Category Archives: Uncategorized

I Choose Life

Posted in Health, Uncategorized by
Image courtesy of Victor Habbick, published on 17 February 2012 Stock Image - image ID: 10073347, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

Image courtesy of Victor Habbick, published on 17 February 2012 Stock Image – image ID: 10073347, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

March is Blood Clot Awareness Month and since I had a clot in my left lung last summer, this is a great time to share some life saving tips to my friends. 350,000 – 600,000 people in the United States develop blood clots every year. About 100,000 people in the U.S. die each year from blood clots, which means that about 1 in 3 may die.

The difference between life and death is awareness of the symptoms and seeking immediate medical attention at an emergency room. Quick medical intervention is what saves lives. Another unfortunate occurrence is misdiagnosis – medical professionals confusing blood clot symptoms with other conditions like pneumonia.

Even if you do not personally experience symptoms, a friend or relative might and you can urge your loved ones to seek immediate medical attention. I choose to live and I want others to live long lives, too.

Blood clotting is your body’s natural way to prevent bleeding out when you sustain a serious cut or wound. Sometimes blood clots form when and where they are not supposed to, which could lead to pulmonary embolisms, strokes, heart attacks, and death. Blood clots that are created inside a blood vessel,can cause swelling in your legs and travel up to vital organs. In my case, we’re not exactly sure, but my clot may have started in my leg when I bumped it on the edge of my bed, and then traveled up to my left lung, causing a pulmonary embolism. Link to my blood clot story: https://abundantlifeinitiative.com/2014/01/04/kimbery-jo-cooleys-blood-clot-story/

I am still on blood thinners, but I also say this affirmation: “My blood clots when and where it is supposed to.”

I am blessed with attentive and knowledgeable medical providers and a great resource in http://www.stoptheclot.org.

I have to emphasize there are some people who exhibit NO risk factors and still have spontaneous blood clots, which is why I find writing this blog post necessary. It’s still important to know the risk factors and critically important to know the symptoms.

According to Stop the Clot, the risk factors are:

  • Family history of blood clots, especially in parents, sisters and brothers
  • Recent hospital stay or surgery
  • Chronic medical illness or long-term bed rest
  • Limited ability to move
  • Recent trauma or injury
  • Cancer or cancer treatment
  • Knee or hip replacement surgery
  • Obesity
  • Using birth control pills or hormone replacement
  • Pregnancy or immediately after having a baby (C-Sections further increase this risk)
  • Traveling more than 4 hours by plane, car, train or bus (without walking around)

Deep Vein Thrombosis: Signs and Symptoms

Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) occurs when a blood clot forms in one of the deep veins of your body, usually in your legs but sometimes in your arm.

  • Swelling, usually in one leg (or arm)
  • Leg pain or tenderness often described as a cramp or Charley horse
  • Reddish or bluish skin discoloration
  • Leg (or arm) warm to touch

These symptoms of a blood clot may feel similar to a pulled muscle or a “Charlie horse,” but may differ in that the leg (or arm) may be swollen, slightly discolored, and warm. Contact your doctor if you have these symptoms, because you may need treatment right away.

Pulmonary Embolism: Signs and Symptoms

Clots can break off from a DVT and travel to the lung, causing a pulmonary embolism (PE), which can be fatal

  • Sudden shortness of breath
  • Chest pain-sharp, stabbing; may get worse with deep breath
  • Rapid heart rate
  • Unexplained cough, sometimes with bloody mucus

I now have to take frequent work breaks to walk around as I have a sedentary job where I sit for hours each day. I take blood thinners and go to my medical provider once a month  to have my blood checked to ensure no blood clots will form based on my blood levels. It has been an eye opening experience, to say the least. But, I choose life. I choose to share what I’ve learned from my experience with others, so they can choose life, too.

~Your Curator of all things Abundant, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Reference: 

The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism, US Dept of Health and Human Services, 2008.

http://www.stoptheclot.org/learn_more/blood_clot_symptoms__dvt.htm

Very Inspiring Blogger Award

Posted in Inspiration, Uncategorized by

Very Inspiring Blogger Award

Thank you so much, Eric of http://hunt4truth.wordpress.com/, for nominating me for the Inspiring Blogger Award!

We all have the ability to inspire one another. My divine purpose is to inspire others, particularly in the written form.

A Miriam-Webster.com dictionary definition of the word “inspire” is, “to influence,  move, or guide by divine or supernatural.”

I feel that I, as well as many, many others in the blogosphere have the ability to do just that – to influence, move, and guide by a divine or supernatural inner force that is moving us to build each and everyone of us up, one blog, one hug, one compliment, one message at a time.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all the readers and followers of my blog, because you all inspire me and I am so thankful for all that you share in your own blogs and messages, no matter the delivery.

Now, it’s my turn to nominate others for the Inspiring Blogger Award…and the nominees are:

Thanks again Eric, for thinking of me when nominating for this award and congratulations to all the nominees.

There are no rules – for accepting this award. Just copy it and place it on your blog in a post or wherever you like… link back if you have time to do so.

~Your Curator of all things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Doorway to your Soul: What are You Called To Do?

Posted in Goals, Inspiration, Law of Attraction, Manifestation, New Thought, Spirituality, Uncategorized by
Image courtesy of Danilo Rizzuti, published on 20 October 2009 Stock Image - image ID: 1008922, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

Image courtesy of Danilo Rizzuti, published on 20 October 2009 Stock Image – image ID: 1008922, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

Have you thought about what it is that moves and inspires you to be all you can and want to be? What feels like a natural extension of yourself? What is the one thing you could do that no one would have to pay to motivate you?

When you answer these questions, you become clearer on what is your divine purpose. For some, we are divinely called to do many things, and for others, maybe just one or two things.

As you start to think about your Divine Calling, you will intuitively be guided to the next step, and the next step, and the next…to what you are here to do. Your Inner Guide or intuition is always there, and you will never be separated from it. You are One with God. You have the free will and choice to listen to the inner voice inside you. You don’t have to listen to it, but you will bumble around in the dark. It’s really your choice!

Exercising your intuition muscles, especially when bringing forth the gifts you have to offer the world, is all about asking questions, and having an expectant, trusting and faithful heart that you will receive the answers. When I say questioning, I am not talking about questioning with cynical questions, although you can do that, too.  You are not questioning God’s authority with questions, you are clarifying what you want. Sifting through the unwanted to get closer to the wanted. The wanted is the everlasting joy, gratitude and love that flows in and through this world. It is about embodying love that abundance bears fruit as an effect to the cause of being Love.

Ask the questions you want answered and let go of worry on how and when the answers will come. If the answers aren’t easy to see in that moment, don’t get discouraged. Trust the answers will be revealed in the most beautiful and timely way, specific to you and where you are in your journey.

I am now at a point in my journey where I can ask the Universe in a moment’s time to guide me to the path of least resistance, and the route I take is generally the easiest. I am divinely led and I stop and listen for the answers. I am also at a point where the answers move more quickly and with ease. There are areas in my life that is moving big mountains, so it takes times for difficult, more dense things to shift and change. But, I have already received Divine Guidance and  know that I am on the road of least resistance.

Over time, your intuitive voice will be louder than the outside voices that tell you should do this or do that. It will become easier to strip away other people’s desires for your life, allowing your own divine desire to shine through.

~Your Curator of all things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Flea Market Bound

Posted in Fashion, Style, Uncategorized by

Saturday was an awesome adventure at Denios Farmers Market and Swap Meet, filled with great weather, family and yes, overalls.

1st day out with my overalls.

Having good times shopping at the flea market. Old Navy shoulder bag.

En route to Denios Flea Market…wearing my American Rag overalls, Toms, Old Navy turquois top, my mother of pearl earrings and a Ross Infinity scarf.

No jacket required.

Blankets for sale…love the Mary blanket the most…the tiger one, a close second.

My sister scored a cool, vintage tray from a vendor.

A beer and a search for a mattress set for my son’s bed is great times.

Lhes found these cute sunglasses and pretty earrings.

Close up of the earrings…

Love patchwork bags…

Lhes also got this cool, carved container she’s going to use to hold her kitchen utensils.

Another cute bag…

I spotted this colorful shirt and had to have it – $15 and a comfortable addition to my wardrobe.

Another look at Jenni’s tray – she’s going to put it on her coffee table/ottoman.

Long day at the flea market – I’m pooped!

~Your Curator of All things Abundant, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Ghetto Bird

Posted in Poems, Uncategorized by
Image courtesy of SweetCrisis, published on 02 June 2012 Stock Photo - image ID: 10085032, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

Image courtesy of SweetCrisis, published on 02 June 2012 Stock Photo – image ID: 10085032, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

How does it feel, Ghetto Bird, to circle over houses,
And the people who dwell within them?

Far from rare, a pest for sure,

How does it feel to be the state’s most hated bird?

How does it feel to flash your obtrusive, bright light into the window
Of a mother changing her baby’s diaper?

Or on an elderly man taking a shower?
Or on the man walking his dog?
Or on the teens in the park?

A fishbowl, a hawk

prey, victim, assailant, predator

Do you find what you seek, Ghetto Bird?
Round and round you go,
Illuminating the night’s sky with an artificial sun,
Beaming down on me, I’m caught –
Or so I thought.

You demand “stay inside!”
Describing the alleged and their clothes,
And their race.

Take flight, Ghetto Bird,
Go home, you’re not wanted here,

God speed and Good night.

~Kimberly Jo Cooley

Fellowship with Humanity

Posted in Inspiration, Manifestation, New Thought, Relationships, Spirituality, Uncategorized by
Image courtesy of smarnad, published on 19 October 2013 Stock Image - image ID: 100211250, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

Image courtesy of smarnad, published on 19 October 2013 Stock Image – image ID: 100211250, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

I had a lovely early dinner, dessert with friends Saturday evening. It started out as a late lunch and with all our talking, stretched from lunch to 9PM dessert. I was enjoying time with friends, and recognized I missed these marathon chat sessions. Remembering to “stay in the moment,” I realized why it felt so good to be amongst friends. What we were having was connection and fellowship – but not always of the church variety (we talked about everything; oftentimes, not sanctified).

Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could be in fellowship in every aspect of our life? Like at the post office, at the deli, or while waiting in a long line in an amusement park.

I bet it makes for a fun time, no matter who you’re with or where you go. I’m talking about fellowship with humanity, and letting it begin with you, your friends and spreading to all of humankind.

Last Thanksgiving Eve, I found myself, last-minute, picking up a ham at the Honey Baked Ham store – like hundreds of other people found themselves at 4:00 PM. The line wrapped around the building, snaking around the parking lot and doubling into itself. I groaned inwardly, and stared at the line, not sure if the ham was worth it. A business woman in a nice, black suit could see me thinking about leaving and she called out, “might as well join us!” I shrugged and walked over.

Soon, I was laughing with about five or six other folks in the line and by the time we reached the doors to enter the store, we seemed like old, best friends. In addition to the business woman, there were construction workers, a Comcast cable installer, a teenager who sagged his pants, and a couple of hipsters, too. Not one was glued to their cell phones, all was living in the moment. 

We laughed when we saw an unsuspecting shopper come around the corner and to see the expressions turn from smiles to “what the hell?” We chuckled and teased when a car had a hard time maneuvering about the throngs of people, and then finally having to help the driver back out of the parking space without hitting something or someone. We helped a lady find a missing earring. We collectively felt and showed empathy for the family who unwittingly brought their five children to this “boring” errand, entertaining them with our jokes.

It turned out to be one of the highlights of my 2013 Thanksgiving holiday as opposed to a memory of when I had to spend an hour and a half in a line with strangers. Having fellowship in what seemed as an unlikely place – a Honey Baked Ham store.

Imagine having fellowship all the time. What would that feel like to be present in the moment and in the company of others, all feeling good and happy to be there?

Next time you’re around a group of people, allow yourself to fellowship and see the opportunities for happiness to unfold.

~Your Curator of all things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Just Be and Let Others Be

Posted in Affirmations, Dating, Inspiration, Inspirational Quotes, Law of Attraction, Love, Manifestation, New Thought, Relationships, Spirituality, Uncategorized, Work Life by

– exploring ways to be present and non-judgmental in every circumstance and situation.

Happy balls

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles, published on 04 November 2013, Stock Image – image ID: 100215277, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

When you remove the worry of the future and stop fretting and focusing on the past, you allow yourself and/or the person in your presence to grow up to a higher level of being, just by focusing on the present. Remember, our power lies in the Now. It is what we do and feel in the present that creates the future. Why hold on to past pains and hurts, just to carry it into the future?

When you remain focused on one’s less desirable qualities and the past hurts they’ve afflicted, you are placing your energy to that which you don’t want and living in the past.

Fundamentally, there is a loss of faith when one engages in not letting others be where they are in their journey. Or, not accepting where you are in your own journey.

Allow faith into your heart and trust that all things work out for the Greater Good. That state of being will wash over you and all who come into contact with you.

From a Law of Attraction standpoint, what you focus on is what you receive. If you are focusing on the negative in a person, then more of that will manifest on the physical plane. If you celebrate even the slightest of a positive attribute, more of that positivity will unfold into your experience.

People can change, moment to moment, but it will not be because you’re nagging, begging or fighting them into transition. People change when they are ready to change. That change can happen overnight, or it can take a lifetime or two.

You can always set the space and distance between you and that person, even if you’re married (or divorced and broken up). The space and distance I am referring to is not physical, but instead spiritual and emotional. No longer will you be the instigator of fights over change because you will accept them for who they are and where they are in their journey right now. Or, you will get to a point in your own journey where it’s time to grow on and upward.

If you find you can’t be around a person because their present state is not in alignment with where you want them to be, remember, they have a journey to walk, too. Your focus must ALWAYS be on where YOU want to be. All you can do is hold on to your peace and not lower your vibrational energy to the less desirable, but to maintain the knowing that you and all around you is rising up.

We hear the saying, “live and let live,” but are we doing this with our spouses, children, parents, exes, friends and co-workers? Or, are we sticking our judgmental noses in everyone’s business or up in the air in judgment? Let judgment go – it serves no one and it most certainly will not elevate. It only keeps the energy surrounding that relationship stagnant.

To be in the present means to focus on the very moment that is before you – not the past, not the future.

Infuse love in any and every situation. When you’re having a difficult time with a person or situation, ask yourself, “how can I bring love into this situation?” Love is the cooling salve that heals us all. Self love and Universal love has to be the center of your heart and your experience.

~Your Curator of all things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

22 Ways to Manifest More Money in Your Life

Posted in Affirmations, Goals, Law of Attraction, Manifestation, New Thought, Uncategorized by

All of the outlined tips in this post will bring you closer to experiencing an abundant life today. Cheers to raising our wealth consciousness higher and higher!

Weathering the Storms – Bonus Blog Post on Being in the Flow

Posted in Inspiration, Inspirational Quotes, Law of Attraction, Manifestation, New Thought, Spirituality, Uncategorized by
Image courtesy of Vlado, published on 08 April 2013 Stock Image - image ID: 100156365, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

Image courtesy of Vlado, published on 08 April 2013
Stock Image – image ID: 100156365, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

You have to be like the tall and mighty palm tree in a storm – rooted in the earth and flexible enough to sway with the wind and weather the storm.

I listened to a Podcast where an author said we should not over analyze what we’re feeling and to just go through the emotions. She said not to over study spiritual books and to let the information land where it may. For the most part I agree, as being in this human existence one will experience all levels of emotions. But, if you find that your reaction is always filled with dread, anger, or depression then you must take some time to evaluate where the source of angst is coming from before you can move easily, joyfully and peacefully through this life. Life happens, but again, if your first reaction is always a negative emotion, that needs to be self-examined.

Here’s an example: A woman cursed out a driver that cuts her off. She is ticked at her boss, pissed at her husband, angry with her children, and every time the phone rings at work, she answers it with a sense of dread. She is always reacting in a negative way. Now, to tell this woman she should just feel the emotions is not serving her. She needs to look at the source of her anger. Is it at her husband because he is not pulling his weight? Or, is it because she is feeling unfulfilled? Or, is she chronically depressed? As you can see, it can be a myriad of “whys” as to the true source of her pain, but unless she does a little detective work and discover what the underlying issue is, she will not be able to flow through life with ease and grace. Ultimately, whatever the reason she’s angry, it begins and ends with her.

If you are angry, allow that emotion to run its course, but don’t wallow in that feeling for hours and days on end. If you are grieving, by all means, allow yourself to feel it through to the other side. If you’re sad, let it run its course. But, overall, you should still have a pervading sense of joy, peace and the knowing that you are taken care of by the Universe. You should still be able to be present in the moment and not always be living in your head and analyzing past hurts and pains or over protecting yourself from potential future hurts.

It is your perspective or how you look at life’s circumstances and situations that help you quickly shift from lower frequency, negative thoughts to helpful, healing thoughts. Every thought and situation you find yourself in has the power to clarify and expose how to get closer to what you really want in your life experience. Be grateful for the awareness of the message you’ve received. Now you know something you did not know before and that alone is worth going through something that is less desirable to get to the most desirable life imaginable.

Your life will be colored with all sorts of shades of emotion: happiness, sadness, and every emotion in between – that’s what makes a beautiful life portrait. By no means am I telling you to slap a happy band-aid on your life or to go to the other extreme of over analyzing your emotions. There is a balance and it is up to you, the steward of your life’s journey, to find that balance.

Going with the flow is two-fold – you are the captain of your ship and steering it in the direction you wish to go, but allowing the storms to come and go, with an inner peace and knowing that all is truly well. Even if you get off course, it is not the end of the world to get back to the flow, in fact, I encourage you to try to enjoy the journey of getting off and on course again.

~Your Curator of All Things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley