What Do I Know

                                                WHAT DO I KNOW?


I had dinner with a very dear friend of mine last night. It was a beautiful summer evening, the sun shining
brightly through the blinds of the restaurant window. Our conversations typically range from our work lives, to some philosophical subject of the universe, human behavior, the well being of our families and I always try and insert something fun and whimsical to make him laugh and smile.

As I was brewing my morning coffee ( the elixir of the Gods! - hahaha), I was reminded of something he asks me quite often when we get together.  "What Do You Know?"

I have written about this once before in my blog, but today, I thought to myself, why don't I write a daily piece called "What Do I Know?"  So, thank you my friend for the inspiration and yes, there will be a "commission of baked goods" coming your way.

So, here goes with today's blog on What Do I Know.

1.) I know that animals love unconditionally.  Cats and Dogs anyway.  They are what warms
       our hearts when we come home after a hard days work and what snuggles up to us for an
      afternoon nap.  They help us forget our everyday world and remind us that at the end of the
      day, it's all about LOVe.


2.)  I know that in life, we have to take risks to get what we want.  If we just let life go on each day, defaulting to whatever comes our way, we will never get to where we want to be. Yes, is it a challenge sometimes and Yes, it is incredibly frightening to take those risks, but at the end of the day, TAKE THE
RISK.  Whether it's in your career or your love life.  It's worth the risk!!!

My ex-husband used to say, " Kim, this isn't the dress rehersal."  He is right.  TAKE RISKS! You will find that most the time, they turn out better than you imagined!



3.) I know that baking cookies with your family, your friends and your friends daughters is something that
      warms the heart and creates a lot of great memories. Baking together forms traditions and forever bonds. It teaches math and science by exact measuring and doubling batches for large family gatherings.
It appears as of late, that it might be an erotic attraction as well, but the jury is still out for me on that one!
It also puts weight on if you eat too much dough!

Oh and forget about that crap about raw eggs, my Mother let us eat cookie dough since we were little ones running around and we appear to have grown up just fine!



4.)  I know that love, understanding and forgiveness truly do heal all.  Sometimes it's hard for us to remember that and at times, it feels that those emotions are hard for us to access.

But what I must say to everyone reading this, take the time to listen to other people! That is probably the one biggest most heartfelt gift you can give them.  We all want to be validated and know that someone cares. Whether we are 2 years old, 20 years old or 75 years old. We all want to know someone is listening to us.

Forgiveness, what was that quote that I learned from listening to Wayne Dyer? Oh yes, here it is:
         

“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.”

It is actually a quote from Mark Twain. 

Beautiful isn't it?  I smelled that fragrance recently, I won't share the circumstance, in honor of that person in my life. But the moment that forgiveness happened, the fragrance of this violet filled my heart and I could smell it for days. In fact, the fragrance was so overpowering , it was hard to focus on everyday life.

The strong burst in those few days, has turned into a sweet, daily hint of love that I will cherish and hold onto until my days on this earth have ended.

5.) I Know that My Morning Cup of Coffee is good for my writing and it tastes good! It warms my insides and it gets my creative juices flowing. Yes, I know people say to stop drinking coffee, drink tea instead.

You know what I say? 

No! Tea is for afternoon sipping with a croissant in the afternoon or when you want to relax in the evening. 

Coffee is bold, strong and stands up tall and says let's get moving!!

Yes, I only buy organic and I do love my Italian espresso - especially when it comes in suitcase from my friend Giancarlo, two gifts in one!  Raw sugar and pure half and half is the way I love to make it. I have been experimenting lately with some other spices to add to it.

My AirBnB guests seem to really enjoy my experimenting because I am getting rave reviews.

So, that's What I Know today.  

A big hug and "shout out" to my friend who inspired me to write this daily blog piece.

See you tomorrow,

Kimberley