Family, Favorite Things, Grief, Life, Soul Homework, What I Kept

what i kept – july 2024

Kari

i began writing this monthly post unintentionally in may 2022, motivated by an unexpected and deeply personal loss. your engagement with these posts means so much to me. i wasn’t sure i would continue after that summer, but now, it has become a cherished part of my monthly routine. thank you for taking part in this journey.

@monikanoele

My mum heart aches watching you missing him as much as I do💔#dog #dogloss #petloss #doglossgrief #grief #grieve #dogsofttiktok #doglosshurts #childhooddog #fyp #foryou #seniordog #olddog #17yearsololddog #toddler

♬ Wait – 🥷
ella and my parents’ old dog, tink
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these are in my front garden. i’ve never seen them so full and lush.
this quote card has been on this little shelf for a couple of years, and i pass by it every day. the little things.
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i took this picture soon after waking up. it felt so cozy and dreamy.

one sunday, i woke up from a nap to find a rainbow on me. it felt like i was surrounded and protected. i love having the family room in this part of the house during the summer. it’s where i get to experience what i call “golden hour,” that perfect time of day when the summer light is just right.

the orbs are from a disco ball “chandelier” that my friend kristen and i made several years ago. i see that amazon now sells them if you want your own. here is the tutorial if you want to create your own magical golden hour.

and, of course, i have a playlist to complete the vibe.

golden hour

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july has been challenging. i’ve been feeling like our life might be cursed in some way. i told mike the other day that i don’t want to dwell on feeling unlucky because i don’t want to attract more negativity. there are good things happening too; it just feels like there’s been so much bad stuff lately.

i’ve been revisiting my old soul homework notes, and they’ve been comforting. i found that passage above, and it made me feel better. something tells me that we’re all going through tough times together, and maybe we need to talk about that more.

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50 thoughts on “what i kept – july 2024”

  1. I think all homes have that golden hour, which differs depending on the layout, direction they face, trees, etc. Ours is probably late afternoon.

    #33 on your playlist is our song. I proposed to Tara using the lyrics. Long live Gerry Rafferty!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. It’s late afternoon here, too. Certain times of the year work better in different rooms of our house. It’s really good in the kitchen during the winter. It’s wonderful in the fall in my office, which used to be Anna’s room.

      I LOVE THAT! That’s one of my favorite songs!

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Kari, I absolutely LOVE the first quote you shared about morning!

    That photograph of you (I’m assuming it’s you) with the frisbee is priceless! You look like a Supermodel!

    Okay, and the (whole) page you highlighted from Interpreting Signs for the Afterlife is filled with so much inspiration! “Spirits aren’t going anywhere. They’ll wait until you’re ready – no matter how long it takes.” YES!!!! And I also love how you captured the rainbow light on the page!

    Isn’t “Golden Hour” the best?

    Thanks so much for sharing what you kept, my friend. I was very inspired!

    Have a fabulous week! X

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Isn’t that great?

      YES! That’s me and my dad! ❤️

      I was reading that one day, and the rainbow suddenly appeared. It felt like a sign. 🌈

      THE BEST!

      I’m so glad it inspired you. Have a wonderful week, my dear friend. 😘❤️

      Like

  5. As always, so many soulful things to comment on.
    I especially love the Thich Nhat Hanh quote and all the rainbows.
    Not to minimize your feeling “unlucky”, might that be grief and being sick w Covid talking?
    Yes, we’ve learned to talk about gratitude but maybe we do need to talk about our “shadow” feelings more.
    I’m so grateful for you, Kari, and for your sensitive soul, authenticity, transparency, and your capacity to feel and love … just to name a few things.♥️

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It’s totally grief and COVID talking. 🤣 I’m laughing so hard. I wish all of you lived closer so we could sit and have coffee together. I love this community so much.

      I’m so grateful for you too, Donna. Thank you for being here and making me feel so loved. 😘❤️

      Liked by 1 person

  7. Oh I love that plant pot!! All those rainbows are so fabulous.. the Covid test not so much 😒. I hope you’ve gotten some of your sense of smell and taste back!

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Luck, they say, is the intersection of preparation and opportunity. For us to have “luck,” we must both be aware of our talents and our surroundings.

    In your case, Covid-19 had prepared for its adventure in your bloodstream, and found an opportunity to embark on it.

    Sometimes someone’s good luck is someone else’s shit luck. But knowing you, you’ve had far more good luck than shit. I see it in your family and your relationships. I think you’re pretty darn nifty, too.

    That Godley & Creme song, Cry,” is a banger. I love 10cc, and knowing those guys were behind the superb “I’m Not In Love” made me interested in the song when it was released. (An interesting documentary about how “I’m Not In Love” came to be is here -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq7oGenbp2I

    And Gordon Lightfoot’s “Sundown.” Perfection inside of four minutes.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yes!

      So you’re telling me that Covid is having a kegger in my body. 🤣

      Aww, thank you, my friend! I think you are pretty nifty, too!

      Cry is totally underrated, isn’t it? Ooh, thank you for sharing!

      I love pretty much everything Gordon Lightfoot did.

      Like

  9. Hi, just stopped in for a quick visit. Loved the sara rian piece; I think of that kind of thing, too, even still. Golden Hour is great, too. We experience that at different times of the day but the most amazing is when the morning sun glints off a long, many-jewelled chandelier my sweety decided she had to have for our kitchen reno nine years ago. It also throws a lovely light at other times that made us abandon the idea of putting art on that wall… the light art is stunning.

    Liked by 1 person

  11. I am so glad you share these personal snippets of your life with us. Your photos of your beautiful home, pups, plants, flowers, decor…always put a smile on my face. I have saved so many of your quotes and have ordered books (library or used online) based from your book postings.

    Golden hour and naps: two things to go on our “what I love” lists, if they’re not already there. <3

    I’m so sorry July has been yucky for you. Some of it has been a little touch and go for me, too. Phil’s bday was the 21st. Sometimes I think I’ll be OK and then it just uncontrollably hits me.

    Love you, my cherished friend, and hope to see you soon.
    xoxo

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Your office style has inspired me for my own! I’m not sure if I ever told you this, maybe when we’ve been at your house, but I absolutely love your office room.

      Oh, friend, sending you so much love. July is always a tough month for me. I even wrote a post about it but never published it because I got stage fright.

      I love you so much, Melanie. You mean the world to me. 😘❤️

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I am so happy to hear you love my office room.

        I am encouraging you to publish the post you wrote about July being a tough month. Unless it’s TOO private and not for your general audience’s eyes. Otherwise, it seems like you have a compassionate and genuine readership here.

        Gaah, don’t make me cry – I feel the same about you! xoxo

        Liked by 1 person

  12. PS – meant to tell you that I spent all morning listening to your 1970’s driving playlist this morning while I was doing housework. I stopped to dance to a few of the songs as I was cleaning. ;-)

    Saved your newest playlist. Can’t wait to give it a listen.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. So much beauty and inspiration here. Thank you so much, Kari!

    “A nice person wants you to like them but a kind person wants you to experience love” Oh my gosh, this struck me in such a deep way. Wow. I’ll be musing on this for quite some time, I think. What a truly profound trust.

    Liked by 1 person

  14. Ah, Walt. Such a good old hippy. I’m sure he and George Carlin would have enjoyed each other. I can’t wait to listen to your playlist, when the golden hour sun is streaming through our living room and kitchen. It’s such a balm.

    If solidarity helps at all, I’m struggling hard right now, too. Have been all month, despite my dogged efforts to be OK. Sometimes we just aren’t, even if the not-OKness is landing on our lives full of blessings. I have them, know them, and appreciate them AND I’ve got some other stuff, too, that is hollowing me out. Lots of kinds of grief. Trying to just let its waves do what waves do. Trying to accept myself as I am to minimize harm.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I hope you enjoy it just as much as I do. I love the thought of us sitting in our golden hours together, thousands of miles apart.

      Solidarity helps so much. I am still not feeling 100%. I made an appointment for tomorrow. I’m not sick (I think), but I’m not myself. Hopefully I will get some answers.

      Lots of kinds of grief. YES. I’m rereading a wonderful book about grief that I read after my childhood friend died in 2022. I wasn’t ready to read it right after my dad died, but now I am. It’s an entirely different book to read while grieving my dad. I cannot recommend this book enough. I found it through Jill – The Wild Edge of Sorrow. It’s really good. Sending you love.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you so much for the book recommendation. And thank you for validating my grief as grief. It’s not “someone has died” grief, which I know (thanks to some experience) is different in important ways, but it’s still grief. And I’ve felt fairly isolated in it because the losses I’ve been absorbing are either private, not seen as profound, or not widely understood. I so appreciate knowing that you understand.

        Liked by 1 person

  16. Sorry July has been hard for you. These quotes are great. I like the George Carlin one. And what a great poem by Sara Rian. Your home looks so relaxing and comfy. Love the way Biscuit gets cozy on the couch in the rainbow room. ;)

    I love that pot: Nobody pots baby in the corner. ~bah, ha, ha.

    Give yourself time. Grief is so hard. I think that person had it write, grief lasts longer than sympathy? (I think that’s what it said). So true.

    Liked by 1 person

  17. Thank you for sharing your Golden Hour video, Kari. Watching it made me feel calm, which is just what I needed. Your dogs looked calm too. I love all the things you kept this month. I hope you’re feeling better.

    Liked by 1 person

  18. I’m sorry that you’ve been feeling unlucky lately. Hopefully this will pass, just like your covid.

    Rainbows are always lovely and the golden hour is the best hour.

    I love all George Carlin’s quotes.

    Liked by 1 person

  19. When I’m having a really bad and difficult time I sit under an old tree and I beg for wisdom. Sometimes I get absolutely nothing but I always feel better. Find a tree, lean against the trunk, rest in the shade. Hoping things get better. Hugs, C

    Liked by 2 people

  20. I’m sorry your July sucked. I hope your August is going better. After last week, I feel as though mine can only go up! My Covid test took like 15 seconds to show a positive result. I was actually surprised!

    I had to check out your golden hour playlist. I haven’t heard Cry in ages. My husband and I LOVE that Cigarettes After Sex song. So soothing!

    I love your zinnias and your plants, in general. I got excited a few days ago when I saw two new sprouts on my orchid, but now I think they are just new roots. Boo!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. August is so much better, thank you! I’m sorry we both had to deal with COVID this summer. Was this your first time getting it?

      I’m loving the new garden blooms. Unfortunately, an invasive plant took over one of our backyard gardens and wiped out all our daylilies. I’m especially sad because the person who gave them to us years ago passed away this winter. Gah.

      Like

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