Have you made worry and stress habits? It is easy to do. First, you begin by worrying about everything and everyone. Then you start catastrophizing everything you are worried about and imagining the worst-case scenario and outcome. Finally, you begin believing that it helps the situation if you are stressed and worried about it. That’s it. These three steps are repeated, and the habit is formed. Every time someone you care about is having a life struggle, you worry. Every time you watch the news you layer the worries of the world onto your shoulders. Politics, the economy, disputes between countries, tragedies, and the wild weather all become your worries. The three steps are repeated. And you worry, worry, worry. Stress grows and the habit of being stressed becomes stronger. I know because I have done this many times in my life. And every time I have paid a price for my self-inflicted worry and stress. For many of us, habitual stress plays out as a health issue. When you create such a habit of stress, it builds up in your body. It finds a comfortable place in your body to live and at some point, it will show itself outwardly. You may begin having migraines or stomach issues. It might be hair loss or weight gain or loss. It might show itself as a more serious issue. Stress can do crazy things to your body. If you don’t take care of yourself and manage your stress, your body is going to act out and force you to notice. We all have difficult times when we are in real-life situations that cause us occasional stress and worry. This is normal. It is when the habit of worrying and stressing is formed that it is a problem. Worry is a negative meditation. Instead of meditating on clearing your mind and finding inner peace, you are meditating on worry and creating inner stress. Athletes understand the technique of visualizing winning the game or crossing the finish line in first place before the competition begins. Through clear visualization, the mind doesn’t know if you are imagining it or if it is happening. By visualizing, the mind believes you have already won before the opening whistle blows. This happens negatively when you worry. When you visualize repeatedly the worst outcome to a situation your mind believes it is happening. Stress builds in your body. When you get upset about everyone’s problems, and everything on the news, your mind doesn’t know if you are just thinking stressful thoughts or if you a “in” a stressful situation- it reacts the same way. Our body and mind begin living in survival mode. The mind believes the worst will (or is) happening, so the turmoil becomes the fuel for more and more inner stress. You can turn this around. You can break the habit of perpetual worry and stress. Learn to control what you put in your mind just like you control the food you put in your body. Stop visualizing the worst outcome for every situation. Instead, visualize winning the game. See yourself and others in the best possible outcome. How would you look, how would it feel to have the problem solved, and how would you act? Play this visual over and over in your mind until you believe it could be true. This is a positive meditation. This will relax your mind and your body. Stress will no longer be invited to create health issues. Have you made worry and stress habits? It is easy to do. But if it is easy to do, it is easy not to do. Pennie’s Life Lesson: Learn to control the thoughts you put in your mind. Don’t allow worry and stress to become habits. #CornerofSpiritandBrave #loveyourlifenomatterwhat #JourneyThrough #PennieHunt #IAmGoodEnough
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 © 2013-2024 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
Time. It is a gift we are all given. We each get the same amount. Sixty minutes every hour, 1440 minutes every day, 10,080 minutes in a week, and 525,600 minutes in a year. None of us know how many years we will be given in this life, but for the time we are here we all receive the same number of minutes. It is a fair distribution without preference to anyone. How we spend it may be very different. As a child playing in a sandbox, the thought of time didn’t cross our minds. We just went through our days carefree and living life. As we age, we talk about how time flies. With every year it seems to pass faster. We allocate time to every commitment, appointment, job assignment, and responsibility we have. As our calendars, planners, and schedules fill up our time decreases. But wait… it can’t decrease. We are all given the same amount. The amount of time never changes. Time can be shared, spent, wasted, tracked, suffered through, and enjoyed. It is our choice. It all depends on who we give our time to. No, we don’t keep time. We give it away. We are the ones who ‘give’ time to commitments, appointments, job assignments, and responsibilities. Our life can become so busy that inside we feel like Swiss cheese. We give our time away bite by bite until we feel out of control and less than a whole person. We suffer through time. And then there are the nibblers. They eat away at what little unscheduled time is left. These are the ugly places we give our time to that we don’t write in our calendars, planners, or schedules. We do it unconsciously and don’t realize how much time we give to worry, procrastination, gossip, anger, and other unhealthy habits. These are the places we give our time to that create feelings of pressure, pain, and suffering. Time is wasted. Now, remember the sandbox and that carefree feeling? We were ‘giving’ our time to fun and enjoying life. That fun time can become lost in our busy adult world because we don’t pay attention to who and what we give our time to. We can be so overwhelmed with responsibilities that we forget how to weave fun and joy into the minutes of our days. As you rush to take your children to school, can you use the driving time to have an enjoyable conversation with them? As you cook dinner, can you make a game out of who chooses the menu, who sets the table, or who creates dessert? Can you incorporate enthusiasm and fun into work projects and job assignments? Time can become enjoyable. Don’t forget to add fun time to your planners and schedules. This is not free time. This is memory-making time. Time for coffee with friends, a fishing trip with buddies, a grandchild’s sporting event, or a movie with the family. This is the time when we invest in our self-care and personal growth. This is the time we feel carefree and happily living life. This is the time that energizes us. This is sandbox time. Time is given to all of us in the same quantity. Time is free and yet priceless simultaneously. The value of every moment we are given is in who we share it with and the memory it makes. We are all given the same amount of time. It is in our control who we share it with. Who will you give your time to today? Will you give it to people and things you love... family, friends, pets, and hobbies? Will you give to work, interests, and goals? Will you give it to worry, procrastination, gossip, anger, and unhealthy habits? Think about it... We all give our time away, but are we giving it to the best areas of our lives? Who do you give your time to? ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: Time is free and yet priceless. The value of every moment we are given is in the memory it makes. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #CornerofSpiritandBrave #loveyourlifenomatterwhat #JourneyThrough #PennieHunt #IAmGoodEnough
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 © 2013-2024 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward and share this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. I have a stairway in my home. It isn’t a normal straight-down or L-shaped stairway. It floats in a majestic curve. The oak arches as if the tree it was created from swayed in the wind like a ballerina practicing this permanent pose. When I walk down it, I feel like royalty with my diamond-studded gown flowing behind me while the ballroom waits for me below. Each golden step glistens and cascades to the next. It is a masterpiece of construction. That fantasy is not quite reality. Most of the time I am running up and down my stairs to let my dogs in or out, looking for my husband, or doing household chores. The idea of a flowing gown would be a disaster as the wooden stairs are slick and can be dangerous. But it is a masterpiece of construction and beauty. For the eight years we have lived in this home we have ping-ponged the idea of carpeting them for safety with the fear of covering the beauty of the steps. After a couple of near slips, we decided carpet would be a wise move. We contacted our local flooring company. The appraiser came to measure. After an hour of looking at the staircase from every angle, he was baffled as to how to carpet the steps and match a pattern with the curve of the grand staircase. We ultimately connected with an out-of-town company that had experience with staircases like ours. When they arrived to measure and assess the job they were confident they could accomplish what we wanted. The father, Bob, and son, Heath, were caring, and thoughtful. I soon became secure in their expertise. After waiting for the carpet to arrive, the holidays to be over, and the weather to clear, the installation day came. Bob, Heath, and an additional installer named Jim arrived shortly after the sun came up. Carefully they brought all their equipment inside and carried it downstairs. They set up a system of one measuring and laying the pad, one cutting the carpet and running the serger machine to finish the edges, and one installing the carpet. One stair at a time they measured the curve, matched the pattern in the carpet, finished the edges, and secured it firmly to the wood. Methodically they worked throughout the day. I listened. I listened to the pounding of the nails, the snap of the tape measure, and the humming of the serger machine. This created a harmonic background to the gentle voices of the three men. Occasionally I would peek down the stairway to see the progress. The carpet was creating a path of beauty. The pattern turned perfectly with the curve of each step. Our fear of covering the wood was pleasantly squelched. On each side of the carpet the wood still glistened, and the railing and riser of each step was more than enough wood to appreciate the curve and beauty of the construction. As they finished the top and final stair the coolness of evening had arrived. They collected their equipment, took a few photos, and were ready to leave. We gathered at the front door for a long goodbye. By the time the door closed behind them I felt like I was watching friends drive away. Throughout the day we shared stories, compared lives, and became friends. They weren’t just workers who had come into our home to do a job. These were masters of their craft. They were artisans skilled in the techniques of their art. They had an ear for listening and understanding our needs. They had the talent to manipulate their machinery to match the level of their skill, equal to a master painter gliding a brush across the canvas. But most importantly they had an understanding of the human heart. They put their hearts into the project and worked with pride and precision. And they understood the desire of our hearts to keep the integrity and beauty of the stairway while making it safer and even more elegant. I will never walk down this stairway wearing a diamond-studded gown, but I will never walk down my stairway without thinking of my friends, the master craftsmen who taught me lessons that day. The lessons of how to listen, how to create, and how to do it all with the understanding of the heart. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: Search for the craftsmen. The ones who work with their hearts. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #CornerofSpiritandBrave #loveyourlifenomatterwhat #JourneyThrough #PennieHunt #IAmGoodEnough
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 © 2013-2024 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward and share this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. I am not a big fan of self-checkout. Maybe it is because I am not quick at it. Maybe it is because I would rather interact with a real person. Maybe it is because it usually takes longer than having a real person check me out. Maybe it is a combination of reasons, but I am not a fan. Today I went to the store to buy 4 things. There was only one checkout line open with a real person and the rest was self-checkout. Since three people with overflowing carts were waiting in line for the real person, I moved to the self-check line. It was longer, but I hoped it would move faster. It didn’t. When it was finally my turn, I punched in my phone number for the good customer discount and began scanning. Milk, bread, bananas…everything was moving fine until I scanned the pears and put them on the conveyor belt. Suddenly the system locked up. The belt wouldn’t move. The number 11 on the pole above me began flashing. I waited. Did I mention I am not a fan of self-checkout? After some time, a clerk came over. “I am not sure what I did, it just stopped,” I told him. “You have too many items on the belt.” The clerk said, with a monotone voice, motionless face, and no eye contact. He clearly was not enjoying his job. My bread and milk had happily made their way to the end of the belt, but my bananas and pears sat together right next to me and hadn’t moved. What? Those two things are too much for the belt? I was confused. The clerk punched in a code and walked away. My eyes followed him, wondering if I could continue or if I needed to wait, or if I had broken the machine. I touched the pay button on the screen, put in my credit card, bagged my 4 items, and left. On the drive home, I was growling in my mind thinking about how much I don’t like self-checkout. How rude I thought the clerk was. How 8 other check stands could have had real people working them but were closed. And why was it my job to scan my groceries, bag my groceries, and wait for the unfriendly clerk to fix a problem that I didn’t understand? What happened to a friendly face by the register, friendly chit-chat about how my day was going, a bagger gently placing my bagged items in my cart, and then pushing my cart to my car and unloading it, and thanking me by my name? Yes, I am sure all that dates me back many, many years, but those were good times, right? I walked into my house and the first thing out of my mouth to my husband was, “If I ran a grocery store I would put my friendliest, happiest person in charge of the self-checkout area. Every customer that stands under a flashing sign is frustrated and needs help and should be greeted with a friendly face.” He just smiled and nodded. He knows I am not a fan of self-checkout. I stewed about this most of the morning and then I realized I was looking at it all wrong. I did a little check-in with myself. Everything I was frustrated about was unimportant. The important thing was the happiness level of the clerk who helped me. Maybe my only job was to see if I could increase that person’s happiness. Ok, maybe it wasn’t my job, but couldn’t it be my goal to make others happier? This is a Happiness Game I have played many times. Will you join me? Every time you see someone having a difficult day or seems to be unhappy, can you make their day a little better? It doesn’t take much effort. A smile for your barista. A hug for your friend. A “how is your day going,” for the clerk at the self-check area. A joke with your lunch server. And try the magic of telling someone how you appreciate what they do. All of these give you points in the happiness game. With every point and every expression of care, YOU will feel happier - and hopefully so will they. I am not a fan of self-checkout, but the next time I use it I plan to be friendly and appreciative of the clerk even if they do not return the same happiness level. Especially if they don’t. That is how the game works. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: When you are the most frustrated by the way you are treated, it is time to treat others with compassion and happiness. It makes a difference. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #CornerofSpiritandBrave #loveyourlifenomatterwhat #JourneyThrough #PennieHunt #IAmGoodEnough
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 © 2013-2024 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward and share this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. I am a cocker spaniel. I want everyone to like me. When I receive positive emails and messages about my columns or my books it makes me a happy cocker spaniel. I appreciate new ideas. A critical message sends a dagger to my heart. I never want to hurt feelings or send negativity in my words. If that happens, I want to correct it, I want to jump in your lap and make you my friend. You have heard of FOMO – the Fear Of Missing Out? Well, I heard a new one the other day, FOPO. It is the Fear Of People’s Opinions. This was coined by sports psychologist, Michael Gervais. I believe we all suffer from this on varying levels. The judgment of others can at times be cruel. I remember writing my first blog over a decade ago. My finger was shaking and my heart racing, as I hit the ‘publish’ button, knowing that I had just placed my words and feelings on the mysterious internet to be read by the eyes of the world. I felt excited, exposed, and vulnerable. Within minutes I began hearing clicks. I ran to my husband and said, “Ten people have read my blog!” “Ten people you don’t know?” Was his response. “Yes, I wonder who they are.” My fear grew. I had just given these unknown people power. The power to judge me, to like me, to hate me, or to fly right by my words without noticing. FOPO. I had a strong Fear of People’s Opinions. Michael Gervais calls this the “greatest crippler of people’s potential.” What did I do to squelch this fear? I kept coming back to my mission, which is three simple words: To Help Others. I share my thoughts, feelings, tips, and techniques with the intention of them landing in the hearts of those who need help. I hope to help them heal, grow, and succeed in life. My purpose is to inspire and encourage. I want to help. Those first ten people became the beginning of a tribe of thousands. They live in different corners of the internet and world. I realize that not every one of my writings or every speech hits the heart of every reader. But the next one may be just the one you need to hear. With every writing when I hit publish or send, or when I stand on a stage to speak, I send along my wish, – may my words reach who needs to hear them. So here is one that I came up with, PUMP. Power of Understanding Mission and Purpose. I am still a cocker spaniel. I still want everyone to like me, but on the rare occasion my FOPO kicks in, I PUMP myself up by standing firm in my mission and purpose. Everything I do is with the intention of my mission and my purpose. I jumped into the arena, exposed and vulnerable, but my mission and purpose helped me succeed. It PUMPS me up and keeps me going. What do you want to do that the Fear Of People’s Opinion is holding you back from? Spend some time on what your intention is. Why do you want to do this? Create a mission statement and know your purpose. Write them down. Stencil them on a plaque. Make it your screen saver. Embed them into your heart. Don’t let the opinion of others cripple your potential. Let this quote sink in: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly…” Theodore Roosevelt I am a cocker spaniel. I want everyone to like me. Not everyone will. But I continue to jump into the arena every day. I play there. I learn there. I make friends there. And I do not fear the opinions of others. Will you join me? Will you jump into the arena? ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: Don’t let the opinion of others cripple your potential. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #CornerofSpiritandBrave #loveyourlifenomatterwhat #JourneyThrough #PennieHunt #IAmGoodEnough
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 © 2013-2024 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. Karma is a witch – or something like that. We have heard that hundreds of times. We associate Karma with bad things happening. If someone does something, we believe is wrong or bad we assume Karma will catch up to them at some point and give them a difficult experience in return. Karma is like an angered tiger that hides around the corner waiting to pounce and pay back the unfortunate soul who did wrong. Most of the time the idea that your actions come back to you seems to be couched in the negative. It is believed that the energy and actions of past lives follow you into your current life. This is used as an explanation of why bad things happen to good people. It is a Karmic lesson from a past life where bad deeds occurred. Karma is a concept deeper than can be covered in a few hundred words of a column. The concept of Karma dates back to 1500 BC. The 12 Laws of Karma include the Laws of Cause and Effect, Creation, Humility, Growth, Responsibility, Connection, Force, Giving and Hospitality, Here and Now, Change, Patience and Reward, and lastly Significance and Inspiration. Each law is interesting to study and compare how it relates to your life. I would like to concentrate on the good side of Karma that is explained in each of the Laws of Karma. You may notice that each law has a positive title. Karma is rich. Rich in opportunity. Rich in reward. Rich in positivity if we understand the power of goodness. If the energy you put out into the world or the universe is the energy you will receive in return, why not make it positive energy? Why not receive positive energy in return? If cutting someone off in traffic, being rude, treating others with disrespect, being a mean and hateful person creates a negative return in your life, why would you do it? Think of having an imaginary Karma bank account. Every time you help someone, thank someone, volunteer, donate, hold the door open for a stranger, or buy coffee for the people behind you in the drive-through of a coffee shop, you are depositing into your Karma bank account. Acting in a negative hateful way deducts from your Karma bank account. I believe intent plays a role in this. If you are intentional with your anger, hate, and bad behavior, the negative withdrawal from your Karma account is larger. You know better, you have the power to control yourself, but you do these things anyway… watch out. Karma is a witch. In the same way, when you see a need, an injustice, or a space of suffering that hurts your heart and you intentionally try to improve the situation, the deposit into your Karma account is larger. If this concept is more than you can handle and you don’t believe the theory of your good and bad energy building and transferring from life to life, let’s make this simple. We all know the golden rule- Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Or Treat others the way you want to be treated. What the golden rule is saying is the definition of Karma. If you treat others badly you will be treated badly in return. If you treat others with love and kindness, you will be treated with love and kindness in return. A fight is never settled by escalated yelling and anger. It is when you are kind and compassionate that you can communicate and diffuse a situation. As the saying goes, you get further with honey than vinegar. It is easier to be polite and positive than it is to be angry and negative. Karma doesn’t have to be a witch. Karma done correctly can create a positive, loving beautiful cushion to land on. You can align your life with being the best person you can be. You can control your actions, words, and gestures with the intention of kindness and compassion. You can harness the power of Karma. If you want love, be loving. If you want respect, be respectful. If you want success, begin being successful at little things and your success will grow. Look in the mirror and what do you see? Do you see a kind, caring, loving person smiling back at you? Or do you see an angry, depressed, unhappy person looking back at you? How you act, how you talk, and how you live your life will be mirrored back to you. The life, love, and energy you are given is a direct reflection of what you are giving. It’s simple. You get what you give. Karma can be a witch…or Karma can be your biggest ally and the strongest power that increases goodness in your life. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: It’s simple- you get what you give. The choice is yours. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #CornerofSpiritandBrave #loveyourlifenomatterwhat #JourneyThrough #PennieHunt #IAmGoodEnough
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 © 2013-2024 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. My dog turned 8 today. She is a beautiful copper and white fluffy face of love. She is pampered and spoiled to the point of diva status. Her name is Gracie. If you follow the modern calculation of dog years to human years, each of the first two years of a dog’s life equals 10.5 in human years - 21 years. The next 6 years of a dog’s life each equals 4 human years - 24 years. For my 8-year-old Shih Tzu this is the equivalent of 45 human years. The expected life span of a Shih Tzu is 10-16 dog years. The charts are quick to point out that all of this is an estimate and individual dogs may vary depending on size, genetics, and overall health. I would guess Gracie has a glorious second half of life ahead of her. You might say she won the lottery of humans when she came to live with us at 9 weeks old. Gracie never goes hungry or thirsty and has regular checkups and veterinary care. She visits a groomer once a month and halfway through the month enjoys a home spa day that consists of special shampoo, warmed towels, and a luxury blow dry and brush out by her humans (that’s us). She enjoys freshly cooked chicken in her meals and when winter is fierce, she has a custom artificial turf area in the garage to keep her safe from the dangerous cold and blizzard conditions. Yes, pampered and spoiled may be an understatement. More than all of that, Gracie knows a few things about life and how to take care of herself. When she wakes up in the morning, or even after a nap, she always does a few yoga stretches and slowly eases her body into the movement of the day. She never eats unless she is hungry, but when she is hungry, she eats with the excitement of it being the most delicious food she has ever tasted. She enjoys it as if it is the only meal she has ever had. When she is full, she stops- even if there is still food in her bowl. Gracie is content with what she has and enjoys the simple pleasure of a belly rub and believes there is always time for laying in the sunshine and feeling the warmth of it on her back. She is always friendly and kind to other animals and to all humans. She is enthusiastic when she meets someone new and is sad when they leave. She understands the meaning of trust and the expectation of loyalty. She gives both freely. She is the guardian of her humans, rarely leaving us alone without her supervision…I mean protection. She knows if we are stressed or not feeling well. She lays next to us aware that her snuggles will calm us and rubbing her ears will be the soothing medicine we need. Gracie is a master teacher. Most importantly, Gracie teaches us that the number one essential thing in life is love. She gives it without condition and is grateful when it is given to her. It is her purpose in life and the mission of her heart – to love. I wonder what dogs think. I am pretty sure they don’t think about how old they are or how many calories are in a birthday cake. I don’t think they wish for a bigger house or a faster car or worry if the dog next door has fancier squeaky toys. They are too busy being content with what they have. It’s not fair that dogs don’t live longer. The speed of years takes them away from us way too quickly. Maybe it is because it takes humans much longer to learn what dogs inherently know when they arrive in this life. Dogs live life with gusto and don’t waste a moment. When they are happy, they express it with every part of their being, dancing on happy paws, and wiggling every inch of their bodies in joy. They don’t waste time being upset or holding grudges. They are too busy loving. No matter how many more years of life Gracie has, it won’t be long enough. It won’t be long enough for me to give her all that she deserves. It won’t be long enough for me to learn all the lessons she was sent here to teach. It won’t be long enough for me to show her how deeply I love her. My sweet girl is 8 today. Yes, she is pampered and spoiled. It is the way a white fluffy-faced soul that is pure love should be treated. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson- or should I say, Gracie’s Life Lesson: When all you know how to give is love, you will be loved in return. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #CornerofSpiritandBrave #loveyourlifenomatterwhat #JourneyThrough #PennieHunt #IAmGoodEnough
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 © 2013-2024 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. Do you think about the value of the things in your life? When is the value the highest? When is the value the lowest? Do you value your life? Look at your home. When you were a young adult, you probably wanted to buy a house. You imagined your dream home. You could see the back yard. You could smell meals cooking in the kitchen. Nothing held more value to you than buying a home of your own. Then the day came, and you were handed the keys. You became used to living in it. It was comfortable and familiar, but maybe the value of it wasn’t as exciting to you as when you were wanting it. After 25 years, you find yourself an empty nester and the home feels too big. So you sell it. After downsizing the furniture and loads of donations are gone, you walk through the house for the last time, and then you drive away. You didn’t expect the tears and emotions that you feel. Yes, you may have a big equity check in your bank account, but suddenly when the home is no longer yours, you understand the value of it. You realize the value of the home was in the love that was felt within the walls and the memories you made there. You can play this scenario through your mind about many things. Relationships… you want one. Your life would be perfect if you just had that perfect relationship. You dream about falling in love and you place great value on love. Then the arrow hits and the hearts fly. You fall in love. Over the years it is wonderful- until it isn’t. Whether it is a divorce or an unfortunate passing of life, the relationship ends. Now you long for love, companionship, and a relationship. The value of what you had becomes very clear. Do you see the pattern? The value of something you want before you have it is high. When you have it in your life the value of that something levels off. When you no longer have it the value takes a rapid jump upward. We place a higher value on something when we are wanting it and after we have lost it, than the value we place on it when we actually have it. The saddest example of this may be when we think of time. When we are kids we run and play as if there is all the time in the world. Then we move into rushing. We can’t wait to grow up, be finished with school, have a car, a job, and an adult life. We are too busy to think about time. The responsibilities and pressure of being an adult makes us rush even faster. We can’t wait to retire. Suddenly we are 70, 80, and if we are lucky 90 or older. Now time seems important. All of those years of wanting to rush through life without enjoying it are a blur. Now, every day holds a high value to us. We want time to slow down. We want to spend time with our children, grandchildren, and friends. Yes, friends. Now many of our friends are gone. We look back at memories of them and we realize what a value they were to our lives. We want to do the things we didn’t have time to do when we were younger, but now our health doesn’t allow us to-- because we didn’t value our health and take care of it when we had it. Now health is of high value. Wherever you are in this timeline of life, you can change the pattern. You can learn to place a value- a high value- on what you have now. The life you have now. Love your family. Nurture your friendships. Take care of your health. And be grateful for time. Place a high value on this one beautiful life you are given- every minute of it. Do you see the value of your life…now? ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: Value what you have in this life. Enjoy and cherish every minute of it. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #CornerofSpiritandBrave #loveyourlifenomatterwhat #JourneyThrough #PennieHunt #IAmGoodEnough
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 © 2013-2024 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward and share this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. I finally get it. It took me a while, but now I am ready to take out the trash! I should explain. It all began with a frigid blast of winter that kept me in the house for three days. I decided to do something productive – clean out and declutter my file drawers. No, that doesn’t sound fun and to be honest, it wasn’t, but it was something I had been avoiding for a long time. It needed to be done. Being trapped inside when it was a -35 degree chill factor outside was the perfect time, so I jumped into the mountain of files. Attacking the first drawer, I put all the files on my dining room table. This drawer contained house information, warranties on appliances, receipts, and information about house maintenance, etc. I decided to get fancy and color code each drawer. If it hadn’t been so cold I would have gone to the office store to buy the prettiest new colors, but I decided that using all the green hanging folders I had in the first drawer would be fine. The files I put inside would be a variety of colors- just to make it pretty. Two hours into this project I had divided all the paperwork into mini mountains. I decided that I needed a few more categories to organize than what I had. I needed one to put in all the decorating ideas that I had clipped from magazines and one for the paint color chips I had saved. Soon I felt like I had more files and papers to put back into the drawer than what I started with. That is when it hit me. I wasn’t decluttering at all. I was just organizing the chaos of papers and files to look good. The revelation that there is a big difference between organizing and decluttering hit me on many levels. Suddenly I thought of all the times I went shopping for new bins, baskets, hangers, and holders just to clean and color coordinate drawers, closets, and my life - under the pretense of decluttering. All I was doing was organizing the chaos. Oh, I have been successful at times. A few months ago, I did declutter my clothes closet, which, by the way, remains clutter-free and is one of my proud accomplishments. But habits are hard to break and what I was doing with the file drawers was slipping back into my old pattern. Luckily, I caught myself. I didn’t want to just organize all the stuff so it looked good. I wanted to clean out and declutter – which meant it was time to take out the trash! I began ruthlessly throwing papers into two new mountains – recycle and shred. I didn’t need receipts from the upgrades that we made on the last house we owned. I didn’t need to save paint samples when I had no plans to paint. And I certainly didn’t need 5 years of receipts of veterinary visits for my dogs. As I write this, I am taking a break from drawer number 3. The end is in sight. My files look amazing, and yes, they are color-coded and a visual work of art. My bag of shredding is overflowing. And my recycle bin will be proudly rolled to the curb to be picked up with tomorrow’s trash. I feel cleansed in a way, and ready to move on to the next decluttering project. As I look around my home, I am critiquing how many of my closets and corners that I have beautifully organized the chaos but what I need to do is declutter. I wonder…how many areas of my life have I done the same. I might just need to take out more trash. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: In your life don’t just organize the chaos - it might be time to take out the trash! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #CornerofSpiritandBrave #loveyourlifenomatterwhat #JourneyThrough #PennieHunt #IAmGoodEnough
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 © 2013-2024 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward and share this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. I can visualize him sitting on a stool, playing his guitar, and singing in his quiet voice as the crowd sits in awed silence watching him on stage. He could have been a rock star. But he wasn’t. I can see him picking his beautiful girl up from school and chatting with her about life. He could have been a great dad to his teenage daughter. But he wasn’t. I can hear him laugh as he blows out 39 candles and happily eats the first piece of cake. I smile at the hint of gray showing up in his beard. He could have grown to be a great man. But he didn’t. He wasn’t a lot of things that he didn’t have the chance to be, but I can tell you who he was. He was more than a young 22-year-old whose life ended in a tragic way. He was a prankster and a comedian. He was serious and introspective. He was little-boy-adorable and grown-man handsome. He was immature and young. He was spirit-old and wise beyond this time. He was infuriating and comforting. He was reckless and protective. He was a brother, father, uncle, and grandson. He was the friend who gave you his shirt and the student who studied life. He was my son. When he left this life, I searched every photograph I had and looked intensely into his eyes. I wanted to know him deeper than I had ever known him before. I gathered his belongings and held them as if I were holding him. I listened to stories and fantasized about how it would be if he was still here. I played the ‘what-if’ game. Trying to rewrite the ending to the story and pretending that I could make a magical deal with time, and he would come back. But he didn’t. I can remember the person I was when he was here. The mom I was. I wish I could be that same mom now. But I can’t. I live a little bit there and a little bit here, in the blur of then and now. I began as a warrior who fought between regret and gratitude. I have become the dancer who sways to the magical music of memories. Now I am the mom who struggles to keep some part of him alive. I am the mom who continues to tell you who he was. I write stories about him on his birthday and share memories on the anniversary of his passing. I say his name and when my eyes close, I imagine his beard brushing my face. For as long as I can remember him, I will remind you not to forget, because when he is forgotten it will be his second death. Now he is the guitar leaning in the corner and the hoodies in a plastic tub. But, more than that, he is the whisper in my ears and the messages to my soul. He is the sunrise in the morning and a star in the night sky. He is the tattoo on my heart and the twinkle in his daughter’s eyes. He is the laughter from his sister and the hugs from his brother. He is the breeze when the window is down and a song plays loudly through the car stereo. Today there would be 39 candles on his cake. He could have been a rock star. But he wasn’t. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: Don’t leave this life with could-have-beens. Be all you can be now. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #CornerofSpiritandBrave #loveyourlifenomatterwhat #JourneyThrough #PennieHunt #IAmGoodEnough
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 © 2013-2024 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward and share this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. I woke up this morning and it was a new day, a new week, and a new year. My New Year’s Eve wasn’t a big celebration. In fact, I was asleep by 10, and enjoying that until the sound of fireworks jarred me awake. Finding my earplugs and snuggling back into my covers I slumbered until I woke up in a new year and with a bigger number on the calendar. Over the years I have enjoyed quiet family New Years Eve celebrations at home when my kids were young, and I’ve also danced at private parties in Reno with Huey Lewis singing on the stage. But this year I didn’t need or want to dress in sparkles and be in a crowd. I didn’t need or want a huge meal or a table full of snacks. I didn’t need or want to take a trip and be somewhere new to watch the year change. For me this year, watching a little television and being asleep by 10 felt right. This morning as I took down the Christmas tree, and boxed up all the decorations from the holidays, I thought of the year behind me. The things I accomplished. The experiences. The sadness. The joy. With every box I closed I also closed a little more of the year I had just lived. I pondered the new year ahead. Instead of aggressively running through all the determined goals I want to accomplish, I held a calmness about the new year. Knowing that, the year will be more of a peaceful sightseeing journey than a planned drive towards a controlled destination. I pick a word every year to guide my thoughts and actions. My word for this year is ‘Create.’ Just that word nudges me to a peaceful vision. Like a brush stroke slowly moving across a canvas, as the colors blend shading and highlighting all there is to see in the painting. There is a calmness in that vision. An inspired intention to create beauty. This year I hope to create more of this calm beauty in myself, my life, and my world. I will do this by making time for things I love doing. Time for painting more, sewing more, cooking more, reading more, writing more, and speaking more. All the things that put me in that space of creative calmness. I do have a few things in mind that I plan to create this year that I expect to be fabulous. But I won’t be pushed by a list of goals or an outline of projects and steps to completion. I will be guided by the gentle journey of creating. Will you join me? Maybe you think you are not artistic, but I believe you are. We all are. There is an art to creating in any fashion. We can all create better, or new, relationships. We can all create a beautiful space in our home and work environment. We can all create more love, more joy, and more happiness in our life and the lives of others. It isn’t that difficult. Don’t make it into stress or another pressure in your life. Creating doesn’t have to be big and bold like noisy fireworks in the sky. Creating can be a quiet, peaceful sightseeing journey. Every day look at your life and surroundings in a new way. Life is a thing of beauty. Life is an artful creation. You can find beauty in the simple things. And you can create this year to be filled with the simple beauty you deserve. I plan to create a wonderful year! Will you? ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: We all have the ability to create beauty in life. Start creating now! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #CornerofSpiritandBrave #loveyourlifenomatterwhat #JourneyThrough #PennieHunt #IAmGoodEnough
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 © 2013-2023 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. Typically for this last column of the year I review the word I chose as a guide for this year and reveal my word for the new year ahead. I will do that soon, but for today I have an idea for you. At the beginning of this year, in addition to my word for the year, I decided to track ideas. I opened a new note tab on my phone and titled it, as you can guess IDEAS. Every time I had an idea that I wanted to remember, I wrote it down. If I heard a word I liked, I wrote it down. If I heard a quote I liked, I wrote it down. I wrote down ideas I had for writing my column or concepts I wanted to put in my next book. I wrote down songs I heard. I wrote down ideas for gift-giving. I wrote down dreams and memories. I wrote down everything I thought was important to remember. As of this writing, I have 220 ideas on my list. That sounds pretty good for my first year. But- I researched it and the people who study this type of thing have a wide range of opinions on how many thoughts we have in a day. The studies and reports ranged from claiming the average person has between 6,000 and 80,000 thoughts per day. That’s a big range. So, let’s go with a number somewhere in the middle. Let’s say we have 37,000 thoughts a day. That equates to 13,505,000 thoughts in a year. That makes my accomplishment look weak. Out of my 13 and a half million thoughts, why did I only write down 220 of them? Did I only have 220 thoughts that were of value? Less than .0017% of my thoughts made the list. Where are the rest of them? Did they float right by me unnoticed like butterflies going by so fast that my net wasn’t quick enough to catch them? Didn’t I hear them? Wasn’t I listening? Maybe I was too critical and rejected too many as being silly, a waste of time, embarrassing, or impossible to follow through on. The point is how many ideas slip away from us? How many could have become reality if we had written them down and spent more time thinking about them? How many dreams could come true? Looking through my list I see some interesting stuff. Many of the ideas I used as topics for my columns. Many of them I researched and learned more about the subject. Many were things new to me that I learned about for the first time. As I close out this year reviewing my ideas, I find myself even more excited for my 2024 list. My goal is to capture more than 220 ideas. I plan to write down the silly ones, the embarrassing ones, the possible and the impossible ones. And even the ones that I think are a waste of time just to write down are going on the list. Can you join me in this? Use your note tab in your phone, your journal, or an old-fashioned spiral notebook. It doesn’t matter how you track them- but track them. Number them. Record them. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks of your ideas. No one needs to see them except you. They are yours and yours alone to do with as you wish. As I write this, we are turning the corner and heading smack into the new year. You have time to pick that notebook and write the simple title on the first page, IDEAS. Just doing that is your first idea. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: Don’t let ideas slip away from you. You never know which ones will become reality. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #CornerofSpiritandBrave #loveyourlifenomatterwhat #JourneyThrough #PennieHunt #IAmGoodEnough
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 © 2013-2023 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward and share this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. “I notice you have a bouquet of flowers on your table. Are they for something special or do you just like flowers?” The question made me smile as I answered my friend. “Yes, they are for December 14th and yes, that is a special holiday.” I went on to explain that it isn’t a holiday to anyone except me and my husband. To everyone else December 14th slides right by as another busy day in the holiday season, but to us it is much more. It is a holiday. Our holiday. It is the Beginning of Forever Day. Years ago, before we were married, we had what we now refer to as The Hiatus. It was a space of time in our relationship that we took a pause from each other- well, at the time we thought it was a permanent breakup. It lasted a substantial amount of time. No phone calls, no seeing each other, no communication of any kind. And then, he made the phone call that changed everything. On December 14th he called me, and we began talking. It was the beginning of our forever together. Others may not understand this, but after all these years of being married, we continue to celebrate our little holiday. A little holiday with a big meaning for us. A little holiday that isn’t on anyone’s calendar except ours. December 14th is a holiday we always celebrate. It usually includes flowers and dinner out. It is special because without that phone call, we would not have ended the hiatus. We would not be married. And our Forever would have never begun. What holiday is on your calendar that no one else knows about? That no one else would care about? That no one else would understand the meaning of? We all have them. It may be the day you received the call offering you the job of your dreams. It may be the day you walked into the first home you purchased. It may be the day you were handed the keys to your first car. The day you bumped into someone in the post office that became your spouse. It may be the birthday of someone who is no longer with you, but you continue to celebrate them on that day. Some days on your calendar may be remembrances of a less-than-happy time. The day your divorce was final. The day you were told cancer had become part of your life or the day of your last chemotherapy. The day someone you love became an angel in your heart. If you do know about someone’s special date acknowledge it – if you think it is appropriate. Some personal dates of celebration or sadness are best left private in the hearts of the holder. But if it is one you feel is appropriate to acknowledge, do so with compassion. If it is a date of celebration, tell them that you remember and celebrate with them. If it is a date of sadness quietly acknowledge it with a hug or a thinking-of-you card or text. All of these very personal markers of life become embedded in our hearts and written on our calendars. Others may not understand them, remember them, or even know about them. But we do. What holiday is on your calendar that no one else knows about? ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: We all have personal dates we remember, celebrate, and grieve. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #CornerofSpiritandBrave #loveyourlifenomatterwhat #JourneyThrough #PennieHunt #IAmGoodEnough
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 © 2013-2023 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. Today I hit 600 days of meditating daily. No missed days. I have been meditating for almost 20 years, but this is the longest consecutive number of days for me. Or maybe I have, but now I track it daily, so I know for sure. Meditating is something I do. Something I make time for. Something I prioritize. I found a little app that I put on my phone called, Don’t Break the Chain. I’m not promoting this app – there are many to choose from, I just use this one as an example. It gives you the option of making calendars for things you want to track. I have a meditation one and a workout one. It is so simple. Every day that I meditate I mark an “X” on that day. Each added “X” creates a chain. I have not broken the chain for 600 days. (I will disclose that my workout chain seems to be broken often.) I like the app because it is simple, easy, and quick. It is one click to mark an “X.” When the chain becomes long, I don’t want to break it. It is a visual that works for me. It is private and no one sees my chains. Here is why I believe it works – Because I am not competing against anyone else. I am not comparing myself to anyone else. I am just tracking my actions. If I cross 5 workouts this week, that is better than the four I crossed last week. If I only cross 3 on a busy week, I will push to be better the next. And once I see a long stretch of “X’s” I want to keep going. I don’t want to break my chain. The mistake we often make is comparing our goals, dreams, and accomplishments to an unreasonable standard. If I cut out photos of the top female bodybuilders or models and put them on my vision board with the expectation of reaching the same physical success that they have- I will fail. They are probably 5” taller than me, have trainers, have a different body structure, are younger, have different lifestyles, and have different time commitments. Trying to compare and compete with them is not going to work. Did you read the first paragraph of this writing and decide that you need to keep up and meditate for the next 600 days like me? You may have a different way of dealing with stress and creating peace in your life. You may not have the time and commitment to meditation that I do. Trying to compare and compete with me and what works for me might not work for you. Here is something that might work – compare your progress to your past self. How well did you do last month, last week, or even yesterday with your workout program, your meditation, or whatever you want to improve on? If you made progress that is great. If you did a small backslide, try to do better than you did yesterday. No one should expect to reach a point of perfection. The kind of perfection we see on photoshopped magazine covers and television advertisements is unattainable. Being envious of someone else’s perfect body, perfect habits, and perfect life is a waste of energy. Use that energy on yourself. Forget pursuing perfection and begin improving a little at a time. Can tomorrow be better than today? Can we mark another “X” on our progress? Can we keep the chain going? I believe the answer is, YES! Whether you begin tracking your meditation, your workout, or how much you read, it doesn’t matter. Become a person who makes crossing that “X” important. Make it something you do. Something you make time for. Something you prioritize. With every “X” the chain becomes stronger and so do you. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: Don’t try to be perfect, just try to be a little better than the person you were yesterday. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #CornerofSpiritandBrave #loveyourlifenomatterwhat #JourneyThrough #PennieHunt #IAmGoodEnough
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 © 2013-2023 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. Are you bored with your life? Bored with your home, your job, your partner, your car, your - fill in the blank? Do things that you used to love and adore seem mundane, uninteresting, and unfulfilling? Hmmm, maybe you need a change or maybe you need to think about this differently. Have you heard of the Law of Familiarity? This Gestalt principle suggests that we group things of similar nature together. How does this relate to being bored? Well, you have a home, job, partner, car, etc. You circle these together in a big group and call that your life. You get up every day in your home, kiss your partner, get in your car to leave for your job, spend 8-10 there, then get back in your car, return to your home, kiss your partner goodnight and it starts again the next day. It is your life. It is all very familiar. Familiarity leads to comfort. Comfort leads to complacency and complacency can lead to boredom. Now step back for a minute. Remember when you met your partner? The butterflies in your stomach, the dates, the romance, the anticipation of your future together? Remember when you received your job offer? You were so excited to put those years of schooling to work. Excited to have your own office. Excited to put on that suit every morning and go to your job. Remember when you purchased your new car? That new car smell. The power of pride you felt when you drove it to show your family and friends. Remember buying your home? It was perfect! Remember when you and your partner were given the keys and unlocked the door for the first time? Walking into home ownership was a feeling like none other! And now… The butterflies have long ago flown away. The dates and romance are memories and the future you hoped for has become a routine. The schedule of jobs and the kid’s school and activities form a familiar pattern – day after day. The job has become years of deadlines, expectations, evaluations, and responsibilities. The obligations of work have taken over the space that was once filled with romance and dates with your partner. The clocking of time has stretched from 40 hours to a very familiar 50 or 60 hours a week. You slide into that same car every morning. The seat is positioned in the perfect way that fits your back and legs. The radio stations are set where you like them. It is comfortable. But the new smell is gone. When you come home at night and walk into your home, you automatically hang up your coat, take your shoes off, and head to your favorite chair. You turn the television on without really watching what is on the screen. You exhale, close your eyes, and rest for a few minutes. Later, you kiss your partner goodnight, roll over on your side, go to sleep, and it starts again the next day. It is your life. It is all very familiar. It is comfortable. And it becomes a little boring. Why? Because familiarity leads to comfort. Comfort leads to complacency and complacency can lead to boredom. So how do you change this? The first step is to become aware of the situation. I believe after reading this you may have gained some awareness. Next, realize that when your life becomes so comfortable you will sink into complacency. You begin taking everything you have for granted. When you take things for granted you stop being grateful. To regain a feeling of gratitude, step back into that space of remembering how much you wanted what you have now. How much you wanted the future you have now with your partner. How much you wanted the house, the car, and the job. Be grateful for all of it. Until you are grateful for what you have now, you will never have more. Maybe you do need to change something. For example, maybe your job isn’t fulfilling your desire to advance, so exploring new opportunities could be a good thing. But remember, just because you have grouped everything that is familiar in your life into one package, that doesn’t mean everything needs to change. Not everything is boring. Comfort and familiarity can be wonderful things – never lose gratitude for what you have. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: Be grateful for everything in your life. Until you are grateful for what you have now, you will never have more. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #CornerofSpiritandBrave #loveyourlifenomatterwhat #journeythrough #PennieHunt #YouAreGoodEnough #IAmGoodEnough
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 © 2013-2023 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward and share this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. In the last month we have had our master bedroom painted and new carpeting installed. This was the last room in our home that we needed to refresh since we purchased our home eight years ago. For some reason we kept putting this one off. But it was time. Synchronizing the furniture moving, the painters, the carpeting and the furniture movers again doesn’t sound difficult, but for us it was a lot. Mostly because of the closets. We have two walk-in closets in our bedroom. His and Hers. They both needed to be emptied, but more than that, they needed to be cleaned out and de-cluttered. About a month before the project was to begin, we started seriously looking at our closets. The words, “keep – throw away – donate,” became embedded in our minds. We would take out a pair of shoes here and a sweater there. Then my husband decided to take out 10 items a day. I watched him do this for a few days. As his closet began dwindling down, my guilt for not doing it and the fear of not being ready increased. Every year I pick a word for the year. This year my word was a phrase. I wanted to, “Release to Find Peace.” I wanted to release many things in my life this year, but mostly I wanted to live in a clutter-free environment that feels peaceful. I wanted to be at peace with my relationships, my health, and my body. From my closets to my heart and mind, I wanted plenty of space for peace. I remembered this phrase as I looked into my closet. I tried to do the 10 items a day. I admit to struggling a bit. Then one day I put 12 pairs of shoes into a garbage bag and tied it up to donate. I was so proud of myself, but it really didn’t seem to make a dent in giving me more peace. The closet still held more shoes than I needed and enough clothes for me to wear something different every day for a couple of years. (Don’t judge.) Every day I took out more and more items. I made more and more trips to donate my filled bags. It seemed to get easier for a while – until it wasn’t. I began feeling like I was purging things just to say I did. Things I might need someday. When those thoughts crept in, I repeated to myself that phrase, “Release to find Peace.” Finally, the process began. Furniture was moved and all the items that were left in the closets were laid over couches and chairs around the house. The painting turned out perfect and the new carpet was soft and cushy to my bare feet. When the furniture was back in place, we began putting our closets back together – adding a few more items to our donation bags as we worked. The bedroom is now a calm and restful space. Just standing in the doorway and looking at it makes me happy. And the closets? All the trips to drop off the donations of clothes were worth it. I think all together I ‘released’ 25 pairs of shoes. (Again, don’t judge, some of them were just flip-flops.) I lost count of how many bags full of clothes we donated, but I did take a photo of the basket of empty hangers so I would remember how much we ‘released.’ My husband’s closet looks like a display in a fine men’s clothing store. To be honest, my closet still holds too much, but the improvement is drastic. I can see what I have, and I know where everything is. I am no longer overwhelmed and frustrated with the visual noise of my closet. Now my closet brings me a sense of quiet calmness. When I picked my word for this year, I asked myself a big question. Why? Why is releasing important to me? Why do I want to release these things? The answer was loud and clear - to create peace. I can’t think of one item that I got rid of from my closet that I miss or regret letting go of. But I can think of one thing I am happy to have found space for. My closet now has the space to hold peace. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: When you release, you open space for peace. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #CornerofSpiritandBrave #loveyourlifenomatterwhat #journeythrough #PennieHunt #YouAreGoodEnough #IAmGoodEnough
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 © 2013-2023 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. Are you always chasing problems, cleaning up life messes, and repairing troubled relationships? If so, I bet you are exhausted! We all have problems, life messes, and a relationship that isn’t perfect. That doesn’t mean you should spend all your time on these negative areas. What if you looked at this differently? What if instead of working so hard to take the bad things out of your life, you tried adding more good? You know how when you fill a tub full of water that is too hot and then you add a little cold water it cools down quickly, but if you have a tub of cold water no matter how much hot water you add it never really gets hot? Think of the hot water as all the good stuff available to you in this life. Think of the cold water as the bad problems, messes, and troubles. If you have a tub that is a stable environment and full of happy times, and good relationships, (the hot water), then a few drips of problems, messes, and relationship trouble, (cold water) will never change the warmth of your life. What do you want? Of course, you want your life to be boiling over with good stuff. The stuff that makes you happy. The people that lift you up. The experiences that bring you joy. When the temperature of your life is hot with all good things, one little bad thing here and there will never cool it down. You want the pot of goodness to pop the bad bubbles right out like a drip that isn’t allowed to disturb your simmering happiness. So, isn’t it logical that you should spend more time increasing and nurturing the good? More time adding to the hot water? When you meet someone who is positive and passionate about life, intentionally work to add them to your life. People who encourage you to succeed, lift your spirit, and increase your happiness will add warmth to your life. Seek out these types of people. Work to build these friendships and add them to your life circle. What experiences bring you joy? When you are hiking do you lose yourself in the wonder of nature? When you are painting does time slip away as you immerse yourself in the creation of art? When you are sailing does the ocean air fill your lungs and your life with energy? Look for the experiences that bring joy to your life. The experiences that you can’t wait to do again. Do them over and over. Every time your heart will open wider, and your spirit will feel alive. Yes, all of this will add more heat to your life. And don’t forget to try new things. You never know what experience will open a new meaning of joy for you. Keep adding to the hot water. On the other side of this, you can’t totally ignore the problems and issues in your life. You will always have big and small messes that need attention. They will rotate in and out of importance. That is how life works. When they occur, keep an eye on them, do what you can to solve the problem, and encourage solutions. At the same time, continue to spend time on adding the good stuff. Always have your tub full of good hot water so you never allow the occasional drips of cold to freeze you into exhaustion. Keep adding the good. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: Spend more time adding the good things to your life than you do trying to get rid of the bad. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #CornerofSpiritandBrave #loveyourlifenomatterwhat #journeythrough #PennieHunt #YouAreGoodEnough #IAmGoodEnough
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 © 2013-2023 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward and share this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. I don’t like roller coasters. Some people love them. They get off the ride enthusiastically saying things like, “That was the best! So Cool! Let’s do it again!!!” Not me. If you ever get me on a roller coaster, I get off saying, “I am glad that is over! Never again!” I am uneasy with the clattering sound the track makes as my body is jolted and shifted from side to side and I am shaken in a way no body is meant to be shaken. I don’t enjoy the open-air insecurity. I clutch the safety handle (I use that term loosely) as the coaster moves on a slow ride up --knowing the entire time that soon I will be drastically dropped. The feeling of pending fear does not blend well with me. After a devastating accident in 2018, a Highway Patrolman sat next to my emergency room bed. I don’t remember much about those chaotic moments, but I do remember him saying, “You have just experienced the most horrifying roller coaster ride you will ever be on.” He had no idea how much I disliked roller coasters or how true that statement was. By all accounts, reports, and eyewitnesses, (including my own) it was a miracle that I survived. This ride included all the sounds and feelings I mentioned above - magnified a thousand times. We all have ups and downs in life. Joyful times and tragedy. We all have events and circumstances we love and we all dislike a few. That is normal and it is normal to experience some jolts and fear in life. But I don’t like roller coasters. I like a steady life of peace, security, and calm simplicity. (Que Disneyland’s It’s a Small World song – if you know you know.) I like a life of certainty. I like knowing that over the years I have created a solid standard for myself and my personal mission statement is firmly engrained in my heart. These create a sturdy and steady foundation for my life. Life would be boring if there were no surprises thrown in, so I do enjoy those. What I don’t enjoy is drama and chaos. I don’t enjoy fear. I don’t enjoy pain. Some people seem to love living life on a roller coaster of drama. Their continual moodiness and ups and downs of problems feed them. Their internal dichotomies of hate and love, joy and despair, are aired externally on a constant rotation. It is as if they require the drama in their lives and enjoy the attention it brings. They enjoy the jolts and shakes. The uncertain painful climbs and drastic drops become certain to occur in their lives. They expect it, so it continues. Which one are you? Do you jump in line for the biggest roller coaster or are you happy to walk by the crazy ride? If you step back and see yourself living life in constant drama and chaos it could be time to change. The jolts and pain wear on your body and your soul. How much of it is real and how much of it is embellished catastrophizing on your part? Do you enjoy exaggerating and expanding a story so that it is exciting to tell it over and over? Do you enjoy the attention it brings to you? The first step is realizing that you are doing this. Look at yourself, your life, and your stories from an outside perspective. Be the person that watches and listens to you – what are they thinking and seeing? It takes a deep objective look to see the truth, but once you do you will have the power to slow it down and be realistic about what is worthy of drama and what isn’t. You can get off the crazy ride. I don’t like roller coasters. Do you? ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: Don’t live in a constant state of drama. Get off the roller coaster. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #CornerofSpiritandBrave #loveyourlifenomatterwhat #journeythrough #PennieHunt #YouAreGoodEnough #IAmGoodEnough
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 © 2013-2023 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. My phone flashes up a reminder to me every morning telling me how much screen time I had the day before. It gives me a bar chart of my screen time for the entire week and the average time per day I spend on my phone. Then it breaks it down between social media sites, photos, messages, and surfing the web. It also tells me how much time I spent listening to my newest audiobook, writing emails, and meditating – yes, I have apps for guided meditations and meditative music. It is then calculated by categories. My top three are typically Social, Creativity, and Information/Reading. I love to dabble in photography and enjoy editing my photographs. I also do a fair amount of research and reading on my phone, but Social will probably always be the category that receives the most attention on my screen time chart. I post daily thoughts and updates on my social media accounts pertaining to my work and occasionally post photos of my cute Shih Tzus. I will admit that I “follow” and “like” more than a few Influencers. In case you do not log hours every week on your screen time chart, an Influencer is a person with the ability to influence potential buyers by promoting or recommending a product or service on social media. I follow people who share my love of writing and speaking. I follow people who share decorating ideas and wonderful recipes. And yes, I follow a few Shih Tzu lovers. I will admit that I have been influenced to purchase several items and have tried many recipes posted by influencers. Sometimes I am surprised by the amount of screen time I have built up, but I love my new latte maker, (recommended by my favorite influencer), and my husband will attest to the delicious meals I have made from recipes I have found on social media. Here is the truth- we are all influencers, and we have all been influenced. When I post my motivational thoughts and quotes, I hope to influence my followers to have a happy day and a more joyful life. My goal is to touch hearts. But influencing goes deeper and broader than that. We influence and are influenced in every moment of every day. Babies watch us and are influenced to talk the way we do, walk the way we do, and eat the way we do. They watch how much time we spend on the phone and reach for the hypnotizing machine. Teenagers influence and are influenced by their peers. They see someone wearing the newest and coolest shoes and clothes and immediately they want the same ones. We see commercials on television and ads in magazines and are influenced to buy products. We watch what books are on the New York Times best-seller list and are influenced to read them. Watch couples when they are out to dinner. If one is looking at their phone, the other will do one of two things… stare at the person in hopes of them putting down the phone, or they will mirror the other person and pick up their own phone. When you mirror someone you have been influenced. We are even influenced by our language. When two people are in a conversation, and one is cursing, many times the other person is influenced to curse more than they typically do. Social media is the playground for Influencers. Social Media is where photos and filters have become the new smoke and mirrors that create a fictional world that we all want a piece of. We think we must be missing out if we don’t have those perfect shoes, eat at that amazing restaurant, or decorate our home exactly like Martha! Be very careful how you allow yourself to be influenced. And watch how you use your own power to influence others. Be cautious with your actions and words…someone is watching. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: We are all influencers, and we are all being influenced. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #CornerofSpiritandBrave #loveyourlifenomatterwhat #journeythrough #PennieHunt #YouAreGoodEnough
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 © 2013-2023 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward and share this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. It happened in the buffet line. I heard a whisper from behind me say, “You must think you are pretty darn special, to control everything.” I dropped the spoon back into the bowl of Caesar Salad and spun around to see a woman from the group I was with. I knew her, but not well. We had never had a one-on-one conversation. I am sure the expression on my face and the speed at which I turned was surprising to her, but she didn’t show it. She looked at me with an emotionless expression and softly repeated, “You must think you are pretty darn special to control everything.” I couldn’t respond. My brain was quickly trying to process what she meant and what to say in return. I wasn’t fast enough. Before I could speak, she went on with, “No one has the kind of power you think you have - to control everything. You are not responsible for everything. And you cannot control other people. Stop believing you have that much power.” With that, she stepped around me in line and continued to fill her plate. I froze looking around to see if anyone else heard the lesson I had just received. Stepping out of line I took my plate with one small spoonful of salad and sat down at a table. We were at a three-day meeting with a group we met with once a month. That morning we had broken into small group sessions. During my session, I shared what was happening in my personal life. I teetered on a downpour of tears as I told how I felt like a failure because I couldn’t control the situation and felt like it was my fault that my loved one was struggling. Moments after I told my story we broke for the buffet line. Staring at my plate I felt the hot tears building again. Yes, I blamed myself for the life circumstance my loved one was in. Yes, I felt like a failure that I couldn’t turn it around and create a happy-ever-after ending to the situation. Yes, I felt like I should have the power to fix it. In that brief moment, everything changed. With a soft whisper, the words I needed to hear gently flowed into my mind and made their way down seeing into my heart. In a buffet line, I received a message that changed my beliefs, my outlook, and the way I was living my life. I changed. Life-changing words don’t need to be shouted to be heard. It was in the soft whisper of truth that I received the message I needed. I realized there was only one life I could control and that was mine. I could guide and support others, but not control them, their path, or the outcome of their choices. I was not responsible for the decisions they made. As much as I thought I was a superwoman with a magic cape and all the answers to give - I could not ‘fix’ anything. I didn’t have a magic wand or special glitter to sprinkle that would turn a pumpkin into a white coach or someone’s mess into a perfect life— my vision of a perfect life. It was as if in that moment I was filled with understanding. I was able to accept the reality of the situation and release control of the outcome. It was in a buffet line moment that the weight lifted from my heart, and I understood that we all walk our own paths in life. No one else can walk it for us and no one else can control the direction we go or navigate our journey. No one has that much power- not even me. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: Life-changing words don’t need to be shouted to be heard. It is in the soft whispers of truth that messages are sent, and lives are changed. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #CornerofSpiritandBrave #loveyourlifenomatterwhat #journeythrough #PennieHunt #YouAreGoodEnough
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 © 2013-2023 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. Do you watch a movie all the way until the credits end, or do you click off your remote the minute they start? Do you sit in the movie theater and read the credits or jump up and leave to be the first one out the door when the drama ends? I will admit I was never a stay-to-the-last-word kind of person… until recently. I am not sure why I began reading them, but now I find them fascinating. I watch the list of the main actors. Then the cast of names roll by of everyone in the movie even if they had the tiniest part. Sometimes I see names I recognize, and I didn’t catch their face during the film. After that, I like to see the music that is played in the background – the title, the composer, the singer. Many times it is meaningful music that I find later and add to my own life’s playlist. The writers of the words, the directors of the motion, the designers of the costumes, choreographers, sound experts, set designers, stunt people, catering people, assistants, and assistants to the assistants. No one is left off the list of credits. Even the animals in the film and those who take care of them are listed. It takes more than a village to create a motion picture that imitates life. What about our life? The real moment-by-moment adventures of our life create the drama, tragedy, love story, and comedy that folds together into the movie of us. Who would be on our list of credits at the end? Can you imagine how big the cast would be? At first the stars of the show were our parents and us. The cast was much bigger. There was a team of doctors and nurses that brought us into this world. As we grew the list of cast members grew. Siblings, babysitters, teachers, coaches, friends, and pets filled the big screen of our lives. Soon girlfriends, boyfriends, spouses, partners, employers, and employees were added. Our life was choreographed as we danced to our drums and sang with our hearts. And when events were celebrated or tragedy knocked us down, remember those who celebrated with us and picked us up when we fell. Remember the doors of family, churches, and places of support that opened and invited us in. Over the years, there were service people who sold us the items we use every day and the people who served us meals. Writers, editors, and publishers who created the books, newspapers, and magazines we read. The computer wizards that gave us the ability to access information at the touch of a keyboard and helped us work in this world. If you pull back the curtain and look behind the scenes, you would see the contractors that built our homes, the farmers that grew our food, and the companies that produce the electricity and gas that powered our lives. If you really think about it, would our list ever end? Everything we use, touch, and see in life is here because of someone other than ourselves. They don’t show up in our daily routine, but they deserve mentioning on our roll of credits. Maybe when our lives end, we should roll our credits. All of these people should be on it. It isn’t just us in this life. There is much more than a village that is responsible for all that happens in our life story- from the first cry to the last breath. When our life is over, I hope that someone will honor me by acknowledging all the people who made my life possible. After the tears, the speeches, and the goodbyes, I wonder who would stay until the last credit rolled. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: It takes more than a village to create the life we live. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #CornerofSpiritandBrave #loveyourlifenomatterwhat #journeythrough #PennieHunt #YouAreGoodEnough
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 © 2013-2023 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. 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. I wouldn’t think of going a day without talking to my friends on the phone. I made friends sitting next to other moms as our children played soccer and baseball. I have had coworkers who 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 hearts 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 and 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 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, grows, stagnates, or 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 in 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 by broken trust. Some have been lost through the 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.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #CornerofSpiritandBrave #loveyourlifenomatterwhat #journeythrough #PennieHunt #YouAreGoodEnough
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 © 2013-2023 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward and share this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. It happened quickly. I was leaving the store and passed a mom with her small son. They were followed by a young girl walking a few steps behind them. It wasn’t an unordinary sight except for one thing. The sadness in the girl’s face and the single tear rolling down her cheek. On the way to my car, my mind painted many scenarios. Maybe she was fighting with her brother and scolded by her mom. Maybe she wanted to buy a toy and was told no. Maybe she wanted to spend the night at a friend’s house and her family had other plans. Maybe she fell in the parking lot and skinned her knee. Maybe it was a small incident that hurt her heart and caused her pain. Maybe it was bigger. I have raised my children and spent enough time with my grandchildren to know that on any given day children can cry many times, for many reasons. I am sure I was in several stores when my children were young and they had tears on their faces for the scenarios I imagined about this little girl. But on this day, this girl was giving me a bigger message. How many times do I rush through life walking right by people without giving any thought to the pain they carry? We all do it. The barista at your favorite coffee shop, the clerk who brings groceries to your car for curbside pickup, the barber who cuts your hair, the server who brings your food, your teacher, your student, your employee, your boss... do you know what pain they carry? We all carry pain. It isn’t always carried with a sad face and a tear. Sometimes it is the people with the biggest smile and the loudest laugh that carry the most pain. How do we know? What can we do? It just takes the one thing everyone seems to have the least of. Time. We are all busy and rushing so we don’t notice. We don’t have to notice. We don’t want to notice. It just takes a second to smile at someone and let them feel seen. It just takes a minute to be kind, friendly, and wish someone a happy day. To make them feel like you care. It just takes a little time to ask someone how they are and not just as you walk away but ask and wait for the answer. The real answer. We have all created a habit of being busy. A habit of rushing. A habit of avoidance. Think about what we are missing. We are missing connection. Communication. Caring. It just takes a little time to care enough to connect. To communicate and learn about others. To show interest in their feelings and share in their happiness - and their pain. I tried to make quick eye contact with the girl that day and smile at her. I don’t think she noticed. If she had stopped crying and wiped her tears two minutes before I walked by, I would not have noticed her. I would have never spent time wondering about her sadness. Wondering about her pain. I would not have received the message. The message is that we all carry pain. We don’t get through life without hurt, loss, or tragedy. We don’t get through life without pain that we carry deep in our hearts. The tears and the scar tissue may not be visible, but it is there. Once we experience this type of pain and learn the lessons that accompany it, we become more aware of the pain others carry. Hopefully, we share some of our time to wipe a tear or two, give a smile, or have a conversation when it is needed. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: We never know the pain others carry in their hearts. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #CornerofSpiritandBrave #loveyourlifenomatterwhat #journeythrough #PennieHunt #YouAreGoodEnough
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 © 2013-2023 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward and share this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. This is my birthday week and I find myself being introspective about my life and the lessons I have learned along the way. It has taken me years to learn some of them. Some of them were learned through painful experiences. All of them are important. I am sharing these lessons with you today in the hope of you learning them sooner than I did. 1. Don’t wish your life away! I couldn’t wait to be thirteen. My Mom said, “Don’t wish your life away.” Now, all these quick years later I understand the wisdom in that statement. Time goes fast! 2. I love Brussels sprouts! I hated Brussels sprouts for over 50 years. The truth is I had never tried one. When I did, I fell in love and have been making up for lost time ever since. You can’t hate what you haven’t tried and you can’t judge what you haven’t lived. Let that statement simmer for a minute. 3. Don’t tell anyone you are on a diet! If you need to make a life change like losing weight or changing jobs you may need a support group or career coach, but don’t tell anyone else. People will scrutinize every pound you lose (and gain), every job you apply for, and every rejection letter you receive. If they don’t know, when you have setbacks and disappointments, they won’t magnify your defeat. When you have good news to share let them celebrate the victory with you. 4. Know when to say NO and when to say YES! After years of saying “Yes” to every request for my energy and time, I suffered a few stress-induced illnesses. I learned that I couldn’t do it all and I wasn’t Wonder Woman. I learned how to say, “No” when I needed to and “Yes” to myself. 5. Not everyone likes me! What is not to like about me? I was the people-pleasing cocker spaniel that when I got kicked wanted to jump up and lick the face of the kicker to prove that I was sweet, kind, and deserving of love. The reality is – not everyone likes cocker spaniels. I learned to spend my time liking and loving the ones who do. Don’t waste your time trying to prove yourself to anyone. 6. Do What You Love! Don’t waste a precious moment doing work you hate. Do what brings you joy. If you can’t do it full-time, do it as a hobby, but do what you love! 7. Know when to risk and know when to let go! I owned Apple stock when it was $22 a share and sold it at $24. Big mistake! This is an example of doing this wrong. Knowing when to hold something and when to let it go is an intuitive skill that grows with listening to your inner voice when it tells you to run down the street after them yelling, “I love you!” or to turn and walk away as the sun sets and the credits roll. 8. Take care of yourself! Being healthy matters. Take care of the body that carries your soul. Think about your health when you’re 28- don’t wait until you are 88. 9. Be quiet and listen. Sit alone and in silence. Listen to your heart. Listen to the silence. You will be amazed at what you hear! 10. We are all one phone call away from our knees. When the phone rings and the message of loss is delivered, you will be on your knees. With the aid of love and grace, we will stand back up stronger than before. Once this hard lesson has been learned your heart will expand with the love required to support others when they fall. 11. Learn to accept and adapt to change! The happiest, healthiest people are the ones who can accept and adapt to change. The good and the bad. 12. How you define age is how you define your outlook on life. Is age the number on your birthday cake? Are you old when your children grow up and leave the house? Did you feel old when you became a grandparent? Aging does bring quirky pains and irritating limitations that don’t seem quite fair. But it also brings lessons and wisdom. The ability to look forward with hope and optimism is the outlook I want in life – from whatever age I’m standing in now. 13. Be grateful and love your life- NO MATTER WHAT! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie's Life Lesson Learn YOUR own lessons well. Happy Living. Love and Blessings, Pennie ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #CornerofSpiritandBrave #loveyourlifenomatterwhat #journeythrough #PennieHunt #YouAreGoodEnough
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 © 2013-2023 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward and share this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. I am not sure how it happened. We did some landscaping. We added some rock work and a few trees and plants to our yard. A year later a single branch sprouted from the rocks. Then a second one stretched out of the ground. I wasn’t exactly sure what it was but for two years I watched it grow slowly. Last year it looked like a bush. I thought it was quite lovely as the leaves rustled in the wind. The green added a lovely touch to the corner of our driveway. My neighbor asked me what it was and said it was the most beautiful thing on our street. A strong compliment for something that grew by accident. The mystery sprout became a tree, so this year I snipped off all the lower branches and it grew with a power I never expected. Taller than me. Much taller than me and well on its way to becoming a large strong tree. How many times has something happened in life that caused us to unintentionally grow? We didn’t plan it. We may not have wanted it to happen, but it did and caused a growth spurt that we never expected. We grew in strength. Grew in experience. Grew mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. In school you may have let your grades slip and the consequences were painful. You may not have been able to participate in sports or you may have enjoyed a little summer school time. Learning to be more responsible in the future with your schoolwork and appreciating the benefit of playing your favorite sport was the unintentional growth you gained. You may have lost someone you love. The pain of grief can be unbearable. Living through, and with, this kind of pain can create growth in powerful ways. Your empathy and compassion for others grows. Your kindness and attention to the simple things in life grows. Your love for the time spent with family and friends grows. With deep pain comes deep (unintentional) growth. You may have been laid off from a job. The panic of this type of situation causes stress, worry, and loss of confidence. As you search for a new job you begin to realize that you can find success elsewhere. In the future you plan your savings in case this happens again. You learn to be prepared for the unexpected. The learning and growth that comes from a stressful situation leads to confidence and strength. With time you realize it may have been the best thing that ever happened to you. What seemed to be the end of the world opened the door for a new beginning. The most difficult of times can cause the most dramatic growth. I am not sure how our new tree happened to find us. Maybe a seed was dormant in one of the plants we intentionally planted and with the water and attention it decided to burst into its glory. Maybe it was a seed that blew from a neighbor’s tree swirling and dancing until it nestled into the safety of our rocks. How ever it came to live with us, its accidental growth has been a magical process to watch. In the same way, our own unintentional growth can be a magical process to experience. We may not understand why it happens to us. It may take years before we fully realize the growth we have experienced because of it. The process may be painful, but as it expands our hearts it can become a beautiful benefit to our lives. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: The most difficult of times can cause the most dramatic growth. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #CornerofSpiritandBrave #loveyourlifenomatterwhat #journeythrough #PennieHunt #YouAreGoodEnough
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 © 2013-2023 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. |
AuthorThere is a certain magic about where I live both physically and spiritually – on the crossroads of Spirit and Brave. Archives
March 2024
Categories
All
|
PLEASE NOTE: This page does not provide medical or legal advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or services to you or to any other individual. Through this site and links to other sites, Pennie Hunt provides general information for inspiration, encouragement and educational purposes only. The information provided in this site, or through links to other sites, is not a substitute for legal, medical, or professional care, and you should not use the information in place of a visit, call or the advice of your lawyer, physician or other healthcare provider. |