Once in your life you find her…❤

Someone who turns your heart around…❤

Best that you can do *Arthur’s Theme* – mobile

Arthur’s Theme – desktop

Recently I watched the movie, Arthur, with my dad, mom, and sister. My dad loves the movie and I have never seen it before recently, though I have always loved the theme song and wanted to see the movie.
It’s a beautiful movie.
Arthur is a man who lives a life of folly and fun, entertained by prostitutes, almost constantly drunk, he never worked a day in his life, his family is financially rich beyond belief. Arthur is to inherit over 8 million dollars!! Eight million! Whoaa!

But he only gets the money if he marries a girl who is a member of another financially rich family. If he refuses, he doesn’t get the money.
He is not in love with the beautiful woman his family demands that he marry so he refuses to marry her. But his dad tells him to kiss his inheritance goodbye and when Arthur finds out just how much money he would have gotten, he decides that he will marry the woman his family insists he marry. It can be kind of hard to resist 8 million dollars! Lol

Then Arthur sees her. Her. The woman of his dreams. A thief and dirt poor who lives at home with her daddy who is very good to her.

Linda is a cutie and full of life. She dresses in vibrant colors and isn’t afraid to speak up. She has a bright light around her. 

Arthur sees her in a store where she is caught stealing a gift for her dad. He comes to her rescue and they have an automatic and beautiful connection.

Unfortunately Arthur is already engaged to a woman he is not in love with.

He keeps meeting up with Linda and realizes it’s her he loves and wants to spend forever with.

Now Arthur is faced with a difficult dilemma. Does he disappoint his family and give up over 8 million dollars or does he choose true love?

I love the messages in the movie. One of them being that love is more valuable than money. 

And another that money does not necessarily bring happiness but doesn’t prevent it either. 

We can be happy being financially rich or poor.

One of my favorite scenes is when Arthur, his grandma, and Linda are all standing together outside and Arthur says he has always been rich but not really happy. Linda says she has always been poor and happy. And Arthur’s grandma says she has always been rich and happy.

I love the deep wisdom the movie conveys here, that money doesn’t make us truly happy but doesn’t prevent it either. And that being poor doesn’t prevent happiness necessarily. It’s about our attitude and choices, not money or material wealth itself. 

Here will be a spoiler if you haven’t seen the movie.

Arthur chooses love and gives up his inheritance. 

But…..

His grandma decides he can have the money anyway!

But…

He decides to refuse it and plans to get a job!
This doesn’t influence Linda to leave him because it’s love she’s committed to, not his money. 

But…

Grandma insists he take the money. She won’t have a member of their family be working class. 

So he takes the money and they all win!

I love the message that it’s not bad or wrong in any way to be financially rich or to desire material things as long as we don’t mistake them for definite channels to true happiness and love.

They can surely bring us a kind of joy we wouldn’t have without them. Of course we’re going to be happy having over 8 million dollars in a way we won’t be happy without it but we can still be just as happy without it.

Various people and things can bring out different kinds and depths of joy and happiness in us that we wouldn’t know without them. But we don’t need them to be happy. They complement us, not complete us.

I noticed that while this movie is full of love & beauty, it’s not a very sappy movie, at least in my opinion. I love sappy movies, songs, and books (but not usually poetry) and wouldn’t have minded it being sappier but it’s not so if you aren’t a fan of sap, you may appreciate it! Some people like love, romance and all but without the lovey dovey cheesy stuff! 

And the theme song is one of my favorite songs ever! I love the songs Christopher Cross sings. They are beautiful and often with a tinge of melancholy or a kind of sadness or somewhat dark beauty. There often seems to me, to be a hint of longing or allusion to some kind of pain or struggle blended in with the stunning beauty. 

“Wake up and she’s still with you
Even though you left her way across town
You’re wonderin’ to yourself
Hey what’ve I found” ❤

His singing voice itself, soft but profound, echoes a kind of melancholy, a haunting beauty, a subtle yearning for something deep, quiet and unspoken, a gentle but passionate quest for something always just out of reach. I feel that beneath the music notes and tender lilt is something, some kind of delicate daydream with the potential to unfold and become reality. It’s inspiring.

Always one of my favorite singers. I am so thankful he sings the theme song for Arthur. ❤

Much love,
Xoxo Kim 

If I could make days last forever …❤

“If I could make days last forever
If words could make wishes come true
I’d save every day like a treasure and then
Again, I would spend them with you” ❤

This is a photo I made using a Kindle Fire app! That’s my watch! Lol

And what a lovely song! ❤

 

Time in a bottle – Jim Croce – mobile

Time in A Bottle – desktop

I hope you are having a lovely day or night! It’s late at night here in Philadelphia! 

Also, I want to thank everyone who reads, likes, “likes,” comments, shares, follows….my content here or anywhere! Words cannot completely express my gratitude! I’m always so honored to have even just one person read my posts. I don’t always see comments on social media right away and don’t always respond quickly but I never intentionally ignore people to be rude. I’m the worst at seeing and responding to Facebook comments! I keep my account public and am added to many groups and things so have thousands of notifications a day for various things. I just completely suck at keeping up with it all. My main intention is to post inspiring things for others even if I do not personally or individually connect with everyone. But I deeply appreciate every person who reads, likes, shares….always!! ❤💙💚💛💜💖💝

Thank you so much!! 😀

Much love & light to you, always,

Xoxo Kim ❤

 

Somewhere the sun is shining through a silver lining

“Hey, little girl, come to your window And hear the music sing you a sweet song Don’t let the rain make you unhappy In just a moment we’re going to be walking in the sun Little gray clouds will cheer up They’re going to smile and clear up When they hear those rainy day bells Pitter-patter, rain day bells”

Today was a glorious rainy day & tonight is wonderfully rainy!! So in honor of this lovely pleasant surprise, here are a few of my rainy pics! And a sweet rainy song!!
.Rainy Day Bells – the – Globetrotters
-mobile

Rainy Day Bells – desktop

These photos were taken with my new Marshmallow phone and edited with  Snapseed.

This rainbow appeared right on the counter at work! How magical! Lol j/k! I put a bokeh effect on the pic! 😉

😀

I hope you are having a beautiful day or night wherever in the world you are;! 😀

Much love,

Xoxo Kim

Stillness ❤

 

Sailing – Christopher Cross- mobile

Sailing – desktop

“Well, it’s not far down to paradise, at least it’s not for me
And if the wind is right you can sail away and find tranquility
Oh, the canvas can do miracles, just you wait and see” 💝

Stillness is a beautiful place we can all discover deep within. It doesn’t matter what is going on outside, how calm or chaotic. There are a multitude of ways to tap into that place. It can be through meditation, some activity like walking, sailing, listening to music, coloring…

I think it’s important each day, at least once, to engage in the thing/s that are avenues to stillness, whatever it may be for us.

I find walking in a light rainy mist, certain songs, meditation, listening to the sound of rain, reading certain quotes and things are all great ways to tap into that place of stillness within me. Also, just sitting and intentionally stilling my mind, focusing on each breath in & out is a great way to find stillness. Distractions are OK, loud noises, phones ringing, yelling and talking going on outside…are all great opportunities to practice focusing the mind within, even with chaos or distractions going on in our physical environment.

My city, Philadelphia, is a busy city. It is alive at night and full of people laughing, yelling, arguing, chatting, sometimes playing instruments, cars screeching and beeping, lights, police cars and ambulances, construction work, protests and awareness walks…and meditation classes I attend some Thursday nights and on the weekends are in Center City Philadelphia where lots of action and noises take place. We are encouraged to silence our cellphones and keep quiet as possible during class but that doesn’t stop the clatter and drama and noise outside. But I see the outside distractions tempting us to lose focus on our inner world, as an amazing opportunity to truly strengthen our practice of maintaining inner stillness.

It’s like the saying “no one ever learns to be a great driver by driving along a perfectly straight road.”

If things outside are always quiet and peaceful our practice may not be as strong. In this life, no matter how peaceful our outter environment generally is, most of us will still experience occasional annoyances, something that disturbs our composure at one point, losses, possibly trauma of some sort, some kind of pain, …anything that potentially provokes unsettling emotions in us.

When we practice generally keeping our minds still, we will be equipped with the necessary skills to handle life’s ups and downs in a healthy manner.

Distractions, loud noises, people acting in a rude manner…are all gifts that we can use to our advantage, to be great for others as well as our own self. When we are calm and loving, our energy is peaceful and touches others for the better. 

Just taking a few minutes each day at home, work, walking…and focusing on the breath can do wonders for us. The results are amazing. It takes some practice and self discipline to develop the habit but is very well worth it.

We do not need some big, deep, time consuming meditation practice (although if we have one, that is wonderful!) To find stillness. Any activity we find calming that generates inner peace is great. And techniques can be incorporated into our mundane experiences in creative ways, brushing our teeth, showering, cleaning, eating…all are activities we have to each day that we can also use to practice calming techniques like breathing mindfully or other mindfulness activities, such as truly experiencing each sensation, the feel of the water on our skin, the bristles of our toothbrush in the mouth, the taste of our food, the texture…

I hope you have or soon find that thing or things that set you free no matter what is going on around you.

Much love, light, & stillness to you, always! 😀

Xoxo Kim ❤

Thoughts unguarded

 

“Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own thoughts unguarded.”

This is a great reminder  that our own thinking is what makes or breaks us, not what someone else does or thinks. It’s all up to us. We cannot always choose our emotions immediately but we can choose to practice or strengthen positive thinking. We hurt our own selves more than anyone else can, by allowing toxic energy to affect us.

No matter what anyone else  does, thinks, or says, as long as we don’t let it drag us down, they are not getting over on us even if we choose to just let it go and not confront it. It may seem like being too passive or a pushover but it’s not as long as our mind is peaceful. 

This isn’t to say not to address problems, just that as long as our mind is still, peaceful, calm, it’s all that matters.

This is a verse out of a translation of the Dhammapada that I have. I made this thing with a free app. It’s the perfect background image for this quote!

Much love,

Xoxo Kim

Beautiful and stupid❤

I don’t have very many pics on my kindle, which is what im using here, so heres me for now!

“When you are intelligent and beautiful you face a lot of problems. If you are beautiful and stupid then it’s easy”

Attributed to Nawal El Saadawi

This quote gives me a good chuckle! Lol! 😝

Being beautiful & stupid is fantastic! 💝

I am beautiful, it’s true, not completely stupid but certainly no genius!

😀

Today I wasn’t supposed to have work until tonight but I got woken up and asked to work another ten hour shift because there was a death in my boss & manager’s family. 💔

Being ripped out of my sleep and being told someone died gave me a kind of dull headache. But it’s much better since earlier.

Today I was going to catch up on reading blogs and answering comments, some of which are a few months old! 😱😨

I  will respond soon now! Better late than never!

I’m extremely thankful for every comment I receive and every person who reads, likes, shares….my content!!

 

Thank you!! 😍💖💝

Much love,

Kim

Heaven on Earth 💖

 

(Not my photo)

Heaven is a place on Earth – mobile

Heaven is a place on Earth – desktop ❤

“They say in Heaven, love comes first
We’ll make Heaven a place on Earth
Ooh, Heaven is a place on Earth” — Belinda Carlisle 💗💖💝

Love can be romantic love, platonic love, universal love(love for all sentient beings, wishing everyone the best, inner peace ❤ 👪 all encompassing love 💞😘), self love, love for a thing, place, activity, love for life itself, love as a state of being with no specific target….anything! Any love is good love!!

Let’s put more love out into the world! 

Let’s make  Heaven a place on Earth! 💖

💘💏💑😘😍💕💞

Much love &  light to you always,

Xoxo  Kim 😀

Substance

“We don’t need bigger cars or fancier clothes. We need self-respect, identity, community, love, variety, beauty, challenge and a purpose in living that is greater than material accumulation.”

Isn’t this the truth! And this is my picture of a beautiful cloud!

 

😀 😍

Xoxo Kim

 

Inner beauty❤

(Not my photo)

Yes, it’s true. Just being our own self is enough. There doesn’t always have to be words or actions. Beauty is our very BEing. ❤ ❤❤

Much love,

 

Xoxo Kim

 

Promote what you love

This isn’t my photo but it’s one of my favorite quotes. I love the concept of focusing on what we love instead of what we do not or focusing more on what we love and less on the things we do not like. I often think of politics when I think of this because often, we, both politicians as well as just “ordinary” citizens, tend to bash “the other side” and those who support it. Constructive criticism is definitely a positive thing, usually but I still think it’s most often best to focus our energy on the strengths of what we are promoting than on criticizing something or someone else. Of course, this can apply to anything, not just politics. 

I share this sentiment often and here it is again! 😀 It can never be stressed too much!

I have lots of blog & messages to catch up on and will soon! Probably Monday because it’s a busy weekend at work!

Much love,

Xoxo Kim