I love shiny things. Stars in the sky. ​When the sun hits the ocean creating hundreds of reflections of sun glitter. Sparkly lights over a city at night. Sequins. And diamonds.  

Especially diamonds. I have a few. My engagement and wedding ring. I also treasure the band of gold with 3 small diamonds – my Dad’s wedding band that I wear on my thumb. My Mom’s wedding set. I have other jewelry that holds diamonds and memories. I treasure them all.

I have an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner that I occasionally clean these items in. It uses a high frequency to zap all the dirt away from the diamonds, leaving them bright and sparkly. It amazes me how they can go from dull to blinding brightness when I give them the attention they deserve and polish them with love.

How many diamonds do you have? Diamonds don’t have to be set in gold and placed on your fingers or around your neck. Think about the diamonds you have in your life that don’t look like much, but if you give them the attention they deserve and polish them a little, they turn into a treasure.

Do you have an old car that you imagine refurbishing into custom condition? Maybe you are ready to remodel a room in your home, taking it from an outdated style to a new, sleek, modern design. Maybe you have already refinished your great-grandmother’s rocking chair, and now it sits happily as the center of attention in your living room. They all just need attention and a little polish of love. They are all diamonds… just waiting.

Now think deeper. Think of the people in your life. Your family and friends. Who have you been neglecting? Or if not neglecting, you haven’t been noticing their value. Is it time to call a friend and plan a lunch so you can share stories, catch up on each other’s news, and rehash memories? These are all forms of polishing. It brings out their shine and allows them to be a diamond in your life.

When was the last time you spent time with your parents, if you are lucky enough to still have them with you? Is it time to give them a little polish of love? It doesn’t require much attention to pull out the luster of a relationship. The luster of another diamond in your life.

And children. Oh, children, react the quickest and become blinding diamonds. Spending time with them is the strongest polish of love you can give them. They will be the brightest diamonds of all.

Do you see how many diamonds you have in your life? More than you can count. They are everywhere. Your friends, your parents, your siblings, your spouse or partner, your children, and your grandchildren are all the diamonds of your life.

Your life can be rich with these precious stones if you give them the attention they deserve and polish them with love.
                                   ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                                                        Pennie’s Life Lesson:
                                     Polish the diamonds of your life with love.
                                                 They deserve your attention. 
                                     ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

​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

I am known as the Happiness Lady. The optimist. The upbeat, happy person who brings everyone else out of their funk, their sadness, and their difficult times.

I am usually happy when I wake up and look forward to my days. But lately I have been down. I have had a relapse into sadness and am feeling a bit lost. It happens to me once in a while, and my husband reminds me that this feeling “is not very Pennie-Hunt-dot-com-like.”

I don’t enjoy the feeling. It doesn’t feel like me. It doesn’t feel natural.
Recently, I was having breakfast with my son, and he asked the simple question, how are you doing? Well, the flood gate of my mouth opened, and I laid out about a half dozen things that were not right in my world.

He sat back in his chair and said,
“Wow, I wasn’t expecting that! Aren’t you the one who teaches everyone to be happy and positive?”

Yes, yes, I am. His reaction gave me a very quick and firm reset to my mood. We went on to have a very pleasant day together.

I thought about that short part of our conversation for days. I realized that nothing on my list of concerns that came out of my mouth that day was under my control. I couldn’t change any of it. It was really a laundry list of life. Things that happen all the time. None of it was happening “to” me. It was all happening around me. Close enough for me to feel emotional about it.

After I thought about it, I had to have a conversation with my heart… a heart-versation as I call them.

I had to listen to what is heavy on my mind, analyze it, … and feel it. Then I needed to listen to what my heart was saying about it. I realized the situations that were weighing on me were affecting me, my emotions, and my attitude. They were making my heart hurt.

Then I began reading some of my own writings and thinking about my own life lessons. I realized that even the happiness lady has times in life that rub on her heart. Even I can have a relapse into a gray area.
I had to concentrate on some of my core beliefs…

• Don’t try to control situations that are not yours to control.
• Worrying is a negative meditation and fuels more negativity.
• Happiness is a choice.
• Situations don’t happen to us; they happen to teach us and help us grow.

 
Sometimes life is hard to understand. We need to think about bad stuff in a good way. There is always something good hidden in the bad. There is always a lesson to learn.

I realized some of the situations I was stewing about were not mine to change. Not mine to worry about. And not my lesson to learn. Are they painful to feel? Yes. Are they hard to watch? Yes. But it is my choice in how I perceive them, how I react to them, and how I carry them in my life.

What is heavy on your heart? We are all human, and all have times when we relapse into gray sadness. If you are experiencing this, know that you are not alone.
 Maybe it is time to look at the bad stuff in a good way.
                         ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                                             Pennie’s Life Lesson:
                                Life is a continual series of situations.
                                 How we perceive them is our choice.
​                        ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

​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

Every morning, I sit in my office recliner, cover up with a blanket, and drink my coffee. My dogs sit on my lap.
​Zenee stretches out across the footrest, making herself look twice as long as she is, and immediately goes to sleep. Gracie jumps over Zenee to be higher on my lap, sits up straight, and waits for her complimentary morning massage.

She extends her neck so that I can rub under her mouth down to her chest, all the while looking right into my eyes. She moves and shifts positions,​ making sure her entire body is massaged, but she never drops eye contact. At times, I reach for my coffee or my phone, and then I notice she is staring at my eyes. It is very clear… it is her time. It is one-on-one time. It means something to her to have that intimate connection. She wants, no, she expects me to look at her.  

We have all had this experience. If you think you haven’t, it is only because you didn’t notice. Today, our world works through electronics. We are constantly looking at a computer, a television, or a phone. We have been trained to do this.

We believe we need to see a text or email the second it arrives, and we think we need to respond with lightning speed. We need to see the breaking news the moment it is posted. We need to know what is trending and what is on sale so that we can tap the buy button and have it delivered the next day. We need to research every question we have as soon as the thought crosses our minds.

Everything is immediate, urgent, and in front of our faces at all times.

But there is someone wanting your attention. Someone wants eye contact. Someone is waiting behind the screen and wants to see your eyes. It could be your partner, your spouse, your child, a friend, or your dog. But someone wants the intimate connection. Someone wants their time with you.

We have seen this happen to other people. In a restaurant, a couple eats dinner with one hand while they are holding their phone and scrolling with the other. We notice this scenario, but do we notice when we are the ones doing it?

You can’t be with your phone and your life at the same time. People who love you want to be with YOU, not the backside of your phone. They want to see your eyes. They want one-on-one time. It means something to them to have that intimate connection with you.

Yes, technology seems to control our lives. We need to pay attention, be aware, and responsive to work, news, and communications. But not everything in life is of equal value. Prioritize your life choices and what matters at this moment.

When you are out to dinner with your spouse, put the screen away and give them the time they deserve. When you are with your kids, be with your kids and teach them to put down their electronics. If your dog is staring at you with those big, loving brown eyes, pay attention to what the message is.

We will not be successful at this all the time. We will not be connected all the time, but all the small moments, the intentional moments, of eye-to-eye connection add up.

And now, I am going back to my chair, my blanket, and my coffee. I have two sweet Shih Tzus waiting for me and an important massage to give.
                             ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                                                Pennie’s Life Lesson: 
                            Prioritize your life choices and what matters-
               you can’t be with your phone and your life at the same time.
                                                  Make eye contact.
​                                         ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

​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

I remember how proud I was to give my mom her Mother’s Day gift. My elementary school artwork of painted handprints that formed flowers was all it took to make her ooh and aah about what a beautiful gift I had given her.

​As I grew, gifts became coffee and breakfast delivered to her bed, family meals out, and real flowers.

When I became a mom, I received the elementary school artwork and proudly displayed it on the refrigerator for all to see. The Mother’s Day dance of balancing time between pampering and loving my mom and enjoying the time being pampered and loved by my children lasted for years.

There was the year my mom took my young son shopping to buy me a Mother’s Day gift. Her idea was to purchase a couple of 99-cent six packs of marigolds from the local greenhouse. His idea was to buy me a beautiful dress. When I opened the gift, I could tell by the look on my mom’s face that the dress was much more expensive than her plan for a few flowers, but the pride on my son’s face had convinced her to buy the dress…and the flowers. 

As my children grew, the days of sticky little painted fingers and sweet toddler kisses went by too fast. My Mother’s Day gifts became coffee and breakfast delivered to my bed, family meals out, and bouquets of flowers. I blinked, and it was college, first apartments, weddings, and flying through life on their own.

Each phase of the celebration of mothering is sweet, but one of the most meaningful times has been watching my daughter become a mother. Watching her journey through pregnancy and joining the club of motherhood stirs feelings of pride and joy. She has nurtured her children in a loving, caring way, with more grace and patience than I believe I had as a mother.

With all the joy and love that Mother’s Day brings, it is important to understand that this can be a painful day of grief and loss for many. My mom passed away several years ago, and although I think of her and celebrate her, Mother’s Day is also a reminder that she is no longer with me.

I love cards, flowers, and celebrations with my children and grandchildren, but Mother’s Day is also a reminder of the baby boy I lost and my grown son who has passed. The names Jake and Jameson are always in my mind, and thoughts of them hide behind my smile.

Never forget the ones who struggle through this day because of loss, grief, infertility, or being away from their family. Be sensitive to those who hold sadness on this day.
My heart swells with the love that surrounds Mother’s Day. The joy of loving my mom, experiencing birthing and loving my own children, and watching the next generation carry on the magic of motherhood is an amazing part of life.
​
No matter what phase of Mother’s Day you are in, whether you spend the day with your own mom, your children, a friend, family, mentor, or have a quiet day alone… remember we are all here because somewhere there was a mom that brought us to this world.
                                                        ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                                                         Pennie’s Life Lesson:
                                     Blessings and love to moms everywhere! 
                                                       ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I try not to worry. I really do. I believe that worrying is a negative meditation. When we meditate, we either try to clear our minds or concentrate on something that creates a calm space.
Worrying is the opposite. By thinking of a worrisome situation, we create a space that multiplies the worry. Most of the time, we are worrying about something we have no control over. Or we worry about things that are not that big of a deal, but by repeating the scenario in our mind, we are essentially training our brain to dwell in chaos.  

So, I try not to worry.

Today, as I thought about how people worry, the 80/20 rule came to mind. In simple terms, the 80/20 rule is the concept that approximately 80% of outcomes come from about 20% of your effort. You can adapt this rule to many things in life, so let’s talk about it in terms of worrying.

Our list of worries, the ones we repeat to ourselves over and over and allow them to grow into giant worries, probably sprout from 20% of our lives. That means 80% of our lives are moving along in a good way. Maybe even in a splendid way.

Make a list of what you are worried about right now. Everyone has a different list. We worry about our children and families, our jobs, our bills, our pets, our health… this could go on in many ways and directions. And it could change moment by moment and day by day.

Now, let’s look at what is going well in your life. How many family members and friends do you have who are happy? Do you have a home to live in? Do you have a job? Is your health good? Does your dog run to see you when you walk in the door? Do you have shoes to wear and food to eat? Can you see, hear, touch, taste, and experience life? This list could go on in many ways and directions too. But I feel like this will be a longer list.

Now take an honest look at your life. I suspect that by stepping back and taking a reality check of the big picture, you have a lot to be thankful for and a lot that is splendid in your life. The worries come from a small percentage of your life. You may have one family member struggling, but the rest of your friends and family are doing well. You may be unhappy with one part of your job or one coworker, but the rest of your job is fine. When you analyze your life, those worries come from a small percentage- let’s say 20%- of your life. The other 80% is pretty great.

And when you look at the worries that you have absolutely no control over, they are probably causing you the most anxiety. If you could control them, you would be taking the steps to change the situation. Taking action lightens the worry. So, if you can’t control it, release it.

You might be thinking, " Oh, that is easy for her to say, her life is perfect.​" But let me set that thought straight. We are all human, and every one of us has that 20% in our life that can consume us in worry. Even me. Perspective is all about what you focus on, and what you focus on is your choice.

So here is the question… are you going to allow 20% of your life to cause you anxiety? Or are you going to concentrate on the 80% of your life that creates happiness, peace, and joy?
It is up to you, but the answer seems simple to me.
                                 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
                                                     Pennie’s Life Lesson:
                                 Perspective is a choice of what you focus on. 
                                     ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

​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