Do you dream of traveling through Europe? Do you want to buy a boat, get a degree, or write a book? Do you have a list of ‘want to’s” or a bucket full of “some day’s?” Do you have an official Bucket List of things you want to do?  Do you think you have all the time in the world to get them done?
 
Do you play the game, What if it was your last day to live, how would you spend it? Would you skydive, climb a mountain, or bungee jump?
 
I have never had a Bucket List. I didn’t think I needed to write my life dreams down. I thought it was kind of silly to carry my wild ideas in a bucket only to worry about them spilling over the top or dribbling out through a tiny hole in the bottom. They were safer neatly stashed in a wrinkle of my brain and not shared with anyone.
 
Until last week. 
I was on an airport shuttle and heard the driver telling a passenger that he wanted to go to Hawaii before he dies. He described pictures he had seen of the tropical beaches in such detail that I could feel the breeze on my cheek and my feet in the sand. The passenger asked the monumental question… “Why don’t you go now?”
 
The driver explained that he didn’t know if he could take off work and didn’t have anyone to go with. He went on to say how he was single and didn’t want to go alone. He said he had a sister that would join him, but he didn’t want to go with a family member. After he finished his list of excuses, the fifty-ish-looking driver ended with, “…but I’ll go before I die.” I was convinced that if the trip to the airport was much longer the passenger would have agreed to join him in paradise. 
 
Everyone has a reason for not exploring their dreams or experiencing the adventures they want to have. Everyone has excuses. Everyone believes they have time. 
 
You may think you are too young or too old to do it. You may be waiting for a partner or someone to join you on the adventure. You may just need someone to say it’s ok and to give you permission. You may be afraid. Fear can be stronger than hope. Are you afraid to do something and need someone to give you a loving push? Do you live waiting and hoping for the stars to align and for everything to be perfect in your world… and then you will do it?
 
I also don’t play the last-day-to-live game. My logical brain thinks it is an exercise of frustration. How could we possibly fit everything we want to do before we die into one day?
 
But now I realize that is the point of the game. Do not wait to do all you want to do until you are rushed to get it all done. We never know when that day will come or how many days we have in this life. Start going, doing, and experiencing now!
 
Do not wait to begin filling and emptying that bucket. And please do not leave a bucket full of regrets, hopes, wishes, and dreams behind when you die.
Plan now to leave an empty bucket. An empty bucket to remind your friends and loved ones to follow your example of experiencing life to the fullest. Leave only memories of the adventures and dreams you experienced. 
 
After hearing the conversation in the shuttle that day, I couldn’t shake the feeling of how behind I am. I realize that I have done many of the common Bucket List items. I did go back to school and received a degree. I have written a book- 3 to be exact. I have been to Hawaii many times. But, I have so many things I still want to do.
 
I also realize that with age my bucket items have changed. For example, my desire to skydive disappeared after I was in a major car accident. The risk of bodily harm is no longer appealing to me. 
 
I did come up with several experiences for my before-I-die list. This week I started writing down my official Bucket List. I didn’t think in terms of wanting to do them, but in terms of, I WILL do them. 
 
As I wrote, I also began planning how to make it happen. I took all excuses off the table. Instead of thinking “I couldn’t do it because,” I changed my self-talk to, “I will and this is how.”
 
The most important concept I have in mind is this — If not now, when? 
 
Our Bucket List is something only we can control. It is personal and unique to our desires and dreams. Only we can control what we want to do in this life and when and how we are going to do it. Only we can decide if we will leave a bucket full of regrets or a bucket full of memories. I know which one I plan to leave. 
​
                               ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                               Pennie’s Life Lesson: If not now, when?
                                ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

#CornerofSpiritandBrave #loveyourlifenomatterwhat #journeythrough #PennieHunt
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 play this little game. When I am going on a walk, shopping, or sitting in a coffee shop, I listen to snippets of conversations. It goes something like this…

I am walking in a fairly busy area. A couple walk past me and I hear the man raging about a contractor they used. His anger comes out with, “When is he going to be done? This project was supposed to be done months ago! I have had it!”

A few more steps and a teenager passes me as she rages into her phone, “I swear I can’t stand my parents, they won’t let me do anything!”

Around the next corner a crying woman is walking with her mom, “But Mom, I loved him so much, how could he be so cruel and just leave like that?”

As I reached my car two men are standing close by in a heated argument about politics. “Are you kidding me? You are going to vote for that idiot? He is going to bury our country!”

It used to be when I played this game, I would hear fun snippets about love and life. I would string them together in a funny little scenario that ran through my mind creating a happy and hilarious story.

It seems like now everyone is angry. Everyone is raging about EVERYTHING! I see angry faces and hear raging arguments. I used to think road rage was out of control, but now I believe we are all surrounded by a fireball of Life Rage. People rage about politics, inflation, the cost of living, war and whose fault the battle is, jobs, families and the crazy weather.

People rage over simple things. The server is too slow, the food isn’t hot enough, the piece of pie is too small and the checkout line is too long.

And people don’t agree on anything. Everyone has their version of a situation or problem and their version of how it should be handled or solved. Rage is met with opposing rage and so the fireball grows and becomes hotter. Some of us try to jump away from the heat, but rage touches all of us. Even children feel it and mimic it with their friends. Do you see the children watching and learning the pattern of rage?

Becoming angry is okay when it is expressed outwardly in a thoughtful, meaningful way. A way that leads to mutual discussion and mediation. A way that sets boundaries and uses controlled emotions. When anger feeds anger and spreads to rage it is not okay. When the fireball rolls like a snowball picking up speed and growing in size it is not okay.

In the midst of the collective, red-faced, angry rage all the good in life goes unnoticed. Rage causes blindness. Blindness to the goodness of people. Blindness to the idea of working together to solve problems instead of battling against each other and creating more. Anger, rage, and fear block the possibility of respect, love, and kindness.  What has switched in our world that any of us thinks this is okay?

I have faith in mankind. I believe we are made to love. I believe we are meant to be kind. I believe we have the tools to be caring and thoughtful. But I admit, my fun little game that used to be happy to play isn’t fun anymore. This contagious outbreak of Life Rage needs to stop.

You and I can only control one person at a time --the person in our mirror. Think of what you are raging about - and stop. Practice being peaceful and feel the power in your peace. Pass that peace and power to others.
 
Go back to gratitude. Being grateful for one small thing at a time starts the snowball rolling in the right direction. I heard a quote from Michael J. Fox this week that said, “With gratitude optimism is sustainable.” I believe this is true. I believe we need to be optimistic. I believe gratitude and optimism are contagious.

Begin now before rage takes over your life. I look forward to my little game being fun again. And now, what are YOU grateful for?
​                                ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                                                   Pennie’s Life Lesson:
                                Control your rage before it controls you. 
​                                          ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

#CornerofSpiritandBrave #loveyourlifenomatterwhat #journeythrough #PennieHunt
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. ​

 Most of our moms had one. As a little girl, I remember how the smell of cedar filled the room when we opened it. It felt like a secret treasure box filled with photos, linens, and memories.

Although Hope Chests can be traced back to the 15th century in Europe, the tradition of a Hope Chest became popular in America in the 20th century. Hardworking parents would give them to their daughters as birthday and graduation gifts. Young women filled them with linens, cookbooks, dishes, and special items wrapped in the hopes and dreams of their future marriage.

I can only imagine the items my Mom filled her Hope Chest with. The pillowcases she embroidered. The crocheted doilies that would cover the tables in the home she would share with her future husband. The secret treasures wrapped in hopes and dreams.

Years ago, my Mom gave me the chest. For a long time it sat in the corner of a room with little fanfare or attention. The one broken leg was replaced with a block of wood so it would sit level. It was something I didn’t think much about. It was just a place to store blankets.

It was when my Mom was in her last years that I saw the chest patiently waiting for me. Waiting for me to notice her under the pile of blankets that had overflowed from the inside to completely cover the top of her. Maybe it was the impending loss of my Mom that made me think of her. Maybe it was hope that drew me to her. Maybe it was the power of memories that pulled me to recognize her as the special piece of history she was.

I threw the blankets off her and raised the lid. The smell of cedar circled me with memories. I could see the chest once again in my Mom’s bedroom positioned in a place of honor. She was like a princess that held treasures of her kingdom and my Mom had treated her with the deserved respect of royalty.

 I remembered as a child opening it and seeing my Mom’s wedding book and her wedding dress folded neatly and wrapped in plastic. My fingers would stretch a hole in the plastic to feel the lace and imagine my Mom wearing it as she walked down the aisle to meet my dad.  

I realized I had not treated her with the same reverence as my Mom had. She was deserving of much more than to be a blanket holder. I arranged to have her professionally refinished. When she was delivered back to my home, her glow of royalty was back.

Now she sits proudly at the foot of my guest room bed as if the princess is back in a fitting place of honor. Her broken leg is repaired and back to its original strength and position of holding her upright and level. The hinges and ornamental hardware are polished and looks as if her shining crown is once again proudly displayed. She is now filled with photos, antique linens, and memories. Memories of my Mom, me, our life together, and my life as a Mom.

Someday this special chest will belong to my daughter. My hope is that she will see the importance of the Hope Chest and the power it holds. The power to not only hold memories, but to bring them to life in the deepest part of your heart. The power to hold and cherish your hopes and dreams in order to pass them into the hands of the future. My hope is she will place her in a space of honor and respect, fitting the princess she is.
​                                        ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                                               Pennie’s Life Lesson:
                        Remember the memories, hopes, and dreams that
                                           your Mom passes on to you.
                       Cherish them and treat them with the respect they deserve.
                               ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

#CornerofSpiritandBrave #loveyourlifenomatterwhat #journeythrough #PennieHunt
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. 

If you know me, really know me, you know my dogs’ names, their story, our story, and what they mean to my heart. 

After my Dad passed away I was asked to accept an award that was being presented in his honor from the school where he taught. During the presentation, the speaker outlined programs my Dad had started and the accomplishments he made. I learned how he left his heart prints in the life of the school and in the lives of the students he taught. I didn’t know any of this before he passed.

After my son, J.T., passed two years later, I heard stories of how he touched people. I heard from many people that he taught them how to play guitar. I heard from a minister that J.T. had contacted him and convinced his church to give financial support to a young family in need. I learned how he had befriended an internationally recognized artist and over coffee, they would talk about the Universe. I didn’t know any of this before he passed.

How many times in life do we believe we know someone, yet we haven’t taken the time to know what makes their heart sing?  We hurry through our days, our lives, and our relationships without knowing who and what they love or what is important to them. We don’t know what impact they are having by investing a piece of themselves in the hearts of another.

I regret not knowing these remarkable details about my Son and my Dad when they were alive.  How I wish I could go back and share with my Dad my pride in his accomplishments when they happened. How I wish I could have shared in the conversations with my Son and the artist as they talked about the Universe.

How I wish my heart had sung with theirs during those magic moments of their lives. 

It isn’t that hard, really. We need to slow the pace of our lives. We need to take the screens away from our faces. Screens that include televisions, computers, phones, and the emotional privacy screen we put up to keep us from getting too close or revealing too much. We need to sit knee to knee, eye to eye, and connect. We need to care enough to listen and learn each other’s heart songs, likes and loves -the simple ones and the grand ones. We need to share their magic moments. We need to really know them.

As for me, a dog came into my life when I was desperately lonely and alone. She saved my spirit. She was with me through a divorce and the loss of my Dad and my Son. Her name was Yogee.

After 16 years she left me, but I wasn’t alone for long. I am convinced that Yogee maneuvered a way to bring a piece of herself back to me. The path to my sweet Gracie is a story of magic and love. After a year of loving Gracie, her little sister Zenee joined our family. Yes, our home is filled with Grace and Zen. Yogee, Gracie, and Zenee make my heart sing.

If you know me, really know me, you know my dogs’ names, their story, our story, and what they mean to my heart.   
                                 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                                                  Pennie’s Life Lesson:
                                     Care enough to really know someone –
                                         know what makes their heart sing.
                            ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

#CornerofSpiritandBrave #loveyourlifenomatterwhat #journeythrough #PennieHunt
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. ​