The Gift of a Little Glimmer

Find that little Glimmer. Photo credit: My husband

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of a Little Glimmer

“Today I learned about a term called “glimmer.”

Which is the opposite of a trigger. Glimmers are those moments in your day that make you feel joy, happiness, peace, or gratitude. Once you train your brain to be on the lookout for glimmers, these tiny moments will appear more and more.”

Unknown

A Glimmer, a glimpse, a little flash of light. 

That is what a glimmer provides.

When you are in the tunnel that is devoid of light. 

That little patch of glimmer will shine like a beacon in the night. 

A Glimmer can be a small moment in your day that brings you joy, happiness, or a small smile to your face. 

Gratitude, peace, clearness of mind. 

That is what a glimmer provides. 

Train your mind when all seems grey, to find the spots of glimmer in each day.

Life is a process, sometimes a drudgery. 

That is why we must find glimmer, look for it, as if it were a need.

Once you train your mind to see glimmer, the dark tunnel will shine. 

This will lead you to the glorious light, one day at a time.

My husband and I were watching a popular comedian speak the other night about the state of life in the West at the moment. He said that he went to multiple Christmas parties during the holiday and he asked two questions, “Have you seen Woody Harrelson, he’s my ride.” The other was, “In 2024 I would like (fill in the blank.)” He said the overwhelming answer just about every single time was, “Sanity.” There are times that I do believe that social media can take away our sanity. Also, just thirty minutes of the news. That sanity can turn very dark, very quickly if we find ourselves in an echo chamber that is less than savory for any amount of time. What happens when we stay there? The light begins to flicker, the stars dim in their shine and we find ourselves in a tunnel that is darkness as far as the eye and the mind can see. When I was little I was told a great deal of the phrase, “You are what you eat.” The concept was explained that this does not only apply to the mouth but the mind, heart, soul, and spirit. If most folks truly want sanity in 2024 what do we do? We find those little spots of glimmer each and every day. We clean up our diet. We practice moderation. Too much of anything results in tiredness, lack of faith, empathy, the ability to see the blessing that is right in front of you. Glimmer involves seeing that small sliver of light when our glasses are smudged and not clean. That glimmer will clean your glasses and help you to see and find your sanity. Sure, there are days when all you can do is put one foot in front of the other. That is okay. But dear readers, try to find some sanity and glitter each and every day. On a personal note, I have been down. The World Wide Bug made its way back into almost all of my family. Myself included. I cried. I did. Big ugly crocodile tears. I had to dig, grab, reach in the dark until I could find some glimmer. That glimmer was fuzzy slippers, my husband bringing me soup and my son trying his best to cook a proper meal for us. That helped me dig out of the tunnel. Find some sanity. Find that balance of soul, mind, diet, spirit, etc.. and make glimmering a way of life. 

My books are on Amazon!

The Quacktastic Adventures of Ellie and Lord Barks a Lot

The Case of the Missing Moo-Cow Bell

The Case of the Missing Bumbly Wumbly Bee

The Case of the Missing Wellies

The Case of the Missing Honk Honk

The Case of the Missing Ornaments

Clean it Up! Wash it Up!

Coming soon!

Appalachian Allegory: A Southern Novel

Buy me a coffee… pretty please… actually it would be a proper cuppa in my case. Thank you for reading! 

Patreon:

Positive Pensées

Paypal:  familyking8@gmail.com

The Gift of Small Talk

I love snow... I do. For the first couple of days. Its purity makes me think of the tenacity of us humans... there can be beauty even when things are a bit cold. 

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of Small Talk

“People are are often unreasonable and self-centered.  Forgive them anyway. If you are kind people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.  If you are honest, people may cheat you.  Be honest anyway. If you find happiness,  people may be jealous.  Be happy anyway.  The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow.  Do good. Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway. For you see in the end it is between you and God.  It was never between you and them anyway.”  Mother Teresa.

How are you?  How is it going? Is a common phrase to say.

When greeting strangers, friends or acquaintances it is something that we all say. 

When you are asking or receiving this phrase. 

Pause, take a moment and try to find something to say that is uplifting, kind or even just a compliment.  

These small words may make an impact on another human’s day. 

Even when you ask and the answer is not great, remember you are making a small dusting of their spirit and soul.  

Take that moment and say, “You will be in my thoughts and I will pray for you.”.  

There is beauty in meaningful uncomplicated words.  

Put them into practice.  

Make those deposits into humanity.  

Your soul and spirit will benefit from these small changes in a meaningful way.  

*I wrote this back in 2022! I was sorting through musings earlier and thought… “Wow, my writing has changed.” The message is still the same. We humans can make the world a better place, even if it is for one person.

In our world the phrase “How are you?” has become basically meaningless.  The usual response is of course, “fine.” This phrase is used across many languages, the Germans say: “Wie geht es dir”  Or if you want to be formal, “Wie geht es Ihnen?” The French say, “Comment ca va?” That is just two languages.  It all actuality it has taken on the form of a greeting rather than an actual question.  I have asked several folks recently if they are actually going to answer honestly when they are asked how they are doing.  Most of the folks said they did not want to overwhelm people with their problems because they were indeed, not ok.  Others said they just thought it was just making small talk.  The last few years have been pretty trying for the world.  I would wager to say that we are not all feeling puppies and rainbows.  How do we take small talk and make the words meaningful talk? Try just giving a smile.  Compliment someone’s hair. Tell someone they have a lovely smile.  Tell folks I sincerely hope you are doing well, it has been a tough few years.  These words, these compliments actually do help a person to feel better.  Recently I read that each time someone receives a kind word or compliment the area of the brain that is triggered is the same area that is activated when someone receives a cash reward.  Giving a kind word can also help the giver.  Our brains are wired to focus on the negative.  This dates to prehistoric times when the brain was analyzing threats.  Giving compliments also can help us to retrain our behavior to be more positive in our approach to situations in life.  We can realign our thoughts to focus on the positive. Are there truly negative people absolutely but in the words of Mahatma Gandhi: “If you want to change the world, start with yourself.” 

Source: Fastime.com

My books are on Amazon!

The Quacktastic Adventures of Ellie and Lord Barks a Lot

The Case of the Missing Moo-Cow Bell

The Case of the Missing Bumbly Wumbly Bee

The Case of the Missing Wellies

The Case of the Missing Honk Honk

The Case of the Missing Ornaments

Clean it Up! Wash it Up!

Coming soon!

Appalachian Allegory: A Southern Novel

Buy me a coffee… pretty please… actually it would be a proper cuppa in my case. Thank you for reading! 

Patreon:

Positive Pensées

Paypal:  familyking8@gmail.com

The Gift of a New Year

We are peering through the window, the new year is upon us. Hopefully this next year will be a chance to learn and grow. 

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.”

Edith Lovejoy Pierce 

The new year is upon us. 

The last year has passed us by.

Some of this year has been wonderful.

Some of this year has been a will to stay alive. 

We toiled and troubled and experienced this thing called life. 

We prayed, we cried, we had times where we couldn’t believe our eyes. 

There were times when we couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

There were times when we just smiled. 

Life continued to soldier on, even when our will was tried. 

Take the opportunity of this next year, make a purpose and a plan. 

Try to pick a goal that you can obtain. 

Pick that goal, try to make it, and if you don’t that is okay. 

The point is you tried to make it, to make your life a better place. 

Give yourself grace as this year ends. 

Find your place of thankfulness, make that your purpose at this year’s end. 

Most of all dear readers, give yourself some grace. 

You survived this year! 

That is something that is truly great!

To all of you dear readers, I just want to thank you for taking the time to read my little musings. It has been absolutely wonderful. My mind is always running, creating, singing, talking, wanting to do more… so I thank you. Some folks make resolutions, others do not. Personally, a new year should be a time to focus on being a better person and seeing those around us. In the last few days I have been at the hospital with a loved one. As we sat in that room for over 30 hours, I couldn’t help but see the suffering that was all around. We never know what our fellow humans are going through. We usually see through our lens. While self care is important. It is also a great service to others to try and see their struggle, their thorn in the flesh to bear. In that room full of folks, each person had a story. That story could be of loss and pain. That story could be of joy and a little pain. Each story was theirs. It doesn’t take much to say a little prayer for them. As I watched a woman come into the emergency room frantically trying to find her husband who had been taken to the hospital by ambulance… I could see the absolute fear in her eyes. She kept telling the staff to please take her to her husband. He was confused without her due to his illness. It was absolutely heartbreaking to watch. The staff was very kind and compassionate with her. That was refreshing to see. Oftentimes we get caught up in our situations and do not see the situations of others. Let us all this next year try to look through the lens of empathy. My son recently came to me and asked me to define empathy for him. I said it was the ability to share the feelings of another. I admit, there are times I struggle with this concept. It is simple to define yet hard to do, is it not? There are countless writings on the “loss of humanity” that seems to permeate our culture. A little empathy in our culture would probably go a long, long way. Look through someone else’s lens. In looking through that lens perhaps we can find our common humanity together. Happy New Year dear cherished readers. May this next year give you grace. May this next year shine with goodness and faith. May the prayers be bountiful and the joy be abounding. May the love ooze from all that is around you. May you find joy in the midst of sorrow. May you look forward to the dawn of tomorrow. May you look and see the face of God. In the trees, in the mountains, in the face of a child. May your words be full of goodness and measured truthfulness. May your life be blessed. Pass that blessing to others. Give and receive. Accept those gifts graciously. Give to those in need. Find your peace in the smallest of things. Find your cornerstone of faith. Walk forward into this new year with confidence and finesse. Again, thank you for reading, so very much. 

 

My books are on Amazon!

The Quacktastic Adventures of Ellie and Lord Barks a Lot

The Case of the Missing Moo-Cow Bell

The Case of the Missing Bumbly Wumbly Bee

The Case of the Missing Wellies

The Case of the Missing Honk Honk

The Case of the Missing Ornaments

Clean it Up! Wash it Up!

Coming soon!

Appalachian Allegory: A Southern Novel

Buy me a coffee… pretty please… actually it would be a proper cuppa in my case. Thank you for reading! 

Patreon:

Positive Pensées

The Gift of Magic

My doggy audience (Dawn the fifteen year old wonder dog) as I sing the first stanza of the carol running through my head...

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of Magic 

“I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.”

Laura Ingles Wilder

How do you recapture magic?

How do you hold it in the palm of your hand?

Can you have a moment to feel like a child again?

To wonder, to dream, to imagine if you dare. 

To have a wellspring of hope that lights the way.

Could those feelings again?

Could they burn like a flame?

A torch, a flame that lights the way.

That torch that can illumine even the darkest place.

To sing, to dance, to recapture your inner child. 

Recapture that magic. 

Make it a part of you.

Today I could not get a Christmas Carol out of my head. It plays over and over. It strains whispers in my ears like a beautiful waltz. Yesterday I wrote about the first week of Advent. The Candle of hope is lit in anticipation of the Messiah coming. To be hopeless would be truly terrible, would it not? We as humans need hope to keep us going. We need hope to carry on. What about magic? Is that not a form of hope? I don’t want to offend my magician friends but does “real” magic exist? Probably not. But, could you find a place where you felt as if things might be magic? When I contemplate magic I think of my children when they were waiting for Christmas morning. What would they get? Their excitement was palpable. I do remember the excitement I had as a child as Christmas morning was approaching. There was a quickening in my spirit to know that I would get to eat sweeties and play until my heart’s content. I also remember the hope that is conveyed in the Christmas Carols. The certain carol that keeps playing in my head is called: “Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella.” The carol itself was not originally a carol at all. It was a dance written for French nobility. It wasn’t until later that it was made into a Christmas carol in the Provence region of France. To this day the villagers dress as shepherds and milk maids. They carry torches and candles while singing the song on the way to mass. I think that sounds wonderful. The words are so simple yet beautiful. Bring a torch, Jeannette, Isabella. Bring a torch to the stable call. Christ is born, tell the folk of the village. The carol talks about bringing cakes arranged on the platter. They watch the child sleeping. They sing for joy. Simple yet beautiful. What sweet simple thing in life can you think of that gives you a little magic or hope? When I read the quote above I really thought of the little things, the small acts that truly do inspire hope. The “What happens in between” things. My husband calls it “doing ordinary things in extraordinary places.” When he says this I immediately think of hope, comfort, magic.  When the world wide bug came knocking on our door a lot changed in humanity. You can’t deny that people have changed a lot. For many years I served as a church pianist. When the bug came to fruition my role changed within a week. One week I was playing hymns and singing songs. The next. Nothing. Music is like a hug from the Lord. You need it to keep going. The service was an early traditional service. So the demographic was usually older and retired. Their lives were not only impacted by not going to church but also from doing just about everything. I saw this as well with the seniors at the senior living facility that I was going to a few times a week to functionally train them. That was their social outlet. They were all at once alone and unable to be with anyone. So much hope was lost. It was almost a year before I was allowed to return to see them. The change in their spirits was palpable. It was as if the light that was shining in their sweet faces went from beaming to almost completely dim. I do believe that this time stole a lot of magic. For my husband and I, we fell out of the habit of attending church each week. Sure, we watched it online but that is not the same. For the old folks, slowly but surely they found their magic again of getting to see people, to fellowship, to feel the magic that is good humanity. For my husband and myself, we found the fellowship of gathering together as a community that is church. Where can you bring your torch? Where can you sing? What in your life feels like magic? I encourage you to find it. Dress up in your Christmas gown, carry your candle and sing! After all, “Enjoy the little things in life.. For one day you will look back and realize they were the big things.” Kurt Vonnegut

My books are on Amazon!

The Quacktastic Adventures of Ellie and Lord Barks a Lot

The Case of the Missing Moo-Cow Bell

The Case of the Missing Bumbly Wumbly Bee

The Case of the Missing Wellies

The Case of the Missing Honk Honk

The Case of the Missing Ornaments

Clean it Up! Wash it Up!

Coming soon!

Appalachian Allegory: A Southern Novel

Buy me a coffee… pretty please… actually it would be a proper cuppa in my case. Thank you for reading! 

Patreon:

Positive Pensées

Paypal:  A.  Daniel King

The Gift of Roots and Shoots

Photo Credit: My husband

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of Roots and Shoots

“Till your mental soil with determination. Fertilize your emotional soil with positive words.  And plant the seed of your heart’s desire with your disciplined efforts.”

Iyanla Vanzant

When you think of a tiny seed what comes to mind?

Do you think of all the varieties of plants this tiny pod can design?

Flowers, fruit, vegetables and trees. 

There are so many wonderful things that come from seeds. 

Those seeds need to be watered, cultivated and fertilized.

These seeds grow the trees that are truly poems to nature and humanity.

The roots go deep and reach very far. 

They draw their life force from the soil whether soft or hard.

What are your seeds and roots made of?

What kind of soil is cultivating your roots?

Are you fertilizing and care for those roots and shoots?

What are the shoots? 

The roots of the tree shoot everywhere in the ground so that they can become really tall trees. 

Cultivate good seeds, nourish your roots.  

Be the best version with robust roots and shoots. 

Do you ever pause and think about just how wondrous a tiny seed can be?  Look around you, the trees in all of their glory stand tall because of seeds. A seed is an actual embryonic plant enclosed with a hard exterior.   We eat fruits and vegetables because our ancestors cultivated seeds for us to eat.  Flowers in all their beauty are from seeds.  Seeds are life itself.  Every seed that we enjoy today originated from wild plants that were bitter and sour. They were not at all palatable to the human sense of taste.  Since the inception of finding seeds, humankind has constantly worked to improve the seeds quality for an even more robust harvest. Inside those seeds there is usually a supply of nutrients that enables that seed to sprout and grow.  Seeds come in many diverse sizes. There are a fair amount of very small seeds and diversely some large seeds.  The seeds that are smaller germinate much more quickly.  Seeds can be sown through the wind, carried by animals and even transplanted by ants.  After the sowing comes germination, where the seed actually begins to grow.  This is all dependent on the environment in which the seed is sown.  If the seed is not watered it will dry up and eventually die.  What an amazing process from such a small origin.  How do seeds relate to our everyday life?  Well, it is quite obvious that we need to plant good seeds in our life and conversely plant good seeds into the lives of others.  Some folks may not be ready to receive the message but you have planted the seed.  The same is true for us.  Those seeds are there, waiting to come forth from their pod and produce goodness in our life.  To those seeds that are not needed. We can let them dry and wither.  We all are different, we need different seeds to grow and thrive in our life.  Our thoughts are like seeds.  What do you dwell on?  If the majority of those musings are mostly negative the harvest will be a bad attitude right?  What if you take those turgid thoughts and water them with thoughts like, what can I learn?  How can I be better?  How can I plant a seed so that this place of dwelling goes from darkness to light?  No seed starts out as a beautiful garden awash in vegetation and flowers.  It takes time, effort, pruning, nourishing, watering and discipline.  The very first time I fancied myself a gardener I just bought a few seeds from our local department store.  I had no idea what I was doing, I had no idea what kind of soil to use.  I was in fact, clueless.  The first year (I am not kidding) I planted about 4 tomato plants in my backyard, in the shade and in the Georgia red clay soil.  I did not fertilize it, I just thought, hey!  It will grow.  My neighbor is an avid gardener.  He has impressive stalks of corn that look glorious. He has tomatoes for days, beans, herbs, onion, garlic, muscadine vines.  It is quite impressive.  I told him how my plants just wouldn’t grow.  He very graciously came over and in a very fatherly voice said, “My dear, you need sunlight and good soil to start with.  After that some good watering and patience your seeds will start to grow.”  He led me to a better spot to plant my tomatoes.  After planting them in a better, more sunny area we had a bumper crop of nice big red tomates.  The seeds were there, they were just not thriving where they were planted.  My sweet neighbor in all of his very sage wisdom taught me a lesson that day.  Plant the seeds of your life in an area that will cause you to grow and to give the gift of seeds and possibly positive growth to others.  Those roots and shoots will travel throughout the ground making for a much stronger foundation, after that those seeds can be carried far and wide to hopefully make someone else find a fertile place to grow. 

Source:tinybuddha.com

My books are on Amazon! 

The Quacktastic Adventures of Ellie and Lord Barks a Lot

The Gift of Making a Note to Yourself

I took this on a snowy walk in Locust Valley, New York. 

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of Making a Note to Yourself

“Note to self: When things feel overwhelming, remember: One thought at a time, one task at a time and one day at a time.”

Unknown

Do you ever write a note to yourself on a particular day?

So that when you look back a little later you can say..

I really did follow through, even though I doubted myself in each and every way.

Leave a note for yourself to remind you of growth. 

Leave a note for yourself to show you your patience has expanded ten fold.

Write down a feeling you were feeling that particular day.

Leave a note of a task you thought you would never finish, give yourself a pat on the back that day.

Write your feelings, your joys, and your aches. 

Write your frustrations, your aspirations, and just shoot the breeze.

Let that note show you that you indeed did take things one day at a time.

When the day is long, tedious, and quite boring. 

Take out that note, read it, receive it and remember. 

That note could be the spark of graciousness that you needed for the day. 

It is easy to find all the bad circumstances in a situation, you don’t have to look that far. 

But that note could be the flicker of light that changes your attitude and heart. 

So write yourself a note. 

It doesn’t have to be long.

But that little note may just be what you needed to stay strong. 

Do you remember the notion of a diary that certain folks kept under lock and key?  Sometimes I believe that Social Media has become a diary of sorts.  If you ever had a diary did you write down how you were feeling that day or some hopes and dreams of what is to come in the future?  As life keeps whirling along, how rewarding would it be to look back in a month or six months at what we were feeling on a particular day.  Or even better, perhaps we could see if we actually accomplished something no matter how big or small. On an even deeper level I would say that writing a note to yourself is an act of learning.  You have heard folks say, “Let me look at my notes.” If you are at a particularly low point you can look at your notes and this can spur you on to more meaningful deeds.  Notes help you focus on the task at hand.  And if we are truly going through life trying to be a better version of ourselves then that note is of great importance.  Think of it as improving your personal and spiritual Grade Point Average.  It is a proven fact that folks who take notes know more. I ran across a meme recently that had, “Notes you can leave yourself” Some of the suggestions were: You are doing the best you can. You are worthy and lovable. It’s okay to ask for help. You are capable of amazing things. Your boundaries are important. Your feelings are valid. It is okay to try again. You are allowed to say no. Those are some completely viable notes or suggestions. When I started writing these Pensées, I prayed at length for a name. I knew I needed to start writing notes to deal with my kids growing up and leaving the nest. I have written about him before, but Blaise Pasacal the author of Pensées was indeed a note taker. That was the gist of his work. Thoughts. He wrote down his thoughts about life, he made notes to himself. Do you write down your thoughts? Do you write down your prayers? Do you write down your dreams? I would encourage you to do so. When I started writing about this particular topic I decided to do a little research. Did you know that those who take notes via longhand (ie, the old paper and pen) absorb more information than those who take digital notes? When the test came, those who took notes by hand performed a lot better than those who took those notes on a computer. There is a paper that is dedicated to this subject, it is called: The Pen is Mightier than the Keyboard. Now, why do I mention this? Did you see? Those who take the time and write it down absorb more into their minds than those that don’t. If that is the case.. then by all means. Leave yourself a note! It will make a difference. When that test comes that tries your patience or will, you have a better chance of passing the test. I leave you with this wonderful quote: “If you can’t fly then run, If you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” Martin Luther King Jr. 

My books are on Amazon:

The Quacktastic Adventures of Ellie and Lord Barks a Lot

The Case of the Missing Honk Honk is live!

Coming soon:

The Case of the Missing Ornaments

Appalachian Allegory