 Have you ever experienced a meltdown…the kind where you find yourself in a messy puddle on the floor? I have a concept called, Pennie’s DOT Theory, that states: “Any event that happens to us, around us, or concerns us is just one tiny DOT in the grand adventure of life. If we over-think one DOT it becomes magnified and joins with other DOTs to form a mass of stress that creates imbalance and unhappiness.” If we blow one DOT out of proportion it can consume us, make us irrational, and ultimately we end up in that messy puddle. The problem is we overthink a little DOT allowing it to become a big DOT. Remember this – D-O-T- DON’T OVER THINK the DOT! It happened to me. It began with a flu shot. Well, the flu shot is not responsible for the entire meltdown, but it is the DOT that began the snowball rolling. For three days after the shot, I felt tired, drained, and far from the perky, optimistic, personality, I am known for. My fatigue turned into a colossal cold. Another DOT. I stopped working out, stopped meditating, stopped eating right…DOT… DOT… DOT. As the days continued my snowball began rolling faster. More stressful DOTs showed up. The imbalance grew. I broke dishes, forgot things, and my blood pressure went up. As the DOTs continued to connect, overwhelm set in. I began allowing the profanities of human emotions to marinate with the DOTs…. You know the ones… words like, jealousy, resentment, anger, insecurity, and ultimately the big four-letter word - FEAR! Then it happened. It doesn’t matter what the “IT” was… it was just another DOT, but the most dangerous kind for me…my feelings were hurt. The snowball aimed right for that DOT rolling around in it until every dirty bit of it was connected to the DOT party forming in my head. It was just the DOT to heat up the snowball enough for it to come to a full stop, a complete meltdown, and a DOT EXPLOSION! The pity party wasn’t pretty. The meltdown was ugly. The DOT explosion was epic causing a massive heart attack. You see, when you over-think little DOTs they join with other DOTs in the same way blood cells stick together to block your arteries. You don’t function well and it eventually leads to a heart attack. Thank goodness DOT heart attacks don’t send you to the hospital. Yet, they have the power to do just as much damage. Accumulating and over-thinking DOTs stifles your happiness. Fear takes over attacking your heart and breaking down its protective covering until an explosive meltdown occurs. A crack is formed, and your heart is scarred in hidden ways. Finally, I stepped back from the dirty puddle I was sitting in and realized I had broken my own DOT rules. By overthinking every little DOT I had given them the power to become huge in my mind. I allowed them to connect one, by one, stripping me of my calm, my contentment, and my happiness. They blinded me and I couldn’t see around them. I carried the huge DOT mass around like a collection of boulders in a backpack. Only as I dropped the backpack did they tumble out before me and I could see the tiny pebbles each of them really were. Just tiny DOTs in the grand adventure of life! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: “Any event that happens to us, around us, or concerns us is just one tiny DOT in the grand adventure of life. Don’t Over-Think the DOTs!” YOUR TURN...
Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at: PennieHunt@gmail.com. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2021 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward and share this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information.
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 I have learned hard lessons. Lessons that have given me benchmarks that guide my life. I remember the Christmas during my divorce that I sat alone in an apartment eating a bag of Hershey Kisses and watching the clock tick. I was certain I wouldn’t survive the day. I did. I learned that loneliness can be hurtful, harmful, and healing. I had a new benchmark to help me understand that I could survive being alone. There was a time when I was driving an hour commute to work on treacherous roads, working too many hours, worrying about contracts, profit and loss statements, and stressed to an extreme level. Then, my dad was diagnosed with a terminal illness. In a short period of time, he disappeared before my eyes. I was holding his hand and rubbing his head as he passed. In that second the contracts, the commute, the work worries seemed of such little importance. I was holding my dad’s hand and rubbing his head as he left this life- that was important. That was a benchmark to help me keep in perspective the big from the small things in life. I changed a few things after that and thought I had my priorities straight. And then, a phone call brought me to my knees telling me my 22-year-old-son had died. You can read about the stages of grief, but that does not guard you against the reality of it. I was on the ground in a dirty, ugly space of hopeless helpless grief. I wanted my little cowboy back. I wanted to see him when he was two years old wearing his hat, chaps, and boots, perched on his bouncy horse as he watched the “Three Amigos” movie. I wanted my baseball player back that could hit home runs every time he was up to bat and then danced around the bases because to him it was all about having fun. I wanted the schoolboy back with his huge smile wearing his favorite t-shirt that had a picture of a can of spam on the front. I wanted my musician back who filled my home with the vibration of his drums and could hear a song once and play it on his guitar. I wanted, “J.T. and the Basement Boys,” back in my basement driving me crazy with the musical noise. I wanted to see his smile when I handed him the keys to his truck. I wanted to hear him sing to his baby girl. I wanted to feel his beard brush next to my face and feel his hugs. At his funeral, I thought I would die. I wanted to die. Gratitude saved me. Being grateful for the gift of him in my life, being grateful for the years he was with me, being grateful that I got to be his mom and no one else could say that - saved me. Standing in front of an oak box that held my child, with his guitar silently perched on the floor next to it, created an unmovable, unbreakable benchmark made of granite that I will carry forever. I survived the most unthinkable, unimaginable, pain a mom can bear and I am still standing. I have been through a lot in my life. We all have. I hear others complain about their life, their jobs, and their kids. I see the challenges and craziness in our world. I witness the hate and anger that causes people to do terrible things. I see the other side. The side we should all look at. The side where we should be grateful for life – the good and not so good. The experiences, the joys, and the sadness. My benchmark of comparison is rock solid. Nothing can hurt as deeply as the loss of my child. I know what is big and what is small to worry about. I know what to be grateful for. And I will continue standing. I believe we all will. Pennie’s Life Lesson: “Watch for benchmarks when they are given to you and allow gratitude to guide your life.”  J.T. - Jameson Tanner 1985-2007 YOUR TURN...
Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at: PennieHunt@gmail.com. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2021 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward and share this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information.  I turned the corner to head home after doing my weekly errands. I noticed at the streetlight ahead there was a man holding his cardboard sign that read, “Anything will help.” Pulling up next to him I rolled down my window and handed him one of my coffee shop gift cards that I carry just for occasions like this. I explained to him where the coffee shop was and that he could get something hot to drink and eat on this cold day. After he said, “Thank YOU” for the third time, our eyes met and I believe in that second he felt love. In that moment I felt love. I felt the love being returned from him and I also felt love for myself for showing kindness. Love works that way. If we don’t see love, we can’t be love. In the moment he looked at me he understood that the gift card held more than a cup of coffee and a sandwich, it held love. When he looked in my eyes and saw love, he mirrored the love back to me filling me up with love from him and magnifying the love I hold inside of myself. Once we see love, we can BE love. How many times do we have the opportunity to show love for others to see? The answer is constantly! Love is not just for special celebrations or certain holidays. Love is for every moment of every day. The more love we show, the more love others see, the more love they can be filled with and the more love they show to others. This is the pay-it-forward of the heart. We see this mirrored magnification work all the time. If you show anger, others show anger, and it spreads. If you see fear, you become fear, and it grows. Why would we want to waste our time on that? Become what you want more of. Become Love. Show love. It’s easy to show it with flowers, gifts and in big ways. It is harder to show it in every moment in small ways. Be the love that others see. Even showing small amounts of love will be mirrored back to you. When it comes to love, Anything Will Help! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: “When you become the love that others see love will be mirrored back to you.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ YOUR TURN...
Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at: PennieHunt@gmail.com. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2021 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward and share this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information.  I stopped making New Year’s resolutions many years ago. They never worked for me. The exercise program resolution never lasted past February. The eating healthier resolution never made its way through the holiday leftovers. And the lose 20 lbs. resolution never really got started. I could go on with this list, but you see the pattern. Resolutions always left me feeling guilty, frustrated, and discouraged. In 2012 I changed my idea of how to begin a new year and decided to pick a word. One word that would be my theme for the year. Guide my actions and give me an intention. That year, my word was ‘Health.’ I would ask myself daily if I was creating a healthier life for myself. I would ask myself if the action I was about to take would put me on a path toward health or a path away from being healthy. It was a small nonjudgmental nudge for me. I printed out the word Health and put it on my vision board. I put it on my bathroom mirror. I would write it as I doodled. I tried to incorporate it into conversations. That year I didn’t turn into the vision of perfect health, but I made better choices. I read and researched healthy habits. I caught up on physical tests and appointments I had avoided. Health became part of my life. Since then, my words have included: Focus -when I needed to become more aware of how I was spending my time; Completion- when I realized I had projects I had begun and never finished; Sincerity- when I wanted to live in a space of being sincere in everything I said and did; JOY- when I needed to move into living a joyous life; Intention- when I wanted to not just live, but set daily intentions about how I wanted to live; Self-love- when I was doing a great job of loving others but not myself; Fun- after a car accident and a year of physical therapy and sadness I just needed to have fun! Some years I struggle to find the perfect word. Some years the word jumps out at me. Some years they come to me during meditation. This year, the word was in my heart. It throbbed through my mind with every push of blood through my veins. I didn’t have a choice – this word found me. HOPE. Hope- an optimistic state of mind. An expectation of positive outcomes. A cherished desire of anticipation. A feeling of trust in the future. What I need this coming year, what we all need this new year, is Hope. I hold hope that friends and families will once again join for holidays and family dinners. That birthday parties and celebrations will become joyous again. I hold hope that the anger and division subsides and we once again join in unified ways that increase stability and harmony in our country. I hold hope that the freedom to own our beliefs is accomplished with respect and honor for others who may hold a belief that is counter to our own. I hold hope that children can once again gather in the school hallways, laughing and chatting with friends. I hold hope that elementary playgrounds are filled with rosy cheeks, running and playing without fear of being too close. I hold hope that restaurant tables will be filled with happy faces and small businesses will overflow with shoppers. I hold hope that employment will become stable and breadwinners will be able to pay rent or mortgages and feed their families. I hold hope that health returns to our people, our communities, our country, and our world. I hold hope that smiles are wide, handshakes are earnest, and hugs- oh those hugs- are long and meaningful. Do I believe that a page turn of the calendar will magically create an idyllic world where the weather is perfect, daisies dance, and the bluebirds sing songs? No. But I do believe humans cannot live without hope. Even a small glimmer of hope will keep our lives moving forward and our hearts reaching for what is to come. My wish is that the small glimmer will gain strength and grow until it is a powerful light calling to us. Shinning on us. Protecting us. For this new year, it isn’t a resolution that will guide me. It is one word. The word is Hope. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: “We cannot survive without hope.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ YOUR TURN...
Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at: PennieHunt@gmail.com. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2020 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward and share this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information.  In January of 2016, I came across an idea for documenting a year’s worth of gratitude. I found a jar- actually, it was a flower vase that I perched smack in the center of my fireplace shelf with a sign that read, “Be Grateful.” I purchased a notepad and every Sunday night I reviewed the week I had just completed and wrote down what I was grateful for that week. I then folded the weekly gratitude list and placed it in the jar. My goal was to fill the jar and read them at the end of the year to remind myself of how gratitude filled every day, every week, and every month of my life. Sometimes it was simple things and sometimes splashy memorable experiences. I wrote notes of gratitude about lessons I learned. I wrote notes of gratitude about things I shared and taught to others. I wrote notes of gratitude about people, places, and things I love. A year goes quickly. As the weeks and months went by my jar filled higher and higher with gratitude in the shape of folded paper. The end of December arrived and as I dumped the jar out to read each grateful memory, I relived the tasty morsels of my year. Reading through my jar of gratitude I realize all my notes revolve around the three reasons I believe we are here in this life….to learn, to teach, and to love. I rarely wrote notes about material things. It was learning, teaching, and loving that I was the most grateful for. Now, as I am looking forward to the completion of my 5th year of a filled gratitude jar, the simple concept has become a tradition. In the bottom of the jar, under the mounting pile of folded papers, are rubber-banded bundles of gratitude notes from the years past. My husband has joined in, writing his gratitude notes every week. We created a new ritual of dumping out the jar on New Year’s Eve and reading through our abundance of gratitude from the year we just completed. As I look to the bright and shiny new year ahead of me, as always, I want to exercise, eat better, and improve my health. I will also hold a special ‘word’ for the year as my theme for the next 12 months, which I have done for many years. (More on this soon.) What I won’t do is set myself up for broken resolutions that revolve around things, money, or unreasonable expectations. My plan for the year ahead is simple… to learn more, to teach more, and to love more. I plan to once again critique my weeks – not by mistakes or regrets, but by moments of gratitude. With this plan I know my life will be full, my heart will be bursting, and my gratitude jar will once again be overflowing by the end of 2021. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: “Be grateful for your ability to learn more, teach more, and love more. That is why we are here.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ YOUR TURN...
Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at: PennieHunt@gmail.com. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2020 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward and share this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information.  Have you found yourself in a situation where you think and think and think and can’t see a way through? Maybe you need to change your tactic. Maybe you don’t have a THINKING problem… maybe you have a THANKING problem. When you can’t THINK your way through, you need to THANK your way through! We live in a world that values process, procedure, charts, graphs, reports, analysis, logic, and hard cold facts. But some situations cannot be logic-ed through! Some situations don’t make sense no matter how many charts you make or ways you look at it. Some situations are out of our control to change. Some situations are so painful that thinking about them becomes unbearable. Some situations you cannot THINK your way through! Yet, you can THANK your way through. Do you want a new job, a new home, a new relationship, and you THINK about it all the time, but you don’t move forward? Until you are thankful for what you have, you will never have more. Let me repeat that… Until you are thankful for what you have, you will never have more. Say that again and again until in sinks into every cell of your body. Don’t waste your time THINKING, poor me, I will never get that job, big house or the perfect relationship. This kind of stinking thinking just builds resentment, anger, and frustration. Instead, be thankful for the job you have now- no matter how bad it is; be thankful for the place you live now – no matter what size or condition it is in; and be thankful for the friends, family, and relationships you already have –even if you don’t have that perfect partner right now. Once you begin being thankful for what you have, you begin to get more! Are you grieving the loss of a job, relationship, or the passing of someone dear to you? When we lose something or someone we had, and loved, it can shake us to our inner core. This kind of loss is the most difficult. It can stir up all the emotions- anger, hopelessness, helplessness, fear, and frustration. Try to turn any bitterness or anger into gratitude. Be thankful for the time you had with that situation or person. Be thankful for what you learned from them, (good and bad). Be thankful for the love they brought into your life and the love you had the opportunity to express to them – no matter what length of time that you had with them. When you turn THINKING into THANKING the pain of your grief will lighten. Once you begin being thankful for what you had or what you have now, you will begin to see your life in a new way. Change that one little letter in the middle of the word … stop THINKING and begin THANKING! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: “When you can’t THINK your way through, THANK your way through.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ YOUR TURN...
Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at: PennieHunt@gmail.com. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2020 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward and share this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information.  It held my children, grandchildren, cousins, neighbors, and dogs. It has been a rocket sliding down a hill, a snow wagon, and a photo prop. It caused laughter, delight, and joy. It caused fights, bruises, and tears. I am not even sure if I remember the day it arrived in our home. Most likely it was delivered in a sleigh by a man in a red suit. I do know the sled has been around for decades. I ran across it in my garage propped in a corner. The runners, once bright and shiny red, looked rusty. The wood worn. The original twine colored rope long ago replaced by a red version. With the outside temperature too cold to turn on the garden hose, I did the next best thing – I brought it in the house. I gave it a shower. Leaning it against the tile I took the shower sprayer down and began cleaning off the years of neglect. As the cobwebs ran down the drain, I saw my children – dressed in snow suits, hats, mittens, and boots. Hardly able to move due to the layers of protection. The only skin showing was their faces with the glow of their cold blushed cheeks. The water poured brown and dirty as years of memories flashed through. The year it was taken to the lake while the men ice fished, and the kids would take turns having sled rides across the frozen water. The hill that seemed Alpine-big and served as the daredevil challenge for those days when the sled was ridden until little fingers were frozen and the draw of a warm bath and hot chocolate waiting at home became strong enough to end the fun. The year my brother’s St. Bernard pulled the sled, filled with squealing kids, across Grandma’s yard. Drying the sled off I rubbed the runners to polish every inch while memories continued to reach every corner of my heart. The way I felt as I watched my three most important loves, hearing their squeals of delight as I held my breath, hoping they would reach the edge of the snow safely. The way I ran to them when an unseen rock would derail their speed causing a tumble, a spill, and tears. The arguments over who would get the next turn. Tying greenery and a plaid bow around the wooden slats, I remembered…  The day my daughter perched her babies on it to snap the perfect holiday card photo. The sled. Now instead of the dirty corner of the garage, it stands in a place of honor next to my antique sewing machine surround by twinkling lights. The red and green bow a crown of appreciation for work well done. I walk by it and see those chubby snow kissed faces. I hear the squeals of joy. I think of how my children are grown and their children are taller than me. I wonder how time has slid by so quickly -- year by year, snow by melting snow, and one quick ride down the hill at a time. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: “Pay attention to the little things in life – they slip and slide by quickly.”  YOUR TURN...
Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at: PennieHunt@gmail.com. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2020 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward and share this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information.  This year was different. Typically, on holidays my home is filled with our six children, their partners in life, nine grandchildren, a great grandmother or two, and occasionally friends or other relatives. From 8 to 88 the generations gather. The noise of multiple conversations, laughter, music, and the television blaring the parade and football games, all blur together with the smell of turkey, sweet potatoes, and pie. The dining room table is set with china and flowers for the adults. The kitchen table is set with fun turkeys and colorful placemats for the kids. The house is filled with the magic of a Norman Rockwell painting. Well, maybe not quite that perfect--but close. This year was different. There was the smell of turkey, sweet potatoes, and pie, but the dining room table was a table for two and the kitchen table sat empty. I stressed about it for several weeks. I love holidays. I love the family, the chaos, the gathering in gratitude. It was hard for me to concede that this year would be different. Then my daughter laid it out in four words. “It’s just one meal,” she said. That was about as clear as it gets. It was just one meal. It wasn’t going to be forever. It wasn’t going to be every holiday. It was just one meal. Our family is large, diverse, and live in different areas. This year, some of the grandchildren are in their school’s classroom and some are distance learning from home. This year, some of our children are going to work every day to their office or business, and some have been working from home for months. When we looked at the web of how family members interact with the public it was frightening. Just in our family we would have mixed eight households, nine children that attend different school situations and/or events, fifteen adults that either go out into the work arena, or do grocery shopping, and take children to school or events. There was a lot of interaction going on that would all be brought to the Thanksgiving table. The risk was high. When we listened to the medical suggestions, we all agreed that staying in our own homes this year was the right thing to do. And this year, the right thing mattered. We wanted to protect each other. We cared enough about each other to put that first. It turned out fine. Phone calls were made. Laugher happened over Facetime and Zoom calls. We exchanged photos of brown turkeys and tables of food. We shared in new and different ways the events of our separate holiday. It wasn’t Norman Rockwell, but it was fine. Did we want to be together this year? YES! We needed hugs. We needed closeness. We needed the unity of our family together. But - it was just one meal. It was just one day. We did the right thing. And when Christmas comes, we will do the next right thing. We look forward to future holidays. Because we cared enough to stay safe this year, we have hope that next year we will all be sitting around a table for twenty or more. We have hope that we will all be healthy and happy. It was just one meal, one day – there will be more. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: “Do the right thing, when the right thing matters.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
YOUR TURN... Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at: PennieHunt@gmail.com. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2020 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward and share this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information.  We have all had a year! It is easy to be in a cloud of darkness and despair. It is easy to be confused, uncertain, and angry. It is easy to look only at the negative and believe there is nothing to be grateful for. This year’s holidays may look and feel much different than in years past. Missing traditions and large families around the dinner table may add to the turmoil of emotions many of us feel. During this week of giving thanks, let’s take time to look beyond all that has happened in the past year. Look through the confusion and uncertainty. Look past the unique holiday challenges. Let’s concentrate on what we do have. Let’s concentrate on gratitude. I believe that gratitude is a great healer. A soothing, calming, gentle guide that brings us together to a place of peace. To support you with this, I share this exercise to help us all appreciate the grace of gratitude. THE GRACE OF GRATITUDE During this time of thankfulness I ask that we, together, place our hands over our heart center and recognize how different we are –and yet very much the same. Whatever religion you align with or light that you follow –we can all move together toward a common goal of gratitude. As you hold your hands over your heart center, recognize that whatever our talents, our dreams, our backgrounds, or our life situations we can all join in the grace of gratitude. Be grateful for our individuality and also for our common bond; Be grateful for our families and friends who are with us and those who have gone before us; Be grateful for animals, plants, and all living things that love, nurture and nourish us; Be grateful for our occupations and the impact our work has on others – and ourselves; Be grateful for the beauty that surrounds us created both by nature and by human hands; Be grateful for the smallest of moments and the grandest of experiences; Be grateful for our bodies that carry us through the lessons we are here to learn; Be grateful for our breath and the rhythmic in and out of our life power; Be grateful for the flow of pure love and the spirit of life that runs through us. May our love be strengthened, and our lives be broadened as we move together - in grace - toward a common goal of gratitude. Blessings to us all. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: “Allow the flow of pure love and the spirit of life that runs through us all to fill you with the Grace of Gratitude.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
YOUR TURN... Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at: PennieHunt@gmail.com. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2020 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward and share this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information.  Five years ago, my husband retired. Some people fear retirement. They have their entire life interwoven with their job, career, or professional position. They fear the empty space. The quiet. The lack of identity. This is intensified when others ask questions like, “What are you going to do now?” The in-between-the-lines message is – you MUST have a plan; you MUST do something. If you have swirled your entire identity around what you do for work, when you retire, you may find yourself struggling with this loss of identity. I came up with an idea. As fast as you can, why not create a new one! Have new business cards printed with your name and a new title. You may no longer be an Executive Director, a CEO, a realtor or whatever your work title was, but now you can be anything you want to be. Happily Retired ~ Artist ~ Volunteer ~ King of Your World ~ Grandma Practice saying it – “I AM a WRITER!” or “I am Happily Retired!” The new title may feel strange at first, but practice saying it out loud until YOU believe it! Include your address, phone, email, or other information so that people know how to reach you. Hand these new business cards out with pride! After owning his own business for 38 years, it was time for my husband to relax and enjoy life, but I did worry about how he would react. So, on the day the papers were signed, and the business was transferred to new owners, I gave him a gift. A box of new business cards which expressed his new title and included his contact information. He was thrilled to have something to hand people when they asked those questions. It was a new identity and a way of keeping in touch with others. Now, five years later, most people know how to connect with him. The business cards don’t come out as often as they did in the beginning, although the questions continue. “Don’t you get bored?” "What do you do all day?” “How do you spend your time?” He has settled into the greatest response of all. His answer is simple. Thought provoking. Priceless! “I wake up every morning and ask myself, -- what will bring me joy today? -- And then I do that.” When he uses this response, people become quiet. They visualize what that must be like- to wake up every day knowing you can do exactly what you want to do and fill your day with joy. If they are curious my husband will elaborate. Yes, we love to travel and enjoy adventures, but most of the time it isn’t flashy acts of indulging, he explains. He is a lifelong learner, so some days what brings him joy is reading all day. Some days sleeping in, staying up late, or a luxurious afternoon nap brings him joy. Some days a drive to play blackjack brings him joy. Even plowing snow from our property with his tractor brings him a joyful contentment. The days of worrying about profit and loss, about staff showing up for work, about deadlines and sales are over. Now it is the simple things, that there wasn’t time for during those years of productivity, that bring him joy. Maybe it is time for me to create a new business card for him that simply says, “I am a JOY FINDER!” I wonder if it is time for all of us to add a bit of joy finding into our daily lives. A moment here, a lunch break there… you don’t have to wait until you retire to find time to add simple snippets of joy to your life. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: “You create your identity – your job doesn’t. Find your own joy.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie Heart to Heart |
AuthorThere is a certain magic about where I live both physically and spiritually – on the crossroads of Spirit and Brave. Archives
January 2021
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