HOW MANY PILLOWS HAVE I FLUFFED? By Pennie Hunt
 
I love pillows. I have them on every couch, every chair, and every bed in my home. I have seasonal pillows for fall, Christmas, and Easter. I have a variety of colors to change the mood of a room.

Do I have a pillow problem? I don’t think so. I just love pillows.

Years ago, a terrible car accident left me with neck and back pain. Now I require a small pillow for my lower back in my car for driving and in chairs where I sit for any period of time.

My biggest issue is finding the perfect pillow for sleeping.

I have tried the kind with chunks of foam that made me feel like I was sleeping on a foam pit in a trampoline park. I have purchased specialty pillows with ergonomically correct cutouts that contour around my neck. These pillows left me feeling like I was sleeping on a rock, and I use the word sleeping loosely... it was more like spending my nights in torture.

Feather pillows cause me to wake up with my nose so congested that I can’t breathe. I have tried horseshoe-shaped travel pillows and pillows with fancy names like clouds, ring, donut, and nuzzle. I have slept on foam, feathers, gel, memory, latex, down, and faux down.

My newest purchase was spurred by an advertisement stating that it would be like the best pillow in a 5-star hotel. I have slept well on some hotel pillows and found myself trying to decode the tag on the pillow to purchase one like it. Because of this, the advertisement caught my attention.

So far, it isn’t too bad. I will need several more nights connecting with the new pillow before I am ready to commit to saying it is the perfect one. When I score a pillow, ​I​ use several criteria. How much I toss and turn. How many times I must flip it over, fold it in half, and fluff it in the middle of the night. Neck pain and comfort are a high priority. And this may sound strange, but smell is a big thing for me. Maybe you haven’t noticed, but foam can have a distinct smell. If it has a strong foam smell the relationship with me and that pillow is over.

My linen closet is filled with an expensive number of pillows that didn’t work for me. I haven’t given up. My quest for the perfect bed partner is not over. I dream of resting my head gently into a perfect cloud of softness that cradles my neck and allows me to sleep in pain-free, dreamy comfort.

Are my expectations too high? I don’t think so. My perfect pillow is out there, and I will continue to fluff until the perfect one is found. I believe my persistence will lead me to the pillow of my dreams.

**Oh, and I am open to suggestions.    
                                   ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
                                                    Pennie’s Life Lesson:         
                                                    Never stop searching.
                     It is persistence in the pursuit that leads you to a solution.
                                               (and me to the perfect pillow.)
                                      ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  

​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 © 2013-2026 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.
#CornerofSpiritandBrave #LoveYourLifeNoMatterWhat #JourneyThrough #PennieHunt #IAmGoodEnough #grief #Love #Joy #HowToBeHappy #Happiness

My husband and I have been married for 15 years, and we were together 10 years before that. During this time, we have given each other many gifts, but the best gift may have been a tiny red glass heart.

We were well into our first ten years when I began struggling to think of what to give him. After all, it seemed he had everything he wanted, and if he saw something he liked, he bought it for himself. He is picky about clothes, he is not a jewelry guy, or a tool guy. I had bought him every book I could think of. The ideas for birthday, Christmas, and Valentine's gifts had run out. I was perplexed.

I was shopping in a sweet little store and saw the perfect gift. It was a tiny red glass heart. That is when I thought of it… I would give him my heart!

I purchased the tiny treasure and took it home. I covered it in sparkling tissue paper, placed it in a special box, wrapped it with gold foil paper, and topped it with a stunning bow. The packaging was glorious!

I wrote a note explaining that it was the perfect gift for the man who has everything. I was giving him my heart. I described how much I loved him and that I trusted him to care for it, protect it, and always keep my heart with him.

When he opened the gift, he was very touched. He held the tiny heart in his hand for the rest of the evening, and then he put it in his pocket. He said it would be safe there and it would always be with him.

Sometimes I test him and ask, “Do you have my heart?” He always reaches into his pocket and pulls it out. It is always with him. Well, except during a rough time before we were married, when we temporarily went our separate ways, and I took custody of the glass heart. We now refer to that period as the “hiatus,” which is a story for another column. As you can guess, we made it through that time, and he was once again given my heart to care for and love. He happily tucked it back in his pocket and has held it tightly ever since.

When we are with other people, he loves to tell the heart story (yes, he includes the hiatus details) and proudly pulls the heart from his pocket, holding it in the air, showing it to everyone. He allows others to look but not touch. It is special to him, and my heart is only for him to hold.

It is just a tiny red glass heart, but for both of us, the meaning behind it is bigger than any package could hold. It represents our commitment to each other, our love for each other, and our dedication to keep each other top of mind at all times. It is the precious symbol of our love story.

What is your love story?
                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                                                        Pennie’s Life Lesson:
                      When someone gives you their heart, protect it, care for it,
                                                 and always keep it with 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 © 2013-2026 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.
#CornerofSpiritandBrave #LoveYourLifeNoMatterWhat #JourneyThrough #PennieHunt #IAmGoodEnough #grief #Love #Joy #HowToBeHappy #Happiness

​ The world has become an easy place to isolate from others. Groceries and food can be ordered with the touch of a​ button and dropped at your front door. Movies, sporting events, and concerts can be watched on a screen as you sit on your couch or lie in your bed. Jobs can be done remotely from a laptop and an occasional Zoom call. Doctor appointments and therapy sessions can be done online. Classes can be completed without ever walking into a classroom. Book clubs, dance lessons, shopping, and even dating can be experienced without interacting face-to-face with another person.

The world can become very small.

As some people age, their world becomes smaller. Their friend circle may shrink. They might not go out as much because of health issues. Their pace of life slows. This may be part of the normal transition of aging.

Some people retire and enjoy a smaller life. They are tired of the go-go-go of working and want their world smaller, softer, and quieter.

 But some people don’t even notice that their world is shrinking. It becomes normal for them to stay inside the protective walls of their home. Not because they want to, it just happens slowly, their world becomes small, and they don’t know how to change it. 

If you feel the walls closing in, ask yourself why. Why are you creating an environment of seclusion? Why are you isolating yourself from the world? Why don’t you enjoy leaving your home? Most importantly, why are you afraid? 

Fear creates isolation. Fear makes your life small. Fear keeps you from having the life you want. The more you do from the confines of your home, the less you will want to leave. It becomes normal. The idea of leaving your safe space becomes frightening.

It may be time to flex your bravery muscle. Be brave enough to try new things. Be brave enough to meet new people. Be brave enough to apply for the job you really want. Be brave enough to go to an in-person book club, a real dance lesson, shop in a physical store, and meet someone face-to-face when you are dating.
The braver you are, the bigger your life becomes.

Let me say that again… the braver you are, the bigger your life becomes. The more you get out of your comfort zone and experience new things, the more your life expands. Your life contracts with fear and expands with courage.

So, ask yourself what you want. Do you want a small life and live in a small world? If so, that is okay. But if you are longing and looking for more, take a risk. Step out of the bubble you are living in and try something new. Go slow- one step at a time… reach out to a friend you haven’t seen in a while and go out to dinner.

Or if you are ready to take a leap, hit the road running. Join a new club, or two. Dust off your resume and start sending them out today! Make a plan of things you can try and experiences you want to have. Once you leave the space that fear has put you in and take the leap forward, you might meet someone new…and that someone may be the you that you were meant to be.
                                ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                                                   Pennie’s Life Lesson:
                                               Fear keeps your life small.
                            The braver you are, the bigger your life becomes. 
                                 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

​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 © 2013-2026 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.
#CornerofSpiritandBrave #LoveYourLifeNoMatterWhat #JourneyThrough #PennieHunt #IAmGoodEnough #grief #Love #Joy #HowToBeHappy #Happiness

Many years ago, I worked at an elementary school. One of my duties was to supervise the playground during recess. Other than the cold weather, I enjoyed being outside with the children. I loved watching them run, play, and yell at the top of their lungs.
​
When the bell rang and the children lined up at the school door, the other supervisors and I would remind them to switch to their inside voice as they walked into the school. We would quiet our own voices as we softly told them that it was time to return to a space of calm, quiet, and learning.

It has been a long time since I have told young children to quiet down, but I have never stopped using my own inside voice. My inside voice is the one I hear when I am calm, quiet, and ready to learn.

When I sit in the morning with my dogs on my lap and a cup of coffee, I hear it.

When I meditate with peaceful intention, I hear it.

When I walk in a forest or sit in the sand watching the ocean, I hear it.

It is the soft, quiet voice that comes from inside of me. The one that whispers messages, ideas, and inspiration. It is my inside voice, my inner voice, my truth that speaks.

We all have an inner voice, but many people don’t take the time or create the space to hear it.

If your life is moving too fast and the speed of your life is a bustle of noise, you won’t hear it.

If you do feel a twinge of knowing in the middle of your gut, but you ignore it, you won’t hear it.

If your negative self-talk is so loud and constant that it muffles the truth that your inner voice is trying to tell you. You won’t hear it.

The inside voice is not a loud flash in your face kind of message. It is soft. It is light. It can be a whisper of an idea that comes to you when you least expect it. It may be a feeling or a knowing that something is off in your life. It may be subtle messages telling you to follow a path different than the path you are on.

It can be persistent. If your inner knowing is trying to give you an important message, your inside voice will repeat the message until you listen. It may show up in different ways, all telling you the same message.

My inner voice has warned me of danger. It has given me visions of what my future could hold. It has given me time to reflect quietly about my life and the people I care about.

Try it. Give yourself the space and time to become calm, quiet, and ready to learn. Ask yourself questions. Pay attention. You just might say, “I hear it.”
                                 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                                                     Pennie’s Life Lesson:
     When you are calm, quiet, and ready to learn, you will hear your inner voice. 
                                   ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

​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 © 2013-2026 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.
#CornerofSpiritandBrave #LoveYourLifeNoMatterWhat #JourneyThrough #PennieHunt #IAmGoodEnough #grief #Love #Joy #HowToBeHappy #Happiness