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  • UPCOMING EVENTS

THE LEAP OF TRUST

10/22/2020

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Picture
You know the feeling.
You slide into the cool sheets, fluff up your favorite pillow, pull the soft warm blankets up to your chin and wiggle and squiggle until your mattress molds around you in safe secure comfort. You close your eyes shutting out all the problems of your world and drift into the luxury of sleep.
All the while trusting.

Trusting that wherever you travel --through pleasant dreams or nightmares, whether your body simply shuts down to rest or your soul journeys to unknown adventures-- at some point you will wake up. Wake up stronger, rested and ready to walk another day. And, if you don’t wake up, you trust that the space you move into will be one of greater comfort than the space where you currently are.

This may be the ultimate leap of trust. To simply close your eyes, giving up all barriers of protection and give yourself fully to the unknown experience of unconsciousness that you know as sleep. A place of total vulnerability.  
Trust.

What if you could learn to trust like this during your awake hours?
Grief, sadness, and life events are at times difficult to maneuver. This year has shown us an unimaginable list of these challenging times. You may be feeling overwhelmed. You may be feeling lost and alone. You may feel like there is no end- no way out of the desperation. What if you could trust that you will walk through these times and wake up on the other side with new strength, new knowledge, and ready to walk another day?

Actually, it should be easier. When you trust that sleep is a safe endeavor you do it alone. No one can share the experience of sleep with you. And yet, you do it night after night always trusting it will be fine in the morning. If you are reading this, you know it is true - you went to sleep last night and you woke up this morning.

All other life experiences, no matter how devastating they are, no matter how challenging they are, no matter how life changing they are, can be shared with others. Even if you feel alone, you don’t have to be. You can ask for help. You can reach out to others in similar circumstances. You can reach out to someone who is struggling. You can reach out to someone who seems to have life under control. You can hold someone’s hand and they can hold yours.

Tonight when you cozy into your cocoon of sleep, ponder this concept. Think about the leap of trust you take every time you close your eyes. AND, think about how wonderful it would be to live your daily life trusting in that same way.
Who will you reach out to today?
Who will you trust?
                ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~~
Pennie's Life Lesson:
“Take the leap of trust moment to moment understanding that you will make it through the challenges of life. Trust that you will be fine.”
                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
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. 
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THE LOST DAY

10/12/2020

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Picture
​I lost my day.
It began in the normal way.
Alarm.
Glass of water.
Cup of coffee.
Work out.
Shower.
Then... I lost it.
 
My day became an endless loop of wondering what I should do. Not wanting to do anything. Feeling disappointed in myself that I was not accomplishing, achieving, or making an impact, I walked from window to window looking out at the world feeling lost. I did not have a plan for the day. I was uneasy. Restless. Uncertain.
And then, it was over.
I lost my day.
 
Now, holding a brand-new day in my grasp and enjoying all that comes with it, I look back on that day and realize I occasionally experience what I call A Lost Day. A day lost in time that I wasted.
​
I’m not talking about a day spent reading or relaxing, which I find necessary to rejuvenate both mind and soul and is far from wasted. A Lost Day is spent spinning and twirling in indecision. Not being able to focus on a desire. Feeling like I hold no control over my life or the world outside.
 
In my self-analyzation, I uncovered this...
I was raised in a military family where it was ingrained in my DNA to work hard, accomplish, and achieve. I often find myself at the end of a day spewing a list of "completion." From laundry to writing, I do a mental review of what I did to add value during the day. Could it be possible if I don’t “do” I must not be of value?
 
Our minds are funny little puzzles consisting of pieces created at birth with more picked up as we journey through life. We maneuver the unchangeable ones to create a frame. All other misshaped pieces are turned and tried until they fit together to create the picture of our lives.

Over time we may crinkle and bend a piece or two and might even lose one, but the frame remains the landing pad. The secret code of our belief system’s DNA.
 
Here is the thing...
Although I was raised with the core value of hard work and accomplishment, I was NEVER taught that without doing that I was not of value. That became one of the internal puzzle pieces that my mind created and connected to another piece as I built my life. So of course, when I have a day of spinning in indecision, I feel useless and wasteful. I experience the frustration of a Lost Day.
 
Now to make it even worse, during this time of uncertainty in our world, many of us may think we have lost a day, a summer, and possibly the entire year. Our thoughts and movements are tempered with caution and restrictions. Holding control of our feelings, actions, and focus is more difficult than ever before.
 
Our mind is trying to process the events that we cannot control in the world, by organizing these events like they are jumbled puzzle pieces. We believe they should fit together in a logical form - but they don’t. It is no wonder how easily we can lose a day spinning in this loss of control.
 
For me, the next time I experience a Lost Day, I will at least understand what is happening. I will try to lean into it with the knowing of why it is happening and the understanding of how my emotions are reacting.
 
As I write this, I sit in self-satisfaction for solving the puzzle. Finding the piece that skews my life picture and creates a Lost Day.
Today I accomplished!
I achieved!
I made an impact - if only in my own life.
              ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~~
Pennie's Life Lesson:
“Pay attention to the puzzle pieces that create the picture of your life. Don’t force pieces to fit where they don’t belong.”
                ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~~
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. 
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The Angel Highway

10/6/2020

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Picture
It was June 11, 2018. The weather was great. The air was clean. The sky was blue. It seemed like a normal day. I had a dentist appointment, did some shopping, and called to tell my husband I was heading home.
​
The stop-and-go traffic on the interstate soon turned to a complete stop. There was a long space behind me, but in my rear-view mirror, I saw a vehicle coming toward me. I pumped my brakes in hopes of the driver seeing my brake lights. Closing my eyes, I held the steering wheel as tightly as I could, thinking, “So this is how it’s going to be.” I KNEW I was going to die.

The jolt of the car hitting me somewhere between 65-75 MPH slammed my car into a concrete construction barrier. The front windshield instantly shattered and pushed into my face. Then it seemed as if I was silently flying forever as my car flew 35 yards. I thought that maybe I was already dead and when I landed, I would be someplace magical.

My car hit bouncing several times landing on its top. I was suspended upside down held by my seat belt and crushed in a position so tightly I couldn’t move. My head was crooked and pushed into the caved-in roof of my car. I was covered in glass and debris. I was afraid to open my eyes. I could hear steaming, hissing, and sounds from my car. Now, I was certain if I wasn’t already dead, I would die soon. This is not a feeling you can prepare for. This is not a feeling you forget.
 
A driver stopped and began yelling to me, “Are you ok?  I can’t believe you are alive, there is no way you could have survived this- you should be dead!” This began a stream of similar comments from the EMT’s, firemen, and the ER doctors.

An EMT named, Sarah, climbed through the broken back window to reach me. She talked to me keeping me calm and conscious. When the sirens of the fire trucks came closer, she said, “Can you hear that? They are coming to help you and will know how to get you out!”

A heavy, hot blanket was put over my face as the firemen used saws to cut my car apart. Five of them pulled me out and laid me on the hot asphalt. Shaking from shock and blood running down my face from a blow to my head, I was rushed by ambulance to the hospital.

One distracted moment from another driver took away more than a year of my life and changed me forever. I was told, the distracted driver appeared unhurt and went home to her family and her life.

Post-Traumatic Stress is real. The nightmares were horrific as people were always trying to kill me and shouting,
        “YOU SHOULD BE DEAD!” 

A siren instantly put me back in my car, upside down, the seat belt digging into my neck and waist, my head lodged in the sunroof. The smell of hot asphalt or the heat of a road brought back being pulled out of the wreckage and laid on the road surrounded by smells of antifreeze, gasoline, and transmission fluid.

Headaches from my concussion and neck pain from the whiplash made it impossible for me to sit at a computer or look at a screen. I couldn’t read. I couldn’t write. I couldn’t do my work.

I could remember every millisecond of the collision, but I would walk right by someone I had known for years and not recognize them. I would have times when I was extremely quiet and times I would rattle out odd stories.

I could no longer do the things I loved – play with my grandchildren, yoga, riding my bike, or swimming. I would wake up with my back hunched in pain and it could take two hours to gain an upright position. My balance was impaired and while walking my leg would buckle or go sideways as if it had a mind of its own.

I saw the world as if I was looking through a fishbowl. Everything was skewed in a very strange way. Months of ophthalmologist and neurologist visits later I do not have the same vision as before the collision. That is something that cannot be corrected or ‘fixed.’

I never planned to drive again. It took time before I began driving back roads to get places avoiding other cars. The interstate was a source of visceral fear.

The highway patrolman who investigated my collision said several things happened right or I would not have survived. It was a small car that hit me low and hard catapulting me into the air. A larger vehicle would have hit straight on and the outcome would have been devastating. I had swerved slightly left when I stopped in traffic, which kept me from being accordioned between the line of cars ahead of me and the car that hit me- this could have caused many deaths. And I was wearing a seat belt.

For more than a year, my life revolved around physician appointments, physical therapy, sleeping, and pain.

Personally, I believe that my dad, my son, and an entire team of angels held me in the car that day. Now I call that stretch of interstate, The Angel Highway. Now when I am on it, I say a prayer of gratitude that I am alive and send blessings to my angels, family, friends, first responders, and medical professionals that helped me through this journey.

The National Safety Council calls October 2020 Distracted Driving Awareness Month. According to the CDC, each day in the US, distracted driving accidents cause 1,000 injuries and 9 deaths. I am one of the lucky ones. I guess I have a few more lessons to learn and teach in this life.
​              ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie’s Life Lesson:
​ “If you are going to drive, wear a seat belt                  and put away your phone.”
                ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  ~ ~ ~ ~
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. 
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WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU MADE A NEW FRIEND?

9/27/2020

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Picture
When I was a child, my friendships were created by walking together to school, sitting next to each other in the cafeteria, and being chosen for the kickball team at recess. 

Later in my life, I remember having coffee with my friends as our babies played nearby and I wouldn’t think of going a day without talking to my friend on the phone.

I made friends sitting next to other mom’s as our children played soccer and baseball.  I have had coworkers that became close confidants and soul connections.

Now in our fast-paced world do we know what having a close friend is? Do we confuse friendship with acquaintance? Is friendship defined by a blue thumbs up on social media? Do these cartoon thumbs really represent a person that touches our heart or are many of them there for self-acknowledgment – the more the better.  
I asked the question- “What is your definition of a Friend?”  to a progression of ages.

 A 6- year old answered, “They are nice, funny.”

A 9-year-old responded with, “They are nice and they like who you are, not for how you look but for who you are.”

A 12-year-old reacted with, “Best pal, your forever buddy, someone who will be there if times get tough.”

Another 12-year-old replied, “Friendship is a bond that can’t easily be broken. Friends know what you’re going to say/do before you do it. They know what you are feeling.”

A 17-year-old quickly reacted with, “Friends are people that are loyal to each other.”

A 47-year-old answered, “Friends are people who make your problems their problems so you don’t have to go through it alone.”

A 69-year-old said, “Someone I am always there for and they are always there for me.”

An 86-year-old said thoughtfully, “I tend to like people I have always been friends with. If you live to be old and can count your friends on the fingers of one hand- great!  If you have more, that’s a bonus!”

An 87-year-old answered – “Somebody that you can rely on to ask personal questions and she won’t tell anyone else and you do things together.”

I would agree with all these definitions.  
My definition would be someone that I hold mutual support, encouragement and trust with.  Someone I can laugh with and cry with. Someone, the first one, I would call at 2 AM to tell good news or bad.

Friendship morphs, stagnates, and disintegrates during different stages and circumstances in life. There are many reasons for the ebb and flow, closeness or detachment of a friendship.

Location plays a huge role.  As a child moving across town changes the dynamic of friendship.  For me, growing up in a military family moves across the country plunked me into new schools and new populations.  I learned how to make friends on the playground or stand alone.   

Divorce will create a situation of dividing property, belongings and yes, friends.  
 
As we age, death and illness become a reality of life.  Friends may pass away before us or become physically or mentally unable to participate in a friendship.  
                        
I have lived many places and I have had many friendships. Some are lasting like my oldest friend in life – shout out to Kristi.  Some have faded due to relocation. Some have been shattered from broken trust. Some have been lost through division of divorce and separation of death.

I wonder if, as our friend circle shrinks, should we be trying to make new friends? Or is my small inner circle of trusted friends enough. 
No matter where you are in this cycle of life or what your definition of a friend is my hope for you is that you have at least one. 
             ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie’s Life Lesson 
“When you find a friend hold them close to your heart. A true friendship should be valued and honored.”
              ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
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. ​
0 Comments

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN THE TOILET OVERFLOWS?

9/20/2020

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Picture
I felt overwhelmed.
With several speaking engagements ahead of me, blogs to write and my self-imposed deadline for the completion of my book, I felt like the toilet had just overflowed.

You know, that panicked feeling of running to get the plunger as the water overflows and every towel you own is being thrown on the floor in an effort to control.

The smell of not feeling Good Enough was quickly rising to the top of my bowl. How would I ever get it all done? 
So I did the logical thing - I turned the valve to off. 

I stopped the gushing stream that overflowed my mind and walked away from all the fear, pressure and commitments.
I went outside and dug holes.

I put my hands in the black dirt. I dug holes for tomato plants. I dug holes for bushes. I dug holes for geraniums and marigolds. I layered each hole with peat moss, potting soil and vermiculite and then gently placed plants inside carefully pushing the earth around the roots and up to the stems. My body eased and relaxed as I enjoyed the process of nurturing.

My mind did nothing except watch the movement of my hands. It had emptied to a space of quiet silence with no worries of deadlines or commitments. The valve remained OFF.

Suddenly it became very clear to me how easy it would be to complete all of my obligations. I had just been “Layering” myself in a dangerous way.

Instead of layering myself with the joy of what I was doing in the same loving way I layered the soil around the plants, I had been layering myself in a negative way... I wasn’t being gentle, careful or kind.

I was being self-demanding to the point of overwhelm. No wonder I felt blocked like the water was flooding over. In the process, instead of allowing my roots to stretch in the delightful enjoyment of these life opportunities I had tightened myself into a root bound knot with two options.

I could either continue to squeeze the grip around myself forever running in an effort to control 
or
I could clear my mind, do nothing and allow myself the time to relax into the joy of life.

Meditation comes in many forms.
​Today it arrived while my hands were in the dirt and I realized that when you allow your mind the space to do nothing - it becomes easier to do everything.
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. 
0 Comments

I DRIVE HIS TRUCK

9/9/2020

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Picture
It sits in the garage.
Everyone wonders why
I keep it.

The dust and dirt of the seasons covers it. I walk by it every day as the months and years come and go.

Twice a year I drive it.

I slide in the seat.
The smell of him is fading and the air freshener he tucked in the vent is beginning to crumble.

I carefully back down the driveway.
The gear shift is tight with age.

The windows rattle and the water seeps in as I drive it through the car wash. 

The repair shop asks me why I want the oil changed when there has only been 50 miles driven since the last service.
I don’t tell them. 

When I drive I feel his arms blend with mine as our hands in unison hold the steering wheel.

I push in his Bob Dylan cassette and it crackles loudly through the speakers.
Our hands drum to the beat.

And we are off. 

We drive together, he and I, through 22 years of memories; the good, the painful, the magical and the tragic.

We find ourselves in a place where here and there - now and then doesn't matter.
A place where love binds us back together.

When I carried him I wanted to experience and remember every moment of my pregnancy and every un-medicated contraction during his arrival.
It would be my last passage through the process.
I re-live these now. 

His first steps, his first words and his first day of school blur into the yellow lines of the road we travel.

We drive by the baseball field where his Little League Tournaments were played and the skate park responsible for his first stitches.
Picture
We stop at the gardens where the stone holds his name and the saying by Rumi.

We pass the gas station where I bought his last tank of gas.

The wind whistles as we drive through town by his apartment and onto the interstate where we drive fast as our thoughts and pain escalate

I hear his fishing poles and baseball equipment rattle in the back.

The speed is cleansing.

Together we sing, we laugh, we shout, we cry.  We say prayers of gratitude for his life, our life together, his brother, his sister, family, friends --  and his daughter.   

I hear the echo from so many years ago when the phone rang with a voice telling me he was gone.

Carefully, I position it back in the garage.
Bob Dylan stops.

Time is put in park as I feel his beard brush against my cheek and,

      “I love you, mom,” hums in my ears.
I answer,
       “I love you too, honey.  I love you so.”
Picture
Another anniversary of
that phone call comes to
an end.
His birthday will be here soon.

Until then
 it sits in the garage.
Everyone wonders why I keep it. 
              ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
Pennie’s Life Lesson: 
        “Love binds us together
               no matter what separates us."
              ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
J.T. (Jameson Tanner) Lindemann 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 © 2013-2020 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. 
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GLAD YOU DID – WISH YOU WOULD HAVE

9/5/2020

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PictureFrank
The banker on the other end of the phone line asked my husband if he knew Frank.
Yes, he did.

Did he know that he had passed away and the bank held an account for Frank that listed my husband as a joint owner?
No, he didn’t.

When he put the phone down his face, which moments before was happy and free of distress, was now lined with disbelief and sadness. He looked at me and said,

     “I wish I would have called him to
      have lunch last month when I
      thought about it.”

Although my husband talked about Frank often, he hadn’t been in close contact with his friend in some time.  The sudden shock of his passing immediately led to regret for the missed opportunities that he would never be able to do over.

In life we are given moment by moment opportunities to make phone calls, to write notes, to share meals, to be kind and to give the gift of our time to those we love and care for. 
At times you may wonder if it is something you should do or not.  When you are trying to decide, use this meter to judge --

     After the opportunity passes will you say,
                        "I’m glad I did!"
     Or will you say:
                        "I wish I would have!"

This makes the decision so much easier.  If you visualize how you would feel afterward and you are glad you did it, then it’s the right thing to do.

If you visualize being sorry you missed the opportunity, especially if there is no chance for a do-over, then it’s the right thing to do.

If neither of these answers fit, then maybe it isn’t something you need to do, but be very clear before you take this path.  Living in the regret of “wishing you would have” is a sad place to be. 

Take advantage of your next opportunity and be proud to say,
               “I’m glad I did.”
                  ~ ~ ~  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie’s Life Lesson:
“We are given moment by moment opportunities that you will either be glad you did or wish you would have – which will it be?"
                ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie Heart to Heart
GLAD YOU DID- WISH YOU WOULD HAVE
YOUR TURN...         
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to think about your moment by moment opportunities... how will you respond? 

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. 
0 Comments

THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT

8/29/2020

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PictureGrandma Betty with one of her cakes.
My grandmother decorated cakes. Birthday, anniversary, graduation, but mostly wedding cakes. Whenever we would visit, she was always mixing white batter and the freezer was full of cakes waiting their turn to be dressed in layers of white bridal frosting.

​As far back as I can remember she would sit me at her round oak table, put a piping bag in my hand, and have me practice making roses. Red roses. Pink roses. Even blue roses.

I would go with her to the churches as she set the cake table with lacy cloth, shiny crystal candy dishes, and sparkling candles. She layered tiers of white creaminess one on top of the other to create a masterpiece for the bride and groom. I watched in awe of her ability to level the layers, so they didn’t fall.

My favorite moment was when she would untie the ribbon on a small white candy box. Inside was the crowning jewel. I watched her make them many times. Thinning the frosting to just the correct consistency and then through a tiny round tip she would squeeze the frosting onto wax paper creating two swirling butterfly wings. When they were dry, she would carefully place them in the candy box.

Adding a delicate butterfly to the cake was her trademark. She explained to me that butterflies symbolize new birth, a new beginning, and a wedding brought two people together to create a new life. She would gently push the wings into the frosting forming a butterfly on the back side of the cake where the wedding couple would see it as they cut the first piece. This act of love by my grandmother was the finale. The cake was complete.

My grandmother knew that as I grew, I began decorating cakes for extra money. I taught cake decorating classes and coached hundreds of people in the art of making roses.

What my grandmother never knew, was what impact her placing a butterfly on a cake made on me. It was the magic of the story. The power behind the message of new beginnings. Her action of love and kindness that impacted me.

It created in me a lifelong fascination with butterflies. The strength it takes for a simple caterpillar to enclose themselves in a cocoon to emerge as a creature of grace and beauty. I have thought of this many times in my life when circumstances forced me to find the strength and space to cocoon for a time and emerge when I was stronger.

It wasn’t until years later that I heard the term, “The Butterfly Effect.” 
The concept of how a small thing can change a bigger outcome. The vision of a butterfly fluttering its wings and causing a furious wind in the distance is an exaggerated example. Small actions, events, and circumstances can serve as a catalyst to set in motion changes on a grand level.

The first step of a jog can be the beginning of a long-distance runner.
Hearing music for the first time can trigger the artistic talent of a maestro.
The dedication of a teacher can turn a child’s life around.
Buying someone a cup of coffee can set up a chain reaction of paying-it-forward acts of kindness.

Unfortunately, this can work in a negative way as well.
A comment voiced in anger can create an environment of hate.
A tiny germ can set into motion a worldwide pandemic.

My hope is that more energy is spent increasing positive light than in promoting the darkness of negativity.

It is not always big things that create change. It can be the tiniest of actions that create the grandest impact. Sometimes it is teaching a little girl how to make roses out of frosting. Telling her a story of the butterfly’s new beginnings and how out of simple actions, something beautiful can emerge.

In a future space and time, that little girl just may understand that at times in life building your own cocoon takes strength and faith that you will emerge even better. And that little girl just may use her life to share the power of love and gratitude in hopes of it setting in motion more of the same.
The Butterfly Effect.
            ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Picture
Pennie's Life Lesson:
“Small actions, events, and circumstances can serve as a catalyst to set in motion changes on a grand level. Use more of your energy to increase the light than in promoting darkness.”
               ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie Heart to Heart
THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT
YOUR TURN... 
​My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to pay attention to how your actions can produce a ripple effects  for future action or change.
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. 
0 Comments

NO PROBLEM

8/22/2020

0 Comments

 
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She is 13, smart, beautiful, and caring. Her response to almost every question or comment is, “No Problem.”

“Thank you for visiting us.”  - “No Problem.”
“Thank you for the sweet note.”    - “No Problem.”
“Can you help me with this?” 
        - “No Problem.”
“Can you play a different position in this soccer game?” 
          - “No Problem.”

Whether it is a text, a phone call, or in person. It is always, “No Problem.” 
It is an automatic response for her. 

At first, I thought it was cute. I thought it was funny. It became a game with me to see how many times she would say it during our interactions. After thinking about it, I realized I was missing the point. I now see that her favorite response was a lesson for me. Not only was her stance pure brilliance it is also the natural state of being in nature, in life, and in humans.

After all, the sun comes up every morning and the stars sparkle for us at night. Spring follows winter and flowers bloom in the summer. No Problem.

Rivers flow, winds blow, and leaves are blown from trees. No Problem.

Children play, babies giggle, and puppies romp. No Problem.

Calendars turn, birthdays are celebrated, and aging happens. Life is a cycle. No Problem.

We are born in this natural state of acceptance and loving life as it is given to us. When we are young our minds are open to learn and our hearts are eager to love and help. We don’t see the difficulties. We don’t look forward to what we might not have the capacity to accomplish. We observe and participate. No Problem.

It is a learned behavior to seek out the negatives and fear the obstacles. Reality shows us that there are real issues that need dealing with. There are real challenges. The longer you live the more you will experience these. The harder you look the more you will find.

This can cause bitterness, resentment, and cynicism. It is easy to run a ticker-tape of problems through our minds on constant repeat. It is easy to worry about families, communities, and the world. It is easy to take a negative perspective and see goals as impossible. It is easy to see EVERYTHING as a problem. It is easy not to try.

It took me a while to understand the power of this young woman’s auto response. By saying, “No Problem,” she is not only giving herself in service to others, she is giving herself a positive affirmation.

Her ticker-tape is repeating, in her mind and out loud, that nothing is a problem. She doesn’t allow her mind to go there. Her mind is in constant positivity. Her perspective is one of she won’t only try, but she will accomplish. She sees nothing as a problem, but instead as an opportunity to figure it out, create a solution, and to help others. She expects it to be fine.

Will she outgrow her youthful optimism?
Maybe she will, or maybe she will be one of the lucky ones that ‘gets it’ for the rest of her life. Maybe she will grow and blossom in this natural state, the way we were all meant to be.

But for now, can we learn a lesson from her? Can we begin looking at life challenges and difficulties as solvable? Can we change our self-talk to more of a can do, will do, confirmation of support? Will this make everything in life rosy and happy? Probably not, but let’s create a new ticker-tape in our minds. One that is a positive projection for others and ourselves.
No Problem.
 
                    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~~
Pennie's Life Lesson:
    “Look at life as an opportunity to create solutions, and to help others.
​                - NO Problem!”      
                     ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie Heart to Heart
NO PROBLEM
YOUR TURN... 
​My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to pay attention to how you respond to life. Can you say, "No Problem?"
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. 
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LET ME LIVE ​UNTIL I DIE

8/15/2020

2 Comments

 
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The taxi ride was uncomfortable.  Heat pushed on my chest. From the driver’s window the dry wind blew in my face with relentless force.  The driver, looking at me in his rear view mirror, asked me why I was in town and what I do for a living.
I quickly gave him my elevator speech.  Struggling to send my words through the hot wind I ended with,
​
 "I teach people how to Love Their Life-
           NO MATTER WHAT!"

As I delivered the words to him, the smell of smoke from the last passenger filled my nose, a crack in the vinyl seat pushed through my jeans and I realized the situation tested my own mantra.
I wasn't loving my life right now!

He became extremely interested and told me how his aging mom was very unhappy.
Then he hit me with the question that turned the heat of the day into a quiet background of minor distraction.

       "Can YOU teach my mom how to
          live until she dies?"

Could I?
Could I teach myself that?
What would it take to REALLY live every day I have?
How could I age into the person I hope to be at 80, 85, 90 and beyond?
How could "I" live ... really live until I die?
 
I created a wish list... a request....a prayer...
 
     LET ME LIVE UNTIL I DIE

Please let me age with grace and primp with glory.  Let me move with ease, bend to my toes, and reach for the sky. Let me wear shiny lipstick and curl my hair. Let my nails be manicured and my eyes shine. Let me wear colorful dresses that swirl when I walk and red high heels that click as I step. 

Please let me be a fearless spirit and see adventure as rejuvenating.  Let me be the one who wants to skydive at 80 and ride a Harley at 90. Let me feel the wind of possibility twirl around me never allowing the words, "I can't" to cross my determination.

Please let me giggle in girlish delight and blush when I flirt. Let me dance with boys at 90 and dance alone in the kitchen.  Let me drop tears from happiness and lift spirits with contagious laughter.   Let me be spontaneous with kind encouragement for others.

Please let me use the lessons of my childhood.  Let me swing in the wind and slide every slide.  Let me remember that please and thank you are words of kindness. Let me forgive those who have hurt, harmed, or rejected me as easily as I forgive the waitress for my lukewarm coffee or the person who pushes in front of me in line -- when I move too slowly.  Let me be grateful for the hands that hold mine and the gifts I am given. Let me be reminded to share my toys in the sandbox and share love with my family, friends, and the world.

Please let my mind remember the memories.   The people who touched me, the experiences I had, the love I gave, and the love I was given. Embed in my mind these visions as colorful oil painted masterpieces that never fade.  Let my mind not be so cluttered with details of despair that it fogs the joys of my years.  Allow clarity of every amazing moment I've experienced so that I re-feel them intensely and cherish them deeply.

Please let me breathe every moment. See every sunrise. Hear every song. Dance every dance. Be kissed by every snowflake and stomp in every rain puddle.  Let my joy in the joyous and sing with the songbirds. Let me hold tiny hands and hug every heart. Let me marvel in every moment of magnificence, no matter how simple and no matter how grand. Let me run the race to the end, laugh until the credits roll, and love until my heart is stretched and pushing through my chest.
​
Please let me press deeper into peace with every wrinkle and spiral closer to my soul with every year.  Let me be patient in the process of living and accepting of the unimaginable purity of love that waits on the other side. Let me see the un-seeable as it surrounds me. Let me joyfully anticipate the unknown ahead as the known I believe it will be. Let me live with sweet peacefulness in my spirit and my soul.

Please, oh please, let me live until I die.

Pennie’s Life Lesson:
         “Cherish every moment.
​           Live, REALLY live until you die.”  
Pennie Heart to Heart
LET ME LIVE UNTIL I DIE
YOUR TURN... 
​My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to pay attention to how you live your life.
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. ​
2 Comments

THE YEARS BETWEEN 4 and 85

8/8/2020

1 Comment

 
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I found myself smack dab in the middle of four generations -- my 4-year-old grandsons, my daughter, my 85-year-old mom and me. 

On our 6-day road trip, the boys delighted in every cow we saw as we passed farms learning about silos and sunflower fields.  Throwing rocks in a river was a competition and trying to touch a duck was hilarious. Sleeping in a hotel was like sleeping in a palace where we tested the softness of the bed and devoured the complimentary breakfast that was surely prepared especially for the two mighty kings that were heading out on their stallions.

I marveled at the boy’s ability to squeal when a lady bug landed in front of them as if it was the most exciting creature they had ever seen.  They delighted in hiking to find pine cones and watching deer run through the woods. 
For them, each moment was a new breath, a new experience, a new lesson in life.
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​My mom clapped her hands when we pulled our car into her driveway.  Her little body disappeared as we circled her in hugs. 

​The boys moved at 4-year-old speed as they told her stories, asked questions and turned the neighborhood park into the Wild Wild West as the spring horses became their saddles and the gravel their dusty trail. 
My mom squealed as if they were the most exciting creatures she had ever seen.
For her, each moment was a new breath, a new experience, a new lesson in life.
Picture
Picture

My daughter and I watched this from an interesting vantage point -- the space found somewhere in between 4 and 85.

The space where responsibility rules life and commitments control time.
A space where the magic of a ladybug is lost and imagination is buried under laundry, mortgage payments and stock market swings. 
A space where the wonder of life can be temporarily put on hold while ladders are climbed and ceilings are broken.

I learned my own lessons during this trip and it wasn’t that silos hold corn or that strawberry milk comes from red cows, as my grandsons proclaimed.

I learned the importance of slowing down to allow a lady bug to climb up your arm.
​
I learned that trying to touch a duck is hilarious.

I learned that watching your family pull into your driveway is something that deserves applause.
​
I learned that the space between 4 and 85 disappears as fast as a dandelion wish and in that space it is more important than ever to understand that each moment is a new breath, a new experience, a new lesson in life.
                 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ​
Pennie’s Life Lesson: ​
“Live your life as if each moment is a new breath, a new experience, a new lesson in life.”
 YOUR TURN... 
​My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to pay attention to the speed of life and do not let a second slip by! 
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. 
1 Comment

LET GO OF THE TUPPERWARE!

7/31/2020

2 Comments

 
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I opened the door and the assortment fell on my head.

I picked them up off the floor, grabbed the step stool and climbed up to shove them all back into the overflowing cabinet like I had done hundreds of times.

As I jostled and pushed the bowls, pitchers and pickle containers back into the black hole of plastic, it occurred to me –WHY don’t I let go of the Tupperware? 

Thirty years ago Tupperware parties were the acceptable girls-night-out.  We all took turns hosting the gatherings where we listened to the sales pitch, ate cake, drank coffee and shared the secrets (okay, gossip) of the day and then ordered the obligatory plastic item.

At the time it seemed expensive, but the justification came with the durability of it, the perceived usefulness of it, the cool factor of the new products AND the lifetime guarantee.  It was virtually indestructible, but if some major mishap did occur it would be replaced.

Along with this came a free add on with every item -- guilt.

I am convinced it was molded into each piece during the factory creation.  It was an unwritten code that you WOULDkeep it forever.  After all – the investment . . . the lifetime guarantee…and someday I will need it!

What do you have in your home that you won’t let go of?  What ties up the space in your heart and mind that is bound with the guilt of investment and a someday but, never-to-be-used promise or guarantee?  

Is your closet overflowing with clothes? Is there an unhealthy relationship in your life?  Are you in a job you hate?  Do you hold a victim story in your heart that you retell over and over?

The Tupperware of our lives comes in all forms.  We invest in all of them with time, money and energy in the hope of a future pay off.  And then there is the elusive guarantee of need –someday, of weight loss – someday, of love –someday, of a promotion – someday, and someday this victim story is going to explain why everything happens to me.  

Maybe it was the 700th time of having a load of hard plastic fall on my head that finally spurred me to make a change. Maybe it was the recognition that it will never wear out so the guarantee doesn't matter.   Maybe it was the realization that I will never use it – not even someday.

The why doesn't matter, but now it is packed in a box ready to be donated.  My cabinet is organized, clean and clear. My guilt is gone.
​I feel free! 

When will you let go of your Tupperware? 
              ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
Pennie’s Life Lesson:
"We have things in our closets, hearts and             minds that we hold on to in hopes                           of someday. ~ Let them go!"
             ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
YOUR TURN... 
​My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to let go of things that no longer serve you.
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. 
2 Comments

NO NEW NORMAL

7/24/2020

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Are you tired of hearing the words, 
        The New Normal?
I am.
I have always disliked that phrase. 
It is a filler that people use in conversations when they don’t know what to say. 
When you get married, divorced, move, have a child, retire, and at funerals, you can expect to hear this comment, 
    “Well, you will need to get used to 
               the new normal.” 
I don’t believe in this concept.

I remember as a kid listening in on our telephone party line. For those of you much younger than me, a party line was when one telephone circuit was shared by multiple telephone service subscribers. In my case several homes. I would pick up the phone to see if anyone was talking before I could make a call. 

Our party line consisted of many families, but my favorite to listen to was a lady who spoke only German. I didn’t know what she was saying, but it was fun to listen until she would hear me giggle and insist that I get off the line. Being caught, I would immediately hang up. A party line was the only phone communication I knew so it seemed normal.

I remember when my family received our very own line and I only had to worry about my brother picking up one of the extensions in our home while I was talking to my girlfriends, or more humiliating for me, talking to a boyfriend. 
Was this the new normal?

The day my Dad came home carrying what looked like a shoe box sized suitcase, my family was instructed to sit on the couch while he demonstrated his newest treasure. A phone that you could carry with you everywhere you went. To our embarrassment he did just that. I don’t actually ever remember it ringing, but it was often taken out of the box and shown off while his friends gasped in amazement. 
Was this the new normal?

It was just 20 short years ago that everyone began carrying the fancy new flip phones. I was not an early adapter. I felt the only reason to have one was to be able to order pizza on my way home from work and synchronize the delivery person with my arrival at home. Soon enough, I was ordering pizza. 
Was this the new normal?

Fast forward to today. I no longer have a flip phone, but a hand sized computer that holds my appointment calendar, address book, digital wallet, music, camera, and years’ worth of photographs, and important messages. It is truly the digital version of my entire life in my pocket. 
Is this the new normal?

I could relate this kind of progression to the television, fashion, or our aging bodies. I don’t look at it as if our “normal” has become new. Instead, I believe this evolution is change and there is nothing more normal than change. Change can occur slowly or hit us with the speed of tragedy. Either way we should expect it.  

Our lives don’t stay the same on any level. Babies are born. Children grow up. Illness occurs. People age and die. Products are invented. Art is created. Trees grow and mountains erode. The world coordinates compromise and begins battles. 
Change happens. 
Is any of it normal? 
Is all of it normal?

Our world has seen a lot of change in the past few months.  We have been asked to accept many new ways of living. What if we stopped saying, this is the New Normal and realized that nothing is stagnant, and change is part of life. 
And yes, change is normal.
                        ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~~
Pennie's Life Lesson:
     “Change can occur slowly or
         hit us with the speed of tragedy. 
         Either way we should expect it. 
                     Change is normal.”
                     ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
YOUR TURN... 
​My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to think about how change happens.
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. 
0 Comments

OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR!

7/18/2020

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​There are words printed on the passenger side mirror of your vehicle that read,

“OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR"
Have you ever noticed it?  Have you ever really read it or given any thought to the meaning?

This is a warning for you to be cautious of a potential problem.  You see, the mirror is convex, or curved, to increase the field of view, which also makes the objects seem smaller.  Since smaller objects seem further away it is easy to misjudge the space you as a driver have to maneuver when passing another vehicle or changing lanes.

The warning is required by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and yet, we hardly ever notice it.  We drive, pass other vehicles and change lanes as if we are in autopilot.

How many other areas of our life should we be mindful of this warning?  We hold our newborn for the first time listening to their baby sounds feeling like we will hold them forever, but we blink and they are graduating from high school.

We believe our parents will always be our rock of strength and support and then, one day, we become their foundation of safety as they become smaller, weaker and can no longer accurately tell us stories of their life.  Our life.

We think we have all the time in the world to accomplish our dreams of going back to school, writing a book or traveling to a magical destination.  The problem is we misjudge the space of time we have between now and then.  We think there will always be time.  Lots of time. We forget that objects in the mirror are closer than they appear. 

We will wake up one morning and that time is gone.  The space has closed.  We have passed the opportunity.  None of us know how much time we have here in this life, but whether you are given 22 years here or 100 the future comes quicker than we think.  That tiny speck in the distance that you think of as so far away is closer than it appears.
Heed the warning. 
Do what you want to do now!
               ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie’s Life Lesson:
      “The future is closer than it appears. 
         Do what you want to do NOW.”
                     ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie Heart to Heart
OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR 
YOUR TURN... 
​My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to think about how fast time goes by - do what you want to do now before it's too late!
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. ​
0 Comments

IT IS OK

7/12/2020

2 Comments

 
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Well friends, today I am tired. 
I am feeling drained and guilty. 
Drained because my body feels weak, my mind feels overwhelmed, and my motivation is missing in action. I have tried 20 times this week to write something encouraging, something witty, something optimistic to share with you. Each time I gazed at a blank screen.

It is not like I have been running marathons or overworking my mind. I feel guilty because I am not accomplishing or producing. I feel guilty because I have no logical reason to be in this state.
But you know what... it is OK.

And then I realized.... This is exactly what I should write about. If it is happening to me, it is probably happening to others.
I believe we are so bombarded with news reports, numbers, and negativity that we are overwhelmed physically and emotionally. Throughout this roller coaster, I think we have all had ups and downs. Bursts of energy and slumps of sadness. All. Of. Us. Even me- the happiness lady.
And it is OK.

Several months ago, I was talking to a friend of mine about aging. She made a comment that went something like this - you sit in a chair because you don’t want to do anything, then you don’t do anything, then you can’t do anything.

It was one of those comments that stuck in my mind following me through my days and my dreams. I realized this morning that it isn’t just about aging. It can happen at any age.

Then I recognized the answer to my quandary. When we let circumstances that are out of our control take over our lives, we allow the things we can control to fall apart.

There is so much going on now that we can’t control. If we allow this to be our every thought, our every conversation, and our every breath we will immobilize ourselves. We become emotionally and physically exhausted and overwhelmed. All we want to do is sit in a chair. We don’t want to do anything, so we don’t do anything. If we do nothing long enough- we can’t do anything.

Atrophy sets in. This is not just a problem of the aging body. Atrophy can attack the body, mind, emotions, and motivation at any age. Looking at myself objectively, this is exactly what has been happening to me.

My days have been slipping away as if the sun comes up and immediately goes down with nothing much of substance in between. My days are lost in a blur of showering, getting dressed, and getting ready for bed. I don’t want to do anything. So, I don’t.

This revelation frightened me because I know what comes next. If I don’t change my pattern soon, I move to the last step - I can’t do anything.

This has been a wake-up call for me. I may not be able to control what is happening in the world or outside my home, but I can control what is happening in my mind and body. 

I know what works for me- meditation; limiting my intake of news to enough to be informed and educated, but not saturated with overwhelm and negativity; exercise; eating healthy; connecting with people; sunshine and fresh air; loving my dogs... and so much more.

I know that doing these things will get my mind and body moving. The outside world will shift to a perspective that I control. My inside mind and emotions will shift into a place where I want to do things, so I do things, and I CAN do things.

I may still have an occasional lost day, but now I know the antidote.
And, it is OK. 
                        ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~~
Pennie's Life Lesson:
          “When we let circumstances that are                           out of our control 
                       take over our lives,    
              we allow the things we can control                                    to fall apart.”    
                     ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie Heart to Heart
IT IS OK!
YOUR TURN... 
My intent in sharing this with you is to share how I am feeling and help you understand that how ever we feel is ok.
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. ​
2 Comments

THE ICECREAM BUCKET

7/3/2020

0 Comments

 
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​The rusty handle fit every hand.

The hand of my grandfather as he turned and churned the milky richness inside.

The hand of my uncle as he packed ice and salt in the open space between the wooden slats and the metal cylinder, then taking over the chore and pleasure of the cranking.

The hand of my father as he impishly pushed his brother-in-law from the crank so he too could take credit for blending the anticipated delight.

The hands of my cousins, brother, sister and me struggling with joyous giggles, layering hand on top of hand to create the strength to turn the crank.  Taking turns, we sat on the blanket covered throne watching the melting ice turn to cloudy salt water running down the side. 

And then, when all capacity to budge the handle even one more turn became impossible, my grandmother’s bony hands pulled the frosted silver chamber from the bucket, opening it to reveal the deliciousness of my childhood.
             ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~~
Pennie's Life Lesson:
          “The simplicity of life becomes
                the boldest of memories.”          
                     ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
 YOUR TURN... 
My intent in sharing this with you is to spur a memory.  What do you remember about summers of your past?
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. 
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I WILL PLANT AGAIN

6/28/2020

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I went out to water my garden. I use the word, garden, loosely.
It is a dog pen that the former owners built on the back of my garage.
​I have repurposed it to be a tiny garden area just big enough for green beans, carrots, spinach, and if I am lucky a tomato plant. At a time when the entire world seems off-kilter, it has become my little 12 x 8-foot corner of happiness. I love to watch things grow. It gives me great joy to remind my husband that the tomato in his salad was grown by me!

The fence around it keeps the deer out, but the bunnies and gophers have no problem sliding under it to enjoy, what they believe to be, their personal delicacies. To stop them, I have built up rocks around the perimeter and adorned it with flags and brightly colored whirling flowers. This has worked well until now. 

That morning as I happily walked through the garage and opened the door that leads directly into the garden my happiness was squelched. One day before, I had three pretty rows of green beans, some feathery carrot tops, and a row of radishes. The carrot tops and radishes had vanished and half a row of beans had morphed from a flourishing line of green to single sticks stripped of their leaves. I didn’t know if it had been a bunny or a gopher that had filled their tummy, but I was angry. I instantly began silently spewing unkind thoughts in my head about these little varmints. It takes A LOT to get me angry, but this did it. They had invaded my private sanctuary. 

I watered what was left and headed out for my morning walk. The area where I live is quiet with sprawling lots and wide curving roads. Typically, this is a peaceful time for me, but I couldn’t get the vision of my pitiful garden out of my mind. It is amazing how anger can push movement. I walked faster and faster. And then, in the middle of the road, I had to dodge to the side to keep from stepping on the body of a little gopher. It startled me and my anger went to sadness. 
I walked on thinking about how many times I had watched these little creatures’ jet across the road in front of a car, their tiny legs moving faster than seemed possible.

Not more than 15 minutes further on my walk it happened again. This time it was a bunny in the road. My heart sank. I will admit to being more partial to the bunnies than the gophers. I watch them in the spring do their Cirque du Soleil act and sunbathe in my yard. I delight in naming the new babies and watch for them to return the next year. 
​
My walk became slower as I realized the same playful balls of cuteness that I love to watch are also the ones that moments earlier I was enraged at for eating my garden. The shock of seeing the lifeless bodies in the road as I walked also slapped me with reality.
Did I really believe that deep below the earth the bunnies huddled together to conspire against me and my garden?
Did I really believe that gophers were vindictive?
No.
They do what animals (and humans) do- they dig holes to create a safe home for themselves and their families. They hunt and gather to find food for survival. They play and lay in the sunshine. They suffer accidents and loss.  
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When I sat down to write about this my anger had subsided. I had resolved to plant a few more seeds and salvage what was left of my garden.



As I typed I heard rumbling. The sky turned black opening to a lavish amount of rain and hail. Once again, I opened the door to my garden. The hail poured over my feet. What was left of my garden was now thrashed with more damage than any small animal could cause.   

How simple our lives really are. We all want the same thing. To feel safe. To have food and shelter. To have someone to love and care for and love and care for us.
It is an uncomplicated formula.

At times it is easy to accomplish and we find ourselves feeling like a lucky bunny nibbling with joy in a field of fresh bean plants. At times life is difficult and we are slapped with the reality of uncertainty, fear, and loss. The trick is to accept and adapt to what we can’t control and be brave enough to start over. 
​
Next year I will plant again.
               ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie’s Life Lesson:
      “Be brave enough to begin again.” 
               ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie Heart to Heart
I WILL PLANT AGAIN
YOUR TURN... 
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you  to be brave enough to begin again.
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. 
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THIS IS A GOOD DAY

6/21/2020

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I hugged him, kissed his forehead and said good night.
As I turned to walk away, he grabbed my arm and said,
     “This is a good day, such good day!”
 
It was a month before he passed away.
​On a day that was circled with oxygen levels, medication and a sheepskin covered recliner – the things that became his life toward the end—I marveled at those words. 
 
I looked at him in amazement and smiled at this incredible man.  His mind was bright and clear but, it was as though his body was wilting as the determined disease gained control.  Even though he knew he was dying, he continued to be grateful and look at life in a positive way. 
 
But that was my Dad, Charlie Hunt.
He was a teacher.
Every day that he walked into his classroom filled with students he felt he was making a difference in their lives. But, outside of that, I am not sure if he knew he was teaching and making a difference with others in the grander classroom of life.
 
He demonstrated lessons in humility, kindness, dedication, and compassion. Once when I had treated him to a special gift he said,
    “Oh, I don’t need anything this fancy;
       you know we are just simple people.”
 
My Dad was teaching even in his last days.  The final lesson he taught me was that no matter what life brings your way, always remember to begin and end every day knowing
      “THIS IS A GOOD DAY,
        SUCH A GOOD DAY!”
 
Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could all live life as simple people who celebrate every day in this way?
                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
Pennie's Life Lesson-
 “No matter what life brings your way, begin and end every day knowing ~
              THIS IS A GOOD DAY,
​               SUCH A GOOD DAY!"
                ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ​
YOUR TURN... 
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you  to enjoy every moment of every day... you never know how many days you will have.  Every day IS a good day!
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. ​
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WHY DIDN'T I

6/14/2020

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Her nail polish was cheerful turquoise.
It matched the bright, happy color of her headband, however, everything between the nail polish and headband spoke of sadness.

Her teenage shoulders were bent from weakness as if they had carried years of stress. Her blue eyes rarely connected with mine as she took my order and prepared my sandwich. 

It was a quick lunch stop for me as I was driving home from a speaking event.
In. . .  and . . . out.
That is what I wanted.

It was late in the afternoon and only hunger could interrupt my determination to get home.

A fast sandwich and then back on the road.
I paid her, thanked her and hustled away with my lunch.

The whole time her despair was knocking on my heart’s door saying,
     “Help, Help, let me in!”

I ran through the rain to the safety of my car and began the drive again.  With every bite I took and every mile I drove I thought of her.

The knocking was still there.
The heaviness of her sadness.

The guilt grew with every swish of my windshield wipers.  Guilt for keeping the words I wanted to say to her inside… beating them down deep into my throat because I didn’t want to take the time. 

My mind was going faster than the speed limit with thoughts of ~

Why didn’t I?
Why didn’t I talk to her?
Why didn’t I ask about her day, her family, her life?

The shop was slow, I could have taken the time to talk to her, to help her, if only by showing I cared.

Why didn’t I?

How many times have I done this- missed an opportunity to help a stranger, or even someone close to me?

The heart knocks happen in small ways.
A word.  A look.  A feeling.
They are easy to miss and easy to ignore.

And yet, it is so easy to take a moment to smile, to ask, to give words of encouragement or a hug.
It’s so easy to let someone know you care.

Life lessons are hard to learn.
Especially when you miss the opportunity and there isn’t a “do over.”

This is one I won’t forget
Her turquoise sadness I won’t forget.
Next time I feel that knocking on my heart from someone in need, I will take the time.

Pennie’s Life Lesson:
 “Never miss a chance to care, help and show kindness.  Never miss a chance to love.” ​
YOUR TURN... 
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to pay attention to times when you can help, say a kind word, or show you care.  Take the time.
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. 
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MAKE THIS DAY MEANINGFUL

5/31/2020

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They wake me up every day at 5:30. My furry Shih Tzu alarm clocks are prompt and routine driven. After a visit to the yard, ice water, (yes, they are spoiled), and breakfast, they happily follow me, coffee in hand, to my office. I sit in my chair and cover my lap with their favorite blanket. Maneuvering into a blended ball of fur, they snuggle down on my lap for meditation time. Putting my headphones on is the final cue for them to take a nap. 

They follow this routine every day. In a similar way, I follow mine. When I wake up, I take a minute lying in bed to run through a mental list of what I am grateful for. Once I am up and have completed the dog routine, I do some form of meditation. I always use headphones to keep distractions away and because of this, it has been deemed my “plugin” time. I then read something uplifting, do some writing, and set my intention for the day.

​Over the years my intentions have been to have a happy day, complete a project, or tied to an action. This week that changed.

I had been invited by a friend to read, “The Book of Joy.” Books like this tend to take me a while, as I like to read a little and allow it to marinate through my mind and heart. As I finished reading one of the chapters, I was struck by a line that the Dalai Lama said,
    “I set my intention for the day:
     That this day should be meaningful.”

That was powerful. That took my breath. That is when I stopped reading. It was going to take some time to digest this concept. I thought of how many years I had been setting a daily intention. Had I been doing it wrong?

Suddenly my daily intentions actually felt more like goals. A check mark on a to-do list. Something specific to accomplish or produce. Had any of my intentions brought meaning to my day or my life?  This one line forced me to rediscover my purpose for daily intentions. In a way, it opened so many possibilities. By setting my intention every morning that my day should be meaningful without stipulations, criteria, or expectations it creates a new way of living. It allows for the unexpected and opens space for the interpretation of meaningful. 

I began looking back at my life. How many days do I remember as holding meaning? How many days made a difference? We all have meaningful days when events happen in our lives like graduations, weddings, births, and deaths. We all know markers in history that were meaningful for our world. Hopefully, we have all had days when we have been good humans and done
meaningful things to make a difference and, in our way, move humanity forward. Big things are meaningful and memorable. But I believe by setting the intention of having a meaningful day it doesn’t always have to be the grand in-the-news type of action. 

Meaningful can be smiling at strangers, helping your neighbor, or reading a book to a child. 
Meaningful can be showing compassion and concern to someone with less than we have. Meaningful can be holding the hand of someone who is grieving.
Meaningful can be expressing love and joy.
Meaningful can be listening to someone else’s opinion even though it does not pair with yours.
Meaningful can be spending a day in nature to appreciate its glory and to rejuvenate our own soul.
Meaningful can be reading a book, watching a documentary, going to the gym, or doing something for self-improvement.
Meaningful can be so many things to each of us. 
 
This morning as I took off my headphones and looked at my sweet dogs curled on my lap I thought, please let this day be meaningful. My intention is that when I lay my head on the pillow tonight and think about my day, I will believe it was.
        ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie’s Life Lesson: “Set your intention to make every day meaningful.”
           ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
YOUR TURN... 
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to make your days meaningful.
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. 
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SEARCHING FOR SUCCESS AND HAPPINESS?

5/23/2020

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Are you searching for the secret to happiness?

Do you wonder why other people seem to be more successful than you—even if you believe that you work harder than they do? 

In my mind, a big part of happiness and success comes down to three attributes.  
   ~The ability to accept and adapt to change.
   ~The ability to believe you are Good                       Enough to love and be loved.
     ~The ability to express gratitude.

Let me break these down for you.
I grew up in a military family.  I knew when my Dad came home with a manila envelope that inside were transfer orders and the location of where we would be moving to.  I remember the feeling of being the new kid walking down a classroom aisle to an empty desk in the front row while everyone stared at me.  I hated it.  I learned as a little girl that I had a choice -- make friends on the playground or stand alone.  I realized that I needed to accept the changes that occurred when we moved to a new community, adapt to my new environment, make friends, and enjoy the journey.

This has served me well through career changes, divorce, and grief.  While others live in the Who-Moved-My-Cheese stagnation unable to accept that their life has changed and unable to adapt to the new adventures ahead of them, successful, happy people hone the ability to accept and adapt.  You may not always like the event that spurred the change, (and there is always change) but you must cultivate the ability to thrive in the space you find yourself – no matter what!

We are bombarded with the message that we are Not Good Enough!  We all protect that sore space hidden inside where we believe we are not thin enough, smart enough, rich enough…the list goes on and on.  The newest guilt inducers verified by the thousands of self-help books on the market are that we are not happy enough, healthy enough, or holy enough.

Here is the thing – WE ARE ALL GOOD ENOUGH!  I believe that just by the pure biological chance that we were created and survived the birthing process proves this –it is no accident!  We were all meant to be here. I believe you are good enough and I can tell you this all day, but YOU must do the work on this one.  YOU must come to believe, right down to your inner core, that YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH!

It doesn’t matter what trauma you had as a child or what wrongs you have committed you must come to a place of knowing that you are good enough to love and be loved.  If you don’t believe it no one else will believe it of you.  Relationships, love, happiness, and success will avoid you—after all you are sending off the vibe that you aren’t good enough and don’t deserve it. When you are circled in that type of negativity- happiness and success beware!

Lastly, you must express gratitude.  Until you are grateful for what you have, you will never receive more. Let me repeat that, until you are grateful for what you have, you will never receive more.  If all you have is a pair of shoes on your feet and a sandwich to eat for lunch, be grateful for that! Then dig deeper. Be grateful every morning that you open your eyes.  Be grateful for every step, every breath, and every moment you are given and for all that your life is filled with.

Don’t just say, “Thank you.”  You must feel gratitude with every cell of your body.  Tell others why you are thankful for them.  Write thank-you notes, make phone calls, volunteer, journal, pray, sing, dance – whatever moves you to a grateful, loving place. Do it!

You cannot hold on to a negative like hurt, anger, or fear when you are filled with love and gratitude.  Practice the ability to express gratitude until it becomes part of your DNA.
Life is wild and unpredictable.

If you are in search of happiness and success, begin studying the people you know who are happy and successful.  I believe it won’t take you long to see that they hold and nurture these three qualities.  They accept and adapt to change.   They believe they are good enough.  For them, expressing gratitude is not just social politeness, it is ingrained in sincerity.  

When you begin to cultivate and practice these three attributes you may just find yourself smack dab in the middle of happiness and success.  
               ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
Pennie’s Life Lesson:
“To be happy and successful cultivate these three attributes: The Ability to accept and adapt to change; The Ability to believe you are Good Enough to love and be loved; and The Ability to express gratitude.” 
​                ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
YOUR TURN... 
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to study successful happy people.  Watch for these three attributes and then practice them yourself. 
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. 
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NO LIFEGUARD ON DUTY!

5/16/2020

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The air was warm, the sun shining and the pool inviting. The sign was very clear-
          WARNING
     NO LIFEGUARD                ON DUTY! 

This meant it was my choice to jump in the pool, but I was doing so at my own risk. I should be able to swim, because if not there was no one here to help me.

Luckily, I am a fairly proficient swimmer and was in the water in a flash! I kept rereading the sign as I paddled around the pool.

Isn’t that how life is? We are never promised calm waters and smooth sailing. We do not have personal lifeguards on duty to keep our heads above water or throw us a life ring. We are not given lifeboats that we can float in when life throws us difficult times.
We must learn, as the saying goes,
to Sink or Swim.

NO LIFEGUARD ON DUTY is an invisible sign that hangs over all of our lives. It gives us a choice. We can either be brave enough to jump in and experience life
- OR -
We can forever sit on the side of the pool wondering what the cool water feels like.
Wondering if we could swim.
Wondering if we could save ourselves if the water begins to swirl.
Wondering if we could finish the length, win the race and hold the trophy.

My choice is to dive right in and submerge myself in the joys of life. I have become my own Lifeguard - watching carefully for the dangers and knowing that rough waters will face me and when they do I will get through them- head down and determined to move forward.

We may not be given our own personal Lifeguard, but that won’t stop me from jumping in every pool I see.
Will you join me or hold my towel?
                 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie's Life Lesson: 
               “Be your own Lifeguard.
               Jump in the water of life!”
                ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
Pennie Heart to Heart
 NO LIFEGUARD ON DUTY
YOUR TURN... 
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to be safe, but  jump in and enjoy life. 

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. 
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SECRETS YOUR MOM NEVER TELLS YOU --ABOUT BEING A MOM

5/10/2020

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At 19 I jumped in the front seat of the craziest, scariest, most exhilarating roller coaster ride of my life. BAM!  I Became A Mom!

 I was mature, smart and ready to take on the world.  (Weren’t we all at 19?) Little did I know that being a mom would be the most rewarding, life changing, ride I would ever jump into.
And jump I did, not once, but four times. 

Everyone watched me do it.
And no one warned me about what was ahead –  the ups, the downs, the jerks, the curves and the whiplashing shocks.
My own mother didn’t even hold up the“CAUTION PROCEED WITH CARE”sign!
She never told me the BAM of Being A Mom was a life jolt. She never told me the secrets.
 
She never told me that being a mom opens your heart to a love that you could never imagine.  The birthing and cutting of a physical umbilical cord that attaches you human-to-human in no way cuts the invisible golden cords that attach you heart-to-heart. Their body may birth to the world an independent being, but a piece of this new soul is forever kept inside and connected to you.

She never told me that being a mom makes you vulnerable in a way you have NEVER been before.  You open yourself to being dropped to your knees by your child’s tears, broken hearts and disappointments.
Their pain is your pain.

She never told me that being a mom means you will never sleep again.  Well, never the same way you slept prior to the BAM.  You may be prepared for the first months of sleep deprivation caused by night diaper changes and bottles that will soon pass.
What you aren’t ready for is the rest of your life sleeping with one ear half open to hear their cries from a nightmare, moans from a fever and footsteps as your teenager sneaks in the house passed curfew.
What you don’t know is long after they have grown and moved out of your home, you will sleep with a part of your heart open hoping they are safe, happy and loved.
You will never sleep fully again.  

She never told me that being a mom is a 24 hour, 7 day a week, forever occupation.
No vacation days,
             No sick leave and
                            No quitting! 
Once you accept the position you are locked in heart, mind and soul – FOR LIFE!
**She never even whispered that it is a job you will love with all of your heart – and some days you won’t.  On those days, you will peak at their sleeping faces and then wrap yourself in a cocoon of guilt and shame for allowing yourself to hate the job you love.

She never told me that being a mom brings you trophy words like Pride, Joy and Happiness that you can hang on your wall in an expression of motherhood.
It also brings you words like Anger, Hurt and Exhaustion that, in an attempt to hide your fear of inadequacy, you swallow and tuck in your belly hiding them so no one sees.

She never told me that being a mom makes you strong enough to endure the unthinkable.
You take on the risk of being told the baby you carry no longer has a heartbeat and you must be strong enough to walk out of the hospital carrying an empty blanket.
You take on the risk of birthing, nurturing and loving your child for years and then receiving the phone call that they are gone.  In both cases holding tightly to the golden cords that now reach to your angel child.

She never told me that being a mom makes you understand that you will be joyous when your daughter is grown and has children of her own.  You will watch through tears and laughter as she learns for herself, the unspoken secrets of being a mom.

Looking back, I would tell that naïve, 19 year old girl, who thought she knew it all,
to jump.
Jump with all the love, anticipation and joy she has because through all the ups and downs being a mom is the most amazing ride she will ever be on.
​And through it all she will learn the unspoken code of never saying out loud the secret lessons of Being A Mom.
                   ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
Pennie’s Life Lesson:
“Mom’s are the gentle holders of our hearts.                     Hold theirs in return.” 
                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~     
YOUR TURN... 
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to  understand the ultimate love that goes in to being  a MOM!  Love yours today!!! 

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. 
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May 10th, 2020

5/10/2020

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ARE YOU SATISFIED?

5/3/2020

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Picture
The server began clearing the dishes from our table and said,

 “Would you like to order dessert or are you satisfied?”

This comment made me push back from the table and sit up straight.  It wasn’t uncommon to be asked if you would like dessert after a restaurant meal.  I’m used to hearing,
   “Would you like dessert?”
   “Did you save room for dessert?”
   “Can I tempt you with a sweet treat?”
And so many other ways I’ve been asked that question.
But…
It was the way she asked it that caused me to pause. Am I satisfied?  I had to rethink my plan.  Many times when I go out for a nice dinner, I automatically order dessert. 

Sometimes I am completely stuffed by the time I have made my way through an appetizer, salad, the main meal…. and of course, dessert is part of the ritual of dining out.  Being satisfied with what I had consumed so far had never played into the mindless response of ordering dessert.
I always want dessert!

The way she asked the question forced me to differentiate my want from my need; my contentment from my greed; my hunger from my desire.

The truth was I was full.  My hunger had been (by definition) satisfied.  The way she posed the question humbled me.  I had just enjoyed a lovely meal.  The quality and quantity was more than many people in our world have to eat in a day. I was embarrassed to ask for more. 
 
This experience happened years ago, and yet, I have never forgotten that server.  I have never forgotten the question.  I have never forgotten the lesson.

How many times in life do we automatically want more?  We want a nicer car, a bigger home, a larger paycheck.  We want more attention, more friends, more love, and more happiness.  When did we become so unfulfilled with where we are? Why have we learned this behavior of never being content with what we have? 

Satisfaction comes from knowing when our belly is full, our thirst is quenched, and our life needs are met. The reality is, we can only drive one car at a time.  We can only occupy one home at a time.  And, no matter how much money we have, we can only eat one burger at a time. Satisfaction comes from knowing when enough is enough.   
            ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie’s Life Lesson:
“Be satisfied with where you are right now, with what you have right now, with the breath you are taking right now. Satisfaction comes from knowing when enough is enough.”
Pennie Heart to Heart
ARE YOU SATISFIED?
YOUR TURN... 
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to look at your life and realize when enough is enough. 

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!  
​               ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
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                 Copyright © 2013-2020 Pennie Hunt
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    There is a certain magic about where I live both physically and spiritually – on the crossroads of Spirit and Brave. 

    It seems appropriate that my writings be found under the sign that locates my life.  I wish for all of you the ability to live in your Spirit to experience a life filled with love and gratitude and be Brave in the learning of your life lessons. 

    Enjoy!
            Pennie

     

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