmons
This is me with no makeup or photo effect/filter. I just made the picture lighter because it was a bit dark. I love makeup but don’t always wear it even when I go out. I usually wear makeup in my pictures and usually put photo effects on them. I love photography and editing pics and hope to learn more! These are my Winter pj’s but I don’t think they match! Lol oh well!
“Beauty is an inner light that shines on the outside.” ~Lailah Gifty Akita
My mom put the Christmas tree up a couple weeks ago! We just need candy canes now! I love how the lights turned out in this picture! The way the colors go out like that. I don’t know what that’s called. It’s the only pic that turned out like that! My mom loves decorating and is very proud of the tree. The animals wrecked the last trees we had! Lol And there’s Lacey sleeping next to it, she loves the tree! ❤
“Niagara Falls is the hanging tongue on the face of the earth, drooling endlessly over its own beauty.”~ Vinita Kinra
These are my pretty babies. Aren’t they so cute?! They love their cucumbers! A lot of people don’t know this but they can feel when their shells are touched and love to be petted and brushed with a toothbrush. They cannot switch shells and cannot live outside them. They cannot live if their shells break too much and if they have minor breaks, they can be super glued.
The shells get bigger as the baby snails grow up. They are cold blooded and have to be kept warm and moist. Some snails can live to be older than fifteen years old! 😀 ❤
“Explore the wonders of different shades of colours. It is purely lovely.” ~Lailah Gifty Akita
I read this on Google:
“Most snails have thousands of microscopic tooth-like structures located on a ribbon-like tongue called a radula. The radula works like a file, ripping food into small pieces.”
I can feel their little teeth sometimes when I hold them. It’s not painful but tingly. Those things love to eat! Lol
My mom is afraid of them. lol
“Ah yes, the beauty of nature…once we understand life’s delicateness, then we will surely protect and cherish all of its forms.Ah yes, the beauty of nature…once we understand life’s delicateness, then we will surely protect and cherish all of its forms.” ~ Shannon Leigh Warren
“Looking at beauty in the world, is the first step of purifying the mind.” ~Amit Ray
I don’t have dirty fingernails. lol I had on ugly nailpolish and took it off quickly before work and not all of it came off.
“If you realized how beautiful you are, you would fall at your own feet.” ~Byron Katie
Beauty’s Only Skin Deep – Temptations- mobile
Beauty’s Only Skin Deep – desktop
This is an Oldie song sung by the Temptations about how inner beauty is more important than physical beauty which I completely agree with. But i think he has nerve because he tells his girl she is beautiful on the inside but does not have a pretty face! Whaatt?! What girl wants her love to tell her that?! And he got the gall to tell her his friends ask him what he sees in her! i’m offended! lol And he says a pleasing personality is rare. I disagree. Lots of people have a lovely personality!
❤ 😀
Much0 love to you!!
xoxo Kim ❤
Happy Thanksgiving
Beautiful, beautiful post!! ❤ 😀
Thanksgiving, celebrated this week here in the U.S., is a holiday during which we express gratitude for the harvest and the many blessings bestowed upon us during the previous year.
While most of us are quite fortunate, often we forget to give thanks for our good fortune and it is nice to have a holiday to draw our attention to it. Studies have shown that those who practice gratitude daily, through rituals such as journaling or prayer, are the happiest. So, what are you grateful for? Counting one’s blessings paves the way to greater abundance and happiness.
I am grateful to live in such a beautiful, rural town surrounded by forests. I walk out my door into a natural sanctuary filled with an abundance of plant and animal wildlife.
I have kind neighbors and I am grateful for the many services I enjoy, such as a plowed road in winter or a place to…
View original post 259 more words
Perfect idea!! <3
My cousin sent me a Facebook invitation for an event taking place here in Philadelphia and when I opened it, I was ecstatic!
It’s the perfect idea for everywhere, not just here!
There are people collecting gloves, hats, scarves…anything to keep people warm, and hanging them in trees, putting them on park benches, and anywhere for homeless people to take and be a little bit warmer.
Isn’t this absolutely amazing?! Why did I not think of this?! I thought of leaving inspiring notes, dollar bills, books….for anyone to find but never thought of leaving pratical material objects like gloves & hats for people in need.
I am so thankful I was introduced to this idea and that people thought of it and reached so many people to inspire to do this. Gloves and hats can really make a big difference to people walking or sitting in the freezing cold.
My heart is overwhelmed in love & gratitude. It’s so heartwarming to see people helping like this.
Thank You to all who do things like this and inspire others to help.
Maybe you will do something like this if it’s cold where you are? You can donate your own or buy some things to help warm up those in need. Just put them outside anywhere and especially where homeless people usually are. In Philadelphia, they are often in “Love Park.” But people in need are everywhere. ❤ ❤
(this isn’t my picture. I found it on Google images.)
😀
Hugs & love,
xoxo Kim
Limits
“The only limits we have are self-imposed.”
No matter what problem, pain, disability, challenges we have, it can’t conquer us if we don’t let it. We can still be happy, still succeed, and still live well.
Here is a fantastic song about still flying even with a broken wing.
“And with a broken wing
She still sings
She keeps an eye on the sky
With a broken wing
She carries her dreams
Man you ought to see her fly” ~ Martina McBride
What a beautiful message!
Nothing can hold us back if we don’t allow it to.
Let’s take those broken wings and learn to fly! 😀
❤
Hugs & love,
xoxo Kim
To My People – Ode to Humanity
“Best friend, acquaintance, lover, co-worker,
Even if I don’t know you, all the good that you do,
Helps me see my way through,
Service space thanks for sharing all the good news” ~ Empty Hands
Nimo Patel (of Empty Hands Music) is one of my favorite singers! All his songs are great, I love both the tunes and his messages. You know how you may love the words of a song but not the tune or music? Or the other way around, you really like the tune or music but not the words or message? One example of a song I like the tune and music of but not the words is “Pumped up Kicks” I think it’s called. It’s so uplifting and will get you pumped…..until you realize it’s a song about gun violence! He’s like running through the school blowing away all the kids. I don’t have anything against people listening to it, it’s just not my cup of tea(i do listen to Alice Cooper’s twisted songs about killing and stuff, Alice gets away with it just because he’s Alice! Lol).
Anyway, I love every single one of Nimo Patel’s songs, both the tunes and the messages. Most of his songs are about universal love, loving everyone, friends, family, strangers no matter their views, ethnicity, lifestyles, about togetherness and being thankful for life and every single living being in it, insects, humans, everything. So beautiful!
So today I want to share this incredible song, “To My People – Ode to Humanity.” I love it because “my people” are not just their own friends and family and community…but people everywhere, even strangers. It’s an ode to humanity. The singers are thankful for every single life, even those they never met. They acknowledge the goodness in everyone all around the world and give thanks. They encourage us to love our friends, our family, our acquaintances, our coworkers, everyone.
This song resonates with me so deeply. I have always felt this way and sometimes I feel it deeper than other occasions. But I frequently feel that everyone is someone to me, even strangers. Every life matters to me. I can identify with everyone in some way, some more deeply than others. I think if we tune into our empathy and wisdom, we can all feel this way often. We can relate to one another through our basic humanness, even other species because members of other species (animals, insects) share our basic will, desire to live, to avoid suffering and gravitate towards pleasure and relief.
“To my people yeh,
You’re my soul, you’re my roots
Your’re my family, my life and my truth
To my people yeh,
Your everybody, every being, every life, every moment, everything
To my people yeh,
Your my God, you’re my soul,
You’re the one that pushes me to help me grow
To my people yeh,
I bow down to your heart of gold” ~ Empty Hands
Imagine a world full of not strangers but friends, family, acquaintances, even if we don’t know them, we have some sense of kinship with them. Everywhere we look, in crowded shopping malls, in cars around us, at work, in stores, in hospitals,….we see family, living beings who are all someone to us and have a place in our heart. Imagine.
Wouldn’t that be beautiful?
We all have a name, a life, a breath, goals, pleasure, pain, happiness, fears, loves, a desire to avoid suffering, and gravitate towards things that bring pleasure or relief.
Underneath we are really quite similar.
We can practice feeling this more frequently and deeply by intentionally wishing the best for each person, each sentient being, we look at even if those people don’t know it. Even if just in our heads we can hope nothing but good for each person, animal, life we encounter. Each person we see on the streets, in cars, in stores, we can consciously, make it a point to think positive, pleasant things about those people. This can get our minds in the habit of loving everyone. I often feel this automatically without even trying but when I don’t feel it, I can make an intentional decision to wish each person the best. Not only is it just great to feel this, it can carry over into our actions, consciously or unconsciously.
I am so thankful for every life I come across in some way, no matter how briefly, online and in person. Every encounter we have with someone can impact that person so let’s make it a positive encounter. Let’s smile and send out love and engage in acts of kindness.
I’m so thankful for Nimo Patel and those who can write and sing these messages I receive so deeply, so lovingly. They take the words right out of my mouth, my heart, my being.
So I dedicate this post to my people.
You, you, you, you, and you! All of you and everyone around the world.
I bow down to your heart of gold.
I appreciate your goodness, your beauty, your love, your kindness, your compassion, your smile….
I love you and wish you the best in everything you do, all the good intentions you have.
I wish us all the best. It may seem like it doesn’t make sense because sometimes what’s best for one person may not be to someone else. What’s “best” for one may be the “worst” for someone else.For example two people going on a job interview and only one can get it. How can they both get the best? And what if someone wants to murder someone, that may seem best to the potential murderer but certainly not to the victim! The person who doesn’t get the job can still be at peace, still be happy and just try again. And the potential murderer can change and no longer hurt or try to hurt people. When I wish the best for others, I don’t just mean in an external way but inside, inner peace and love and happiness. Some people argue that universal love cannot possibly work out in a practical sense even if it’s a beautiful concept. But that’s simply not true. When we wish others the best, we are referring to an inner experience whatever happens on the outside.
Here is this wonderful song!
To My People – Ode to Humanity – mobile
To My People – Ode to Humanity – desktop
Much love to you,
😀
Xoxo Kim ❤ ❤
Ocean
“Let yourself be open and life will be easier. A spoon of salt in a glass of water makes it undrinkable. In a lake almost unnoticed.”
This is a fantastic message with deep meaning. I love the analogy to life.
If I have a life so full of happiness and love and my virtue of patience is strong, when unpleasant things come along, it will only be like a drop, a drop of unsettling things in an ocean of vast love and happiness. The positive things will drown out the unpleasant, washing them away in all the beauty.
But if I live a life of very little happiness and love and my virtue of patience isn’t yet strongly developed, the unsettling things are more like a spoonful in just a cup of happiness and love. It can taint the whole cup where in an ocean or lake, the water, love, happiness, patience….is vast enough, deep enough to stand untarnished.
Let’s focus on and build on the positive. Then when the unpleasant comes along we’ll be ready.
Love & Hugs,
❤ 😀
xoxo Kim
Love & Compassion <3
(this is not my photo..)
I agree, I don’t eat meat or wear fur or support killing animals for food, clothing, or sport and don’t support animal testing and I do not kill any insects or rodents intentionally, I cherish their lives, but I also do not support violence or hostility against people who don’t agree with me on this and don’t think “less” of them, I’m in no position to. There’s no doubt in my mind that many/most people who consume meat products are just as compassionate as I am. There’s nothing wrong with stating my views to people in appropriate contexts/situations, writing about them, signing/sharing things to help end animal cruelty and other things involving animals but I don’t have to be in people’s faces with it every chance I get, and criticize them in a destructive way. I don’t have to act like my morals are better than anyone else’s. I don’t freak out if people eat meat around me or anything. I won’t throw stuff on your fur clothing or destroy science labs and scientists’ vehicles and other property.
I can be firm in my views, confident, and passionate but still accept others, no matter what our differences are. Some people think if we’re very passionate about some specific issue and someone is on the opposing side, we can’t be compatible with one another without compromising/weakening our own views or passion or morals. When I was young I felt this way about certain issues but as I grew up and practice universal love more and more, deeper and deeper, I now know that’s not true. My greatest passion is love and compassion, all encompassing love. I won’t reject someone as a friend/lover/acquaintance….because we disagree. Also, “attacking” individual meateaters accomplishes nothing good or very little; it’s the corporations and government and people with more authority that would likely be best to contact. And individual people likely aren’t going to want to listen to us if we are going to be vicious, who wants to listen to someone who approaches us with hostility? And the main thing is to extend my compassion to everyone, whether or not we are in agreement or will ever be, on issues I am passionate about and whether or not that compassion is returned to me.
“Be love. Be so much love that when others are with you, they are love too.”
“The power of love has no limits.”
Love & Compassion – Parachute Club – mobile
❤ 😀
Hugs & love,
xoxo Kim
A Dose of Inspiration 