BLOG 346–See All the Beauty Around You

✨KITTING AROUND✨
BLOG 346–See All the Beauty Around You
A masterpiece each time? I try to.
Explore new corners, dive into your imagination.
Crank up the music and turn your living room into a dance floor.
Grab some oranges and juggle them right there in the grocery aisle.
Laugh so hard the walls shake and the neighbors start making up theories.
Life isn’t a zombie shuffle to bedtime—It’s a carnival waiting for you to join the parade!

I write, create, and share to inspire us to pause together, look at LIFE differently,
and grow taller on the inside. My mission is to show that living differently and
living better is not just possible—it’s essential.
                                                        ===============================
MY STORY IN A NUTSHELL (with Extra Sprinkles) :
‍♂️ Once upon a time, I was a world-class juggler. Spoiler: I still juggle—mostly joy.
Life tested me with curveballs: A 37-day coma, two truck accidents, and somehow I’m still smiling.
I spent six years living in a van, chasing sunsets and collecting memories in every U.S. national park.
Love found me, lost me, and then surprised me with a wedding on 2/22/22 at 2:22.
I’ve crisscrossed the globe, helping people rise higher than they thought possible (YOU!)
❤️ And here I am, still learning, still loving, still lighting sparks.
Because the story is never over—it just gets juicier.
Want a glimpse? Watch this >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lr8QFnD1yGc 

THIS IS THE STUFF THAT TURNS “JUST SURVIVING” INTO THRIVING.

THE PAST?   ☎️
The past is a wise old guide. Take its lessons, tip your hat, and keep walking forward.
History is there to help you; learn from what has occurred in your Life.
Because the road ahead is waiting, sparkling with possibility.
Smile, tip your hat, pocket the wisdom, and keep striding toward the horizon.
It’s a wise old storyteller, full of campfire tales and lessons whispered in the wind.
   
THE FUTURE?  
That’s a playful trickster.
It’s always sneaking up with surprises.
Don’t fear it — dance with it — it is playtime.
Shape it — Claim it — make it yours.
It arrives whether you’re ready or not … so why not be dazzling when it does?
     
AND THE PRESENT?   
Ah, this is your playground!
Throw glitter in the air.
Laugh so hard the moon takes notes.
Turn the ordinary into a disco ball and let it shine.
Make the ordinary sparkle like it’s wearing sequins.

“Here’s to chasing brilliance with reckless joy.
Blazing a trail that shimmers with possibility.
Sprinkling a little mischief along the way!”
—Kit Summers, your cosmic cheerleader

WHY I WRITE THIS BLOG?
✨Because life is a dazzling, untamed kaleidoscope—too vibrant, too quirky, too electric to keep to myself! Each post is a burst of ideas, stories, and hard-won wisdom, sparkling like confetti from epic adventures, glorious fumbles, and that stubborn spark that just won’t quit.
   
PROOF!
✨Every change I walk through is proof: I can adapt, I can rise, I can keep shaping life into something brighter. These shifts aren’t setbacks—they are upgrades, invitations to keep growing, to keep building a body and spirit that can carry me farther. You can do the same! 

I’VE MET CHANGE TOO MANY TIMES.
CHANGE DOESN’T SCARE ME ANYMORE.
EVERY SINGLE TIME, I COME OUT STRONGER!
     
Make any changes you can to improve your life!
Embrace change and use it as a tool to shape a more fulfilling life.

THE BEAM
Fear? That’s dead weight.
Courage is the fuel for living.
Change boldly. Aim for magnificence.
You don’t get a rerun of this life—so advance, evolve, reinvent.
I’m not some drill sergeant barking at you—I’m the flashlight buddy.

THE MAP?
Forget the stiff, folded kind.
Your’s is a wild canvas.
You weren’t built for beige.
You were wired for fizz.
For fireworks. 

Get ’em tiger! 

==================================
THINGS THAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK >> 

My new friend, Brett, works at NR as a nurse, but his life has taken many other directions. He told me today about his website, https://www.brettarquette.com/. I am quite impressed with this person.
He said he works just two days a week here, mainly for the medical insurance coverage.

Jessica wrote this to me. How nice.
“Yours is the Best Blog on the planet.”
She is also an author, look her up.
http://www.jessicaetaylor.org

      .
In this current blog, many of the photos are mine.
I love traveling in the wilderness, and I have gone to every national park in the US.
I got to experience nature a lot (I write, with a smile on my face).
   
In this blog, you will find words about finding Beauty. Yes, every person sees things differently, but beauty is there. I have found beauty in my new love, Miyuki. We met through Facebook, and a great love has developed between us. You will learn more in the future.
   
As you see and make beauty in the world, you will never grow old. As you do that, your childhood life will come back. Involve that childhood wonder, and you will never have another care or worry, ever. As you see things differently, you still have that in your being.
    
You can find beauty in everything and anything.
You may need to change your view, but it is there. 
Including you, you are beautiful, never forget.

================================
BLOG 346–See All the Beauty Around You
     
The Art of Seeing Beauty

In my life, I pay attention to beauty—not as decoration, but as a lifeline.
I’ve learned to search for the fragile architecture of wonder hiding in plain sight:
the lacework of light through leaves,
the hush before a bird sings,
the small, exquisite things that whisper instead of shout.

I didn’t always live this way.
For years, I moved through the world like a ghost.
With my eyes half shut.
   
Every morning is a wild invitation—an open door to step through and start again.
And, you get this chance every day!
The sun doesn’t ask for permission to rise; it just does. So should you.
   
Joy isn’t something you wait to feel—it’s something you spark, like striking a match in your own chest. You create it through motion, curiosity, laughter, and even small acts of wonder.
Look for the beauty, it is there.
     
When you move toward what excites you,
The whole world leans in.
Every leaf turns your way.
Every flower smells more spectacular.
Every possibility hums louder.
     
So, stand taller today.
Smile for no reason.
Try the thing that scares you just enough to make your heart beat louder.
You are not behind; you are becoming.

    
For me, looking away was easier.

It was survival.
Facing the world is hard.
When life feels too loud, beauty hides behind a veil—and I let it.

But something changed when I set out to visit every national park in the continental U.S.

There, among mountains and deserts and endless skies, I relearned how to see.
Beauty is not a fixed address—it’s perspective.
          

To some, it’s a city skyline.

To me, it’s the wilderness—raw, unpolished, honest.

The real truth? We each build our own cathedral of beauty.
   
Start by noticing what already makes life beautiful—small things, quiet ones.
That noticing grows into gratitude, and gratitude reshapes the day.
A beautiful life isn’t a prize for getting everything right.
It’s a practice.
Keep wonder alive.
Stay curious–even about the ordinary.

Tend your inner garden.
Feed your mind with good stories, good thoughts.
Your body with movement, your heart with connection.
     
You are the gardener; plant the right seeds and make sure they are nourished.
As they grow, your life will grow.
Will your seeds become a tree, a flower, or a vegetable?

Create things. It doesn’t matter if they’re perfect—beauty lives in the making.
Let go often. Stuff, grudges, plans that calcify—release them. Beauty needs space.
Love wildly. People, places, ideas—let them know they matter.
    
And the truest thing: a beautiful life isn’t found.
It’s composed, one small, brave choice at a time.
You are the artist of your life — get to work!

START NOW TO DESIGN THE LIFE THAT YOU WANT!
YOU SEE, IT IS YOU WHO MAKES YOUR OWN WORLD.
SEE AND MAKE THE BEAUTY YOU ARE LOOKING FOR. 

Begin at home.
Shape your surroundings into a place that lifts you.
Let your walls hold memories that make you smile.
You deserve to wake each day somewhere that loves you back.

KEEP EVERYTHING, INCLUDING YOUR LIFE, CLEAN AND ORGANIZED.  

After my accident and the 37-day coma that rewrote my world,
I had to find beauty again—from the ground up.
There was still beauty there; I had to find it.
The climb back to life was steep and wild.

My coma wasn’t just an interruption.
It was a forced apprenticeship in surrender.
This strange intruder took so much from me.

Thirty-seven days where my body breathed but my will had to wait its turn.
I learned what survival sounds like when it’s silent.
I learned that the mind, even when broken,
Still hums with stubborn light.
That time still stretches differently when you’re not steering it.

Coming back—each blink, each twitch.
Each reclaimed memory was proof that consciousness isn’t all-or-nothing.
It’s a climb—a re-entry.
I woke into a life that had to be rebuilt piece by piece.

So, the lessons?
That fragility and strength can wear the same face.
That curiosity—the question “What else can I do?”—is oxygen.
The beauty hides in the most minor victories:
A muscle remembering, a thought returning, a laugh surfacing.

And the most humbling lesson: being alive is not a guarantee, it’s a daily invitation.
What lesson still echoes the loudest for me when I think back on those 37-days?
“Yes, you can make it back! Look for beauty and joy.”
But beauty met me halfway, in every sunrise and every kind hand.

Recovery taught me this:
When you’ve been to the edge and returned.
Every color seems brighter.
Every moment feels borrowed and precious.

A beautiful life isn’t luck—it’s craft.
It’s gratitude, connection, creativity, and care.
It’s choosing what aligns with your soul,
and letting the rest fall away like autumn leaves.

There was a time when fear narrowed my sight.
Now I know: beauty widens it.
Even in pain, there is texture.
Even in loss, there is light.
So, each day, notice something lovely >> 

A passing cloud.
The taste of rain.
A juggling ball while it flies.
The laughter of someone nearby.
Let beauty be your teacher, your mirror, your quiet prayer.

Tell someone they are beautiful–And Mean it.
Give them a good look.
Notice their spark, their eyes, their way of carrying the world.
You’ll see—the compliment loops back and fills you too.

Because when you genuinely start to see beauty.
You realize—it was never gone.
Only waiting for you to look again.
Remember, you are the one to bring beauty into your life.

=====WORDS AND QUOTES THAT SPARK====

Quotes aren’t just words on a page—they’re tiny lightning bolts, buzzing with wisdom and ready to jolt you awake. One line can flip your mood, widen your heart, or shove you off the couch and into a brand-new adventure.

A FEW SPARKS TO SLIP INTO YOUR POCKET >>
     
“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful.
We must carry it with us or we find it not.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
   
“Beauty is not in the face.
Beauty is a light in the heart.”
~Kahlil Gibran
   
“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful.
We must carry it with us or we find it not.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Beauty is not in the face.
Beauty is a light in the heart.”
~Kahlil Gibran
   
“The simple things are also the most extraordinary,
and only the wise can see them.”
~Paulo Coelho
   
“We’re afraid of pain–we all are.
But, all the good stuff–all the wisdom
And the courage we need to become the
people we need to be next–is actually
inside the pain.”
~Glennon Moyle Delton
   
“The broken will always be able to love harder than most.
Once you have been in the dark.
You learn to appreciate everything that shines.”
~Zachry K. Douglas
   
“Life will always be hard.
And life will also always be beautiful.”
~Cheryl Strayed
   
“Consider and act with reference to the proper ends of existence.
This world is but the vestibule of an immortal life.
Every action of our lives touches on some chord that will vibrate in eternity.”
~Edwin Hubbell Chapin
   
“If you sense there must be more, there is more.”
~Alan Cohen
     
“Once you reach the summit of your own heart, you will see beauty is everywhere.”
~Bryant McGill
     
“Beauty is everywhere, a welcome guest.”
~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
     
“Life is amazing. And then it’s awful. And then it’s amazing again. And in between the amazing and the awful, it’s ordinary, mundane, and routine. Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful, and relax and exhale during the ordinary. That’s just living, heartbreaking, soul-healing, amazing, awful, ordinary life. And it’s breathtakingly beautiful.”
~L.R. Knost

STICK THESE QUOTES ON YOUR FRIDGE.
WHISPER THEM TO YOURSELF BEFORE BED.
PASS THEM ALONG TO SOMEONE WHO NEEDS THEM.
REMEMBER, WORDS ARE VITAMINS FOR THE SOUL.

MY DAILY JOTTINGS!
Upgrade your thoughts—watch your world glow brighter!
✨ Life can shift in an instant—sometimes all it takes is one bold thought.
Go ahead, craft your noble book, your masterpiece—why not a best-seller?
You are dazzling, brilliant, unstoppable—so step into the spotlight and shine your part!
The universe is cheering for you—so dream big, play big, and LIVE big!
Remember, no matter where you are, you can spin things around quickly.
️ Then race toward your wildest, most colorful dreams!                                                                                                  LOOK CLOSELY–THERE I AM
Chase awe like it’s oxygen and spill joy like it’s confetti.       
‍♂️Turn fear into a trampoline—you don’t dodge it, you bounce higher off it.
Step off the curb like it’s a stage. Rewrite the rules in neon.
⛓️ The world doesn’t need your half-versions, your safe edits.
☔ It requires your bold lines, your glittering messes, your full-throttle heart.
So—throw the ordinary a wink.
Playfulness isn’t frivolous; it’s rebellion.
Inspiration isn’t distant; it’s in your next breath.
   
10/11-Saturday drifted in slow and quiet—an empty stage between acts.

Brett Arquette showed up again, and for a moment, the air got brighter. I had him juggling, the rhythm just starting to click—one, two, three—and then poof, he got whisked away for something else. The scarves hit the floor, but hey, that’s juggling: sometimes gravity wins the round.
     
Usually, I am set up to go out on the big lawn out front to juggle, but the rains in Florida have been extensive since I arrived. Today, again, the grass is wet.
   
10/12–As I awoke, I strolled on into the front area, where I keep my trash. I forgot to bring the can into the bedroom, and, of course, it was emptied; only a quarter full, it was. It is minimal, but I hate waste; they wasted another trash bag. I will have to remember to bring it into the bedroom with me at night.
     
10/13 — Growth, Grounded in the Garden
From 10:30 to 11:00, I worked with Terrie in OT on our garden project. There’s something so grounding about tending to life and watching it grow—it’s therapy for both body and soul. Afterward, I focused on the visual search board. It’s designed to strengthen focus, impulse control, and precision. I needed strong structure and guidance here, but I could feel my control sharpening with each round—every small win matters.

10/14 — Finding Balance, Inside and Out ⚖️
This morning, Maryann and I worked on balance. You’d think walking a straight line would be easy—but my brain had other plans.
   
Every step reminded me how delicate the balance really is. We also tried a new machine that measures the pressure of each foot, like a mirror showing where my strength lies, and where it falters. I held steady longer than I expected—progress, quiet but real.
     
Later, I met with Lilly for speech therapy. That session hit home. We looked at memory again, and I couldn’t recall what I’d done yesterday. It stung. My thoughts seem to melt together like watercolor—beautiful but blurry. Lilly reminded me: Details anchor memory. The more I write, the more I describe, the stronger my recall becomes. I’m rebuilding, word by word.
“Knowing what you’re working on—and how you’re improving—is the most important thing.”
—Lilly’s reminder
     
Then I saw Sean, freshly awake from his coma. He just wanted to sleep. I remember that stage—your body heavy with the fog of survival, not yet ready for the brightness of living. Seeing him reminded me of how far I’ve come. Maybe not far enough for my liking, but far nonetheless.    
   
11am-Time for a game of Bingo. The grand clash of chance and chatter. Numbers popped like popcorn—B17! N32!—and I marked my card with the solemn precision of a Vegas pro.
I didn’t win.
Not even close.
But I did laugh at the drama of it all—grown adults gasping at an O-69 like it was divine revelation. Sometimes the point isn’t to win—it’s to wake up a quiet afternoon with a spark of ridiculous joy.
       
Maura—sorry I missed our 2:00.
Sounds like you were ready to dive into the same waves I’ve already been swimming through—memory, focus, control, all that good mind-muscle work.
     
That could be the thing about progress: it loops back. We circle familiar ground, but each time we arrive with a little more strength, a little more grace. So even if I missed today’s round, I’ll keep moving forward—curious, steady, ready for what’s next.
   
Lilly’s Notes (with a Spark!) ✨
Today, we dove into your document together, making sure you’re carrying over your memory strategies and building them into a daily habit. That’s the real goal — to strengthen your recall one detailed note at a time!
   
Remember: details are gold. The more specific you are about what you did and how you did it, the easier it becomes to remember and build on those steps next time. Think of it as planting little memory seeds that grow stronger each day.
     
Every sentence you write helps you connect the dots between what you’re learning, what’s working, and what can improve next. Keep at it — you’re training your brain to be sharper, clearer, and more powerful than ever.
   
10/15—Up early, as always.
   
At 9 a.m., I met with Lilly again. She offered a few ideas to help me remember things—like setting alarms on my phone or computer. Still, missing that 2:00 appointment with Maura yesterday gnaws at me a bit.
   
The afternoon brought sessions with Maura and Terrie. First came a sales flyer game—guessing prices for random items. Honestly? Pretty dull. Still, I played along. At one point, even Maura noticed the answers were wrong, and mine were right. Small victory there.
   
After that, I escaped outside to the garden. The plants looked thirsty, so I grabbed the watering can and gave them a good drink. They’ll need a hose extension soon—their roots are stretching, and they deserve a steady flow, not a trickle.
   
Then it was back to my room—my kingdom of words—and I started typing these for you. Truth be told, I don’t exactly love it here. But hey, this is my current chapter, so I might as well decorate the margins with a bit of sparkle.
   
Funny thing, though: Life’s like rearranging furniture in your mind. Don’t like the view? Move the couch. Hate the neighborhood? Build a treehouse somewhere else. You’re the author and the architect. The pen and the paintbrush are in your hands—so scribble, splash, rewrite, and make the world fit you, not the other way around.
 
One bright thread in the tapestry of being here is that I get to write this blog for you — to send little sparks of thought across the space between us. Every word I write reaches out like a hand through the fog, hoping to touch your life, to make you pause, smile, or see the world in a slightly different hue.
   
It’s not just writing; it’s breathing purpose into the quiet hours. It’s taking the ordinary — a morning sunbeam, a stray memory, a new idea — and shaping it into something that might stir your heart for a moment.
   
Being here gives me time — yes — but more than that, it gives me connection. Your reading these words is proof that even in stillness, life keeps moving, keeps shimmering. And that’s breathtaking.
     
10/16–Lilly swooped in like a tech angel with a halo made of USB cords and righteous determination. She breathed life back into my computer, coaxing it to talk again—literally! Now, with my headset perched snugly like a pilot about to take off, I’m cleared for takeoff on Runway Communication. ✈️
   
The first “hello?” that came through my speakers sounded like a choir of opportunity. Who knew a dial tone could feel like a standing ovation? Connection restored, world expanded—suddenly, I can reach anyone, anywhere. I might just call myself to celebrate (or call you!)
   
Meanwhile, from across the hall comes the soundtrack of another universe—the man whose cries rise and fall like waves crashing on the shore of his mind. Some days he’s a storm, other days a whispering breeze. I listen, not out of pity, but with wonder. We’re all tuning our instruments in this strange symphony of recovery. Some play jazz, some play noise, all of us trying to remember the melody of ourselves.
 
Then, life decided to test my flexibility—again. My dentist appointment performed a magic trick: poof! Moved from 1:30 to 10:30 without warning. One minute I’m sipping tea, the next I’m sprinting into oral destiny. A quick message to Myles, a dash of confusion, and somehow it all clicked into place. I still don’t know why I was even there. Maybe the universe just wanted to see if I could juggle time as well as clubs. (Spoiler: I can.) Sorry, I missed our appointment, Maryann. My teeth had other plans.
   
And yet—amidst the headset heroics, hallway operas, and dental time travel—something bright hums underneath it all. These tiny misadventures, stitched together, form a quilt of grace disguised as chaos. Maybe that’s what life really is: a series of oddball moments testing our ability to laugh, adapt, and keep our wonder alive.
   
So here’s to the beautiful mess. One headset, one shout, one temporal hiccup—and still, a good day. Because maybe the point isn’t to make sense of it all. Maybe it’s to keep dancing through the nonsense and calling it progress.
   
Today I saw Dr. Barinder Mahal. He is basically the on-call doctor for Neuro Restorative. I don’t see him very often; perhaps that’s a good thing.
         
10/17 — Slept until about 5 a.m.—that’s late for me! The world was already stirring when I opened my eyes, light just beginning to spread its quiet magic. I’ve always thought of sleep as a necessary pause, not a passion. My mind hungers for movement, ideas, and creation—dreaming with eyes open feels more my style. Still, I gave the night its due.
     
At 9 a.m., PT with Maryann, we continued the battle of balance—my daily dance with gravity. I wobbled, laughed, and kept going. Progress is slow, but it’s mine. We spoke about me getting out of here—a phrase that carries so much electricity. They still have their concerns about me being “out in the world,” which surprises me. For years since my accident, I’ve been out there—living, creating, thriving. I wonder what they’re afraid of. Change doesn’t scare me; stagnation does.
   
11:00 a.m.—Trivia Group was on the schedule. But the room stayed quiet, the remote went missing, and instead of waiting for something to happen, I took myself outside. The garden was calling. The air had that crisp, early-autumn freshness that wakes up every cell. The plants were stretching toward the sun, alive and growing—just like me.
     
Then, my eyes caught something that broke the spell—cigarette butts scattered on the ground. Such carelessness stings a bit. The earth gives us so much, and still some people treat it like a trash can. Smoking itself is fading away—good riddance—but the habit of disregard lingers. I picked up what I could. Little acts of respect matter.
   
Later, Marlene came by to clean my space. She moves like a quiet storm of order and polish. I already keep things tidy—my little den of thought and calm—but she leaves everything gleaming. The floors look like they’re waiting for a dance. Yet, I didn’t ask Marlene to dance.
   
All in all, a day of small glories: a late wake-up, a wobbly workout, a missing remote turned into a garden visit, and floors that shine like morning light. Not bad for a man who refuses to sleep his life away. ✨

 The Garden of Becoming  
The new garden I’m building will take center stage soon—
Watch it unfurl as green shoots rise and blossoms announce themselves.
You plant.
You nurture.
You harvest.
You begin again.
Each sprout is a whispered promise.
Each bloom, a standing ovation.
Each fallen leaf is a graceful bow to the cycle of renewal.
   
Why We Garden
1–It lifts your spirit and strengthens your confidence.
2–Your heart beats healthier for it.
3–Stress dissolves like dew in the morning sun.
4–Happiness takes root and spreads.
5–Your hands grow stronger, more capable.
6–Families bond over soil-stained fingers and shared meals.
7–Sunshine provides vitamin D and warmth to your bones.
8—Food you grow makes your body glow.
9–Neighbors meet, friendships sprout.
10–Families deepen together.
11–Communities connect, expand, and thrive.
12–Worries about hunger shrink as self-sufficiency grows.
     
Pulling a carrot from your own earth isn’t just food—it’s triumph wrapped in crunch. A declaration that patience, soil, and a little faith can produce flavors no store can sell. Sun-warmed tomatoes, basil perfuming your hands, strawberries gleaming like rubies beneath their crowns—miracles disguised as everyday bites.
   
And the enchantment doesn’t end outside. Indoors, life sneaks into any crack of light it can find. Herbs on the sill glow like emerald lanterns. Mason jars turn into miniature jungles. A stray pot of mint dares you to taste the freshness in your water glass seconds after plucking. Growth improvises, adapts, insists.
   
A salad bar sprouting within arm’s reach of your sink.
A curtain of green where once was bare glass.
And tiny jungles humming in corners of your home.
   
Growth never truly stops—it just shifts form. Begin with a pot, a box, a borrowed square of dirt. Watch what happens, not only to the soil, but to you as well. Because in caring for life, you’ll find your own edges softened, your clock slowed, your days reminded of this truth:
Life itself is one vast garden—unpredictable, abundant, forgiving.

My Next Chapters
I’m not winding down—I’m revving up.
I’ve got at least another hundred years of laughter, learning, and love in me.
The world is waiting for your story, too.
It’s time to write that book, launch that dream, or chase that adventure you’ve been postponing.
     
What’s your next spark?
Relax and see the beauty.
What’s your bold adventure this week?
What’s one bold thing you’ll do that makes you feel alive?
“Breathe. You’re still here. That’s enough reason to dance.”

YOUR CHALLENGE THIS WEEK:
Make your living area more pleasant to be in.
Where you live is the most crucial place in your life.
Start now to make it MAGNIFICENT!
Watch out, I might peek in on you.
       
Next week >> BLOG 347–I Don’t Want to Die, Do You?

Final Thoughts
Your present moment is not the finish line—it’s your starting block.
The horizon holds more than you can yet imagine.
Because the best is always still ahead.
So juggle joy like it’s the air you breathe.
Chase sunsets as if they’re secret treasures waiting just for you.
Laugh so loudly that tomorrow leans in to listen.
Live as though you’ve only just begun—
BECAUSE YOU TRULY HAVE!