![]() No one believes me, but it is true. When I was in 4th-grade, I won a spelling contest. I don’t remember the words, but I do remember the prize. A small pocket-sized dictionary. The New Vest Pocket Webster Dictionary to be exact. I still have it. It’s in my desk drawer. I keep it as a reminder of what I can do, of what I am capable of, and of the possibilities of my dreams- even when no one believes in them - except me. I remember that day in 4th-grade. We were in a line around the perimeter of the classroom. I leaned next to the cabinet where the pencil sharpener was bolted to a wooden countertop. The countertop where my 4th-grade crush had carved my initials PH deep into the wood. We went around the circle spelling words and sitting down when we didn’t spell one correctly. I was the last one standing. I surprised myself! I was so proud to be given the dictionary. I quickly wrote my name inside in my best 4th-grade penmanship and tucked it in my school desk. ![]() When I tell this story now to friends and family, they all laugh. No one believes I won a spelling contest because I can’t spell. Yes, a writer that is not a good speller – it’s true. No one in my family can spell. I believed it was hereditary. Oh, I can spell thousands of words, but there are thousands of words I can’t spell. Dictionaries and spell-checking programs are my friends. Today I opened my desk drawer and saw the little red dictionary. Initially I thought of that day in 4th grade, my pride in winning and the self-confidence I felt. I picked up the reminder of my success and quickly my thoughts went to a negative place. Why didn’t I become a great speller? Why can’t I logically sound out and spell every word I think of? What gene did my family miss out on that skewed our ability in this area? I never won another spelling contest. As a teenager, I was teased if I misspelled a word. As an adult, it became embarrassing if I misspelled a word in a letter or document. (People LOVE to point out your mistakes.) These experiences added fuel to my negative self-talk. Over the years the belief in my head became bigger – I can’t spell. Do you see how easy it is to believe something? Especially if it is negative. Our ego and dreams can be squelched if we believe a story and allow it to take over our life. After I won that spelling contest it could have gone a different way. It could have fueled my interest in winning again. I could have become the best speller in my class, my school and my family. I could be a maestro of spelling! But I am not. My family still occasionally teases me about my poor spelling skills, and they continue to roll their eyes and laugh when I remind them that I did win a 4th-grade spelling contest. I keep this little dictionary in my desk drawer as a reminder. A reminder that although my 4th-grade success didn’t follow me through my life, it didn’t stop me from my dreams. Spelling is only part of writing. I followed my dream of being a writer. I am a good writer. I quilt together words to tell stories that connect with people. In doing this I check and double-check words. I use the tools of writing- paper, pens, notebooks, computers, spell check... And yes, I will still reach for my little red dictionary. I did win that 4th-grade spelling contest. No one believes me, but it’s true! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: Don’t let one weakness stop you from your dreams. Dream anyway! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ YOUR TURN...
Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at: [email protected]. 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.
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![]() We were sitting in a funeral home at a round table in a small meeting room. I had been here before. Not at this funeral home and not planning this funeral, but I have been in this space. The space where someone is no longer with us. The space where we plan the final goodbye. The space of exhaustion from the days leading up to this moment. I had done this many times before- sat in a chair like this in the space of sadness, grief and yes, love. This time it was for my mother-in-law, Marion. I say her name because we should. We should say the names of our loved ones who have passed from this life. It shows respect and honor for who they were. It helps us remember them. During the conversation, the funeral director was going through a list of options when my husband said, “No, none of that is necessary. She was a simple person.” I smiled, remembering another time I heard that comment. It was a few months before my Dad, Charlie Hunt, passed. He had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and it was his last few months of life. I had treated my parents to a nice hotel room. My Dad looked around the room and said, “Oh, we don’t need anything this fancy – we are simple people.” Hearing my husband say it about his Mom made the room we were sitting in feel bigger. Suddenly it held the memories of all the funerals I had planned in the last few years. It held their faces, their last days, their last words. And it held a shocking reality. The reality is that we are all simple people. Most people don’t like to admit it. Most people don’t like to show it. We hide it behind the house we live in, the cars we drive, the toys we buy and the clothes we wear. We cover our simplicity with titles, accomplishments and awards. We spend a lifetime trying to prove that we are somebody. We use our careers and status to help us believe we are important. That we have climbed the ladder to the top and have made it far above the simple people. But, are we that important? Are we really above anyone? The truth is we are all just simple people. Stripped down to our raw nakedness of being human we are all the same. We all arrived in this life in the same way without any of these possessions or accolades. Without the house, the cars, the toys, the clothes, the awards and titles we are all just people. We all matter. We are all equally important. We are all loved by someone. We have all made a difference in our life – to someone. We are all simply living and making our way through this life the best we can. Maybe it is time to wake up to this reality. I’m not saying we should get rid of all that we have worked for or earned in our life. I’m just saying maybe it is time to put it all into perspective. The shiny things we buy and the big titles we carry don’t change who we are. They don’t make us bigger or better than anyone else. Don’t wait until you have been given a diagnosis and realize you have months to live. Don’t wait until you say your last goodbye to a loved one to see this reality. None of these things, possessions, properties, titles or awards matter. Understand this now… we are all simple people. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: We all come into this life and leave the same way- as simple people. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ YOUR TURN...
Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at: [email protected]. 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 have over 30 spots on my body where I have been scraped, burned and lasered. I have just returned from my 6-month dermatology appointment. As I look at these fresh wounds, I remember an appointment 4 years ago… It was a quick visit. Routine really. It was more of a vanity issue to have one ugly mole removed than a health concern. The ugly one and a few others were frozen with liquid nitrogen and one removed and sent in for a biopsy – just to make sure, the doctor said. I got dressed, gathered my purse, paid the receptionist, took the brochure the doctor gave me about skin cancer and went on with my day. When I got home, I cleaned out my car and the brochure went into the recycling bin. After all I thought, - it won’t happen to me. There have been many times in my life when I have been surprised. This phone call was one of them. “The biopsy came back positive,” the nurse said. Melanoma. She scheduled an appointment for me to have a larger section of skin removed for another biopsy. Where was that brochure? I hadn’t even read it. “Melanoma is a BIG DEAL,” the doctor said as she sat down next to me in the examining room. We read the lab report together. This had been found early and the hope was that by removing a larger section it would capture all of the Melanoma cells. This was a long visit. Numbing of my leg. A larger, deeper piece of my skin was removed. Stitches. As I got dressed, I searched through the doctor’s display of information for the brochure. The one titled, “SKIN CANCER.” This time I kept it. This time I read it. It outlined three types of skin cancer. I scanned through the first two and came to the third. I read - Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer. The brochure went on to outline all the things you should do to Prevent-Detect-Live. I have pretty much done everything it said I shouldn’t do. I remember so many years ago, splashing on baby oil to lay in the sun to gain the perfect tan. The years- YEARS- of water skiing, swimming and hiking. And yes, visits to tanning beds. As time went on I heard about skin cancer and sunscreen was added to my life, but not in the amount or intensity it should have been. I always thought it won’t happen to me. Regular dermatology appointments became a must in my life. Being self-aware of changes in my skin became routine. Six months after that first Melanoma removal it was time for another skin check. This time I had one that I was suspicious of and pointed it out to the dermatologist. She felt it was probably fine, but she listened to my concerns, removed the suspicious spot and sent it in for a biopsy. Again, the phone call came, and the biopsy was again positive for Melanoma. My life repeated the scenario of taking a larger section of my skin, more stitches and more reality. It had happened to me again. That was four years ago. Now I have regular 6-month dermatology appointments. Now I continually scan every mole and spot on my body. Now I wear hats and sun-protective clothing and pay attention to the best sunscreen and how I apply it. Now I encourage others to do the same. The sting of these 30 new red sores reminds me to never forget and never get careless. The minor discomfort is a gentle reminder to love myself enough to take care of ME! A reminder that if it can happen to others why couldn’t it happen to me. And if it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: Love yourself enough to take care of YOU! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ YOUR TURN...
Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at: [email protected]. 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. ![]() Here we are knee deep in the year 2023 and tip toeing into the month of love. It is interesting that because of one little day filled with flowers, chocolates and mushy greeting cards, we think of February as the month of love. But what does love have to do with it? Should we really allow love to take over one full day, let alone an entire month? Well, my answer to that question is No. I believe love should take over every day of every month of every year of our lives! You see, I believe we are here to do three things. Learn. Teach. And Love. It’s that easy. We are here to learn the lessons we need to learn, teach the lessons we need to teach and love and be loved. When we are done learning, teaching, loving and being loved we leave. How much simpler could it be? I also believe that love is the most important of the three things we are here to do. There is a reason my tagline is, Love Your Life -- No Matter What! It is because no matter what is happening in your life or the world you need to be grounded in love. Let’s doodle for a minute. Draw a circle. Put a little stick person in the center – that is you. Begin surrounding your stick figure with the names of people, places and things you love. Add the people who love you. Be creative. You could put them all in bubbles surrounding you or connect them with lines to your heart. Color them. Paint them. Use real photos and glue them on a tag board. Can you imagine the masterpiece you could create? When you are done, look at it. Really look at it. What is missing? NOTHING. You see, everything you need, want and have is connected to you through love. That little stick person is a happy little soul. Now be grateful for everyone in the masterpiece you just created, whether it is a doodle or a work of art. Feel the gratitude right to the center of that little stick person’s heart. A funny thing happens. Being grateful leads to more love. The more you love, the more love you receive. Love becomes the answer to every question! Every problem. Every concern in your life. But it doesn’t stop there. When you are grounded in love, you begin learning lessons about love and how to love more. Then you begin teaching these lessons. I am sure by now you see how the circle completes itself. Remember why I believe we are here - To learn, to teach and to love. Being here in this body, on this Earth, and at this time is a privilege. Be humbled by the magnitude of it. Do not take anything for granted. Be grateful for every moment, every breath, every experience, and every lesson learned. Sharing love leads to a space of gratitude and being grateful leads to living in a space of love. The basis for all of life’s lessons is LOVE! Life begins and ends with love. Love yourself. Love others. Love animals. Love nature. Love your heart out every day of your life! Love your life—NO MATTER WHAT! And so, I end where I began...What’s love got to do with it? EVERYTHING! Pennie’s Life Lesson: A life of gratitude, joy, and happiness is created by love. YOUR TURN...
Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at: [email protected]. 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
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