 A few short months ago I never thought that masks would be a hot new wardrobe accessory. I never thought I would be making them. But, here we are. It began with just one. I was only going to make one mask so my husband would be safe when he did his quick runs to the grocery store. After looking through many online patterns and watching a few YouTube videos, I chose the one I would make. My first attempt was created from an old sheet. According to some articles, sheets with a high thread count work well for keeping germs away from your face. After cutting, pinning, pressing, and sewing, I tucked a tissue in the secret pocket for an extra layer of filtration as suggested. I was proud when I presented my husband with the finished product. He was impressed too until he tried it on. It did not quite cover his face and the elastic straps were a bit too short. But it fit me perfectly, so the cream-colored prototype became mine. I cut the next one from red polka dot cotton fabric - a little larger, man-sized. This time I tucked a coffee filter in the secret pocket. It fit him perfectly. He even liked the color. I planned on stopping there, but then I thought about my mother-in-law, our kids and their spouses, our grandchildren, and my sister in Houston. My project became bigger and my mission more important. I dug deeper into my plastic tubs of fabric. I made three small ones covered in sport balls for grandsons. I made teal ones for our daughters. I made a ‘Paris green” one, which was the new favorite color of one granddaughter, and one with happy puppies for another. A large blue one big enough to cover one son’s beard that is growing longer and thicker with each passing work-from-home day. Each mask became customized by personality, size, and color. I happily checked off names from my list. And then, I found it. Tucked in some fabric I had kept from my mom’s collection after she passed away, was a scrap of cloth with horses trotting across a beige and blue background. My hands followed the path of the horses as I remembered how many times I had tucked my little cowboy in bed under his favorite horse quilt. I remembered how my mom had sewn each block together and her fingers had needled every quilted stitch. I remembered how much he loved the security of the quilt my mom made for him over 35 years ago and how those horses had kept him warm and safe. I held the treasure I had found knowing it was the last memory of that quilt. My son’s daughter was 9 months old when he passed in 2007. She has grown into a brilliant and beautiful young lady who loves horses and sees the world through her daddy’s chocolate brown eyes. This small piece of cloth was barely enough to make a mask, but I knew who it was for. Fabric has a way of piecing together memories and patching together families. A project born out of a time of fear and uncertainty became heart-work for me. What began with making one mask has turned into 35 and counting. Each one created to protect someone I love. Each one carrying the story of the fabric it was made from. Out of all the masks I have made, there is one that holds a special power. An extra layer of protection that isn’t tucked in the secret pocket. It is a protection from the love embedded in the fabric. It is protection from my mom and my son for a special girl they both loved. As her chocolate brown eyes peek over the top of the horses on her mask, I know she will be safe. I never thought I would be making masks. But, here we are. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: “The fabric you wear, the fabric you touch, and the fabric you take for granted all carry a story.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  YOUR TURN...
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to think about how the fabric you wear, the fabric you touch, and the fabric you take for granted all carry a story. 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 © 2013-2020 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward and share this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information.
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 I have been called Pollyanna, Susie Sunshine, optimistic, positive and perky throughout my life. I accept all of those as terms of endearment, when actually at times they have been said in a teasing way. I will admit to being a glass-is-full kind of girl. You know that saying, “Walk a mile in my shoes?” Well, I am asking you to, “Walk a Mile in My Smile.” I am far from perfect and I am not perky and positive every minute of every day. I have down times, sad days and occasionally become angry. But I am asking you to join me in the up-side of walking in my shoes. I will admit to having the advantage of being blessed with a high happiness set point. This means I seem to keep a fairly high stance of happiness no matter what. When I do have the occasional gloomy, sad, inner rain, my body fights to regain its natural value of happiness. But above that, I have learned to live with the habit of happiness. I have several rituals that I have used over the years to support this habit and they enable me to stay fairly true to my happiness set point. Here are just a few of these happiness enhancers that you may like to try. Begin each day with gratitude. When your eyes open in the morning, take some time to lay there and be grateful for waking another day, for the bed you slept in, for the sleep you enjoyed and for the day ahead. As you swing your feet off the bed for that first step of the day, say “Thank” as you place one foot down and “You” as you place the other foot. As you walk throughout your day, say “Thank you” with your steps. Subconsciously your mind will begin to fill in the blank of thank you for what. As you are driving to work or to a meeting say, “Thank you” out loud for the meeting you are about to have, for the successful outcome and for the positive interaction you will have with those involved. When you go to bed at night, instead of laying there running through the list of things you didn't get done or should have done differently, go through a mental list of thank-yous for all the people, places, and things that enriched your day. An added bonus to this - If you have problems sleeping this will help with that too-- Counting thank-yous is better than counting sheep! I bet you are noticing a pattern here. Yes, I believe the secret to my glass-is-always-full outlook is appreciation. If we appreciate every step we make, every breath we take and every interaction we have there will be little space left for negativity and anger. Even if you have little to appreciate – begin there. Appreciate that. Be grateful for that. Say thank you for that. As your appreciation grows so will your happiness. As your happiness grows the love you hold on the inside will spill to the outside and soon you will be walking miles in your own smile. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie's Life Lesson: “As your appreciation and gratitude grows so will your happiness!” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ YOUR TURN...
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to think about how you are feeling and the pressure you are putting on yourself. 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 © 2013-2020 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward and share this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information.  I woke up this morning already overwhelmed. Before my eyes opened I was overwhelmed. Before my feet even hit the floor I was overwhelmed. "There is so much I HAFTA do!" My mind was already talking to me before I had time to shuffle to the coffee maker. I HAFTA do laundry. I HAFTA write a blog. I HAFTA create my notes for a presentation next week. I HAFTA hunt and gather, (my term for my not-so-favorite job of grocery shopping). I HAFTA, I HAFTA, I HAFTA! The list went on and on. Feeling a bit less than enthusiastic to do any of it, suddenly the bubble over my head filled with... "I don't HAFTA do anything!" I really don't! I decided that word should be banished from my vocabulary. I also decided to evict the words must, should, required, and for the bonus - I threw in gotta and oughtta! The reality is what in life do we really HAFTA do? I had clean clothes to wear today so I didn't HAFTA do laundry. I wonder if I skipped a blog one week if anyone would actually notice and send me a 'where is it' message. I know I could stand up and give my presentation next week without any notes. And, I wouldn't starve if I didn't hunt and gather today. Why do we put so much pressure on ourselves to feel like we are obligated to do...do...DO? I realize we all have responsibilities in life and I am not saying we drop all common sense. I am saying we might be happier and healthier if we added common sense to our HAFTA list. Once we get through the one or two things that are the necessary responsibilities and look further down the list, what if we measured them by whether they feed our soul or drain our energy. Whether they add joy or create chaos. Whether they lift our spirits or burden our soul. What if we threw away our HAFTA lists and we began labeling tasks with the expressions of: like to; love to; want to; desire; crave; and even optional? I realized that by taking away the forced implication of feeling like I "HAFTA" complete certain tasks and changing the mindset to a joyful desire of accomplishment that is totally optional, the overwhelm I felt went away. Once my second cup of coffee set in I realized I like the tumbling hum of the dryer as it calms me to a place of feeling nestled and at home I love to write-that is why I am either writing or thinking about writing all the time. Sharing my message with people is my mission and making notes helps me feel prepared to give all I can to the people who come to hear me speak. And after eating half of a very over ripe banana with my coffee, the vision of crackly fresh apples, baking banana bread and craving the smell of a simmering pot of vegetable soup made even the hunting and gathering outing seem desirable. When I released the HAFTA pressure from my mind and turned most of my day into optional thinking I still accomplished just as much... and enjoyed the process! Now with the smells of bread and soup swirling through my heart and home and my writing almost complete, I feel joyful, my soul has been fed and my spirit lifted to a higher space than when I woke this morning. I don't HAFTA feel overwhelmed. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie's Life Lesson: "Change your mindset from a must do list to a want to list - then feel the stress and pressure in your life lighten." ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you think about how you are feeling and the pressure you are putting on yourself.
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 © 2013-2020 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward and share this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. The writing I am sharing with you today, I wrote almost 3 years ago about moving my Mom, The Fernster, into a retirement community. My mantra became what I wished for her to be- Happy, Healthy, and Safe. I feel like the circumstances are different, but right now during the Corona Virus it is the wish I hold for all my family, friends, community and the world – and myself. During that time of transition, my mom was frightened and confused. During today’s time of uncertainty, we are all frightened and confused. Please read and share this! (My Mom passed almost 9 months ago- send her love to heaven) And stay happy, healthy and safe!  “Mom, we want you to be Happy, Healthy and Safe.” She scrunched up her face in a mixture of confusion, mistrust and fear. She didn’t like this conversation. It was an intervention we dreaded. Making a move from being independent and living on your own when you are 86 to a situation where caretakers are required is a difficult transition. Difficult for my mom. Difficult for her children. The odd mixture of confusion and fear visited me as well. Guilt joined right in. Emotionally, my heart wants my mom to be strong, beautiful and sound minded until she is 100. Logically, my mind understands the small frail woman before me needs help. Her driving has become a rotation of accidents, body shops, insurance rate hikes and relief that no one was hurt. Her falls are becoming more and more frequent as evident by the swollen green and blue bump on her forehead. Her memory sways like a breeze blowing through – at times gentle and kind with the sweet smell of freshness and at times as if a harsh wind has cleared any signs of her life from just moments before. Names are lost, appointments missed, bills are not paid. I want her to be Happy, Healthy and Safe. That has become my mantra. Happy, Healthy and Safe. Happy, Healthy and Safe. In the weeks after that initial intervention conversation, we visited a variety of retirement facilities and signed a contract with one. The process of separating her life into boxes of KEEP, DONATE and THROW AWAY was both physically and emotionally painful. There were clothes three sizes too big for her shrunken frame. Dishes and a tea pot collection from my grandmothers. Photos of my parents laughing when they were young, carefree and dating. My dad’s military records that have been tucked away since 2005 when he passed. I wore gloves to keep my hands from being cut and bruised by the papers, boxes and cleaning supplies. But, there was nothing to protect my heart as I relived the memories of my mom as we invaded her life. The house was empty as I walked out the door and down the sidewalk past the "For Sale" sign. Happy, Healthy and Safe. I know her new environment is just that. I know it is the right thing to do. I know it is necessary. I also know there is no going back into that home and the space where my mom was the mom I remember. Happy Healthy and Safe. Happy Healthy and Safe. Isn’t that what we all want? Isn’t that what we all need? I wish this for my friends, my community and the world. I wish this for my family. I wish this for myself. And I wish this for my Mom. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: “We all want and need to be Happy, Healthy and Safe.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ YOUR TURN...
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you think about our world situation is trying to teach us about being happy,healthy and safe! 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 © 2013-2020 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward and share this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. |
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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. |