Have you heard the term “Bucket List” to the point of pressure? Does it make you feel like you must work hard to always have a list of things you want to do? Are you tired of trying to keep that bucket full of ideas, hopes, and dreams? If you don’t have a running list of things to check off and post photos of on social media, you may feel like you aren’t living your life correctly.

​I​s it time to turn your bucket upside down and stop the pressure?

What if you began filling a basket full of your blessings? Fill a basket with all the blessings you already have and all the experiences you have already enjoyed.

Begin a list. Write down things as they come to mind- this could take a while. It should be a perpetual life list that is never completed, because memories will continue to come to you. Add things from your childhood, teen years, and current age. Let it flow and brainstorm everything you can think of. Did I mention this could take a while – days, or weeks, and hopefully you will continue adding to it throughout your life.

My list would begin, of course, with birthing babies, the joy of loving the people I love, and the happiness of having grandchildren. I would add the places I have traveled to and lived in, the people I have met, and the friendships I have enjoyed.

I would include the different jobs and career areas I have worked in. I have been everything from a babysitter to a cake decorator, librarian, banker, speaker, author, and columnist.

Don’t forget to add the fun you have had and any unusual experiences. I will never forget the experiences of walking on fire and swimming with dolphins in the ocean.

After thinking about this for several days, my list is getting longer and longer. I am sure yours will too. The more I add to it, I wonder why we would put so much emphasis on a bucket full of things we haven’t done yet, and feeling guilty for not making them happen, when we can fill a lovely basket of beautiful memories.

We are all occasionally sad or disappointed that we haven’t accomplished something. When you begin to feel sorry for yourself, ask yourself what is good about your life and the situation you are in right now. Add it to your list. Fill your basket with all the memories of experiences and accomplishments you have completed. It is hard to feel down when your list of blessings keeps adding up!

When you carry this basket of blessings with you, your life will look and feel very different. If you work diligently on the list, your basket will be overflowing with love and lovely memories. You will think of small, simple things you haven’t thought of in years, and the big, glorious memories that are probably photographs on your walls. You will live in a place of gratitude. It is gratitude not pressure that fills our heart and nourishes our lives.

When you live to be 100​ (I hope you do), you will not regret dumping the pressure-filled bucket list. You will be too busy feeling lucky that you experienced all the joy, happiness, and love in the memory basket of blessings that tells the story of your life.
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                                                     Pennie’s Life Lesson:
              “It is hard to feel down when your list of blessings keeps adding up!”  
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​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 © 2013-2025 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

As I type this, I am sitting in my home office with the door closed, the lights dimmed, relaxation music playing, and the shutters tightly closed to keep out any glimpse of the rain and hail outside. This is the routine every time it storms.

My 9-year-old shih tzu, Gracie, is petrified of storms. I am certain she feels the vibration of thunder and rain long before the sky darkens above our home. She shakes. She pants. She tries to hide. Every time this begins, I take my two dogs into the safety zone. My secluded office.

Her stress is due to a thunderclap that happened years ago. We were on the deck when the sky became filled with storm clouds. I was carrying Gracie through the door to go inside just as the loudest thunderclap I have ever heard shook our world.

That was all it took. Since that moment, Gracie has struggled with PTSD. Rain, hail, wind, fireworks, or any sudden noise causes her great distress. Even a gray, cloudy day worries her.

I understand. I was in a severe car crash years ago. I continue to struggle with traffic, the smell of hot asphalt, and seeing fire trucks and ambulances.

Our brains are interesting. One moment in time can change how our minds process. Gracie had sat with me on the deck many times, watching it rain, and was never bothered by the thunder. That one crazy moment changed everything. Now, every warning signal in her brain alerts her to be afraid when the clouds roll in.

I was never bothered by driving in or being a passenger in traffic before my accident. That one mistake by the driver who hit me changed everything. Now, traffic sets off my warning signals of fear and anxiety.

What moment in time changed you, and how your mind processes?

It could have been a joyful moment. The second you become a parent, your world changes. The way you look at life changes. You become more protective and careful. Your priorities change. You create systems to create a life that encompasses your child.

For Gracie, it is the same. She has created a system for ​​storms. She begins pacing and panting. She shakes. She has a variety of coats that act like her thunder coat. A cloak of protection that holds her tight and comforts her. The seclusion of my office is her safe spot.

Over the years, we have tried medication that didn’t help. Talking calmly to her, telling her it’s okay, putting her coat on quickly, and joining her in my office helps, but her mind will always negatively process storms.  

Our brains have wrinkles and folds that create a complex path of cognitive functions like learning, reasoning, and yes, memory. The thunder for Gracie and the accident for me have lodged in one of our wrinkles. I doubt either of us will forget the memory. The best we can do is stick to our systems of coping and also try to fill every wrinkle and fold of our brains with more happy memories than frightening ones.  

Our minds can grasp onto fear and painful memories, but there is also room for comfort, healing, and joy. We can recognize the scars, honor the triggers, and gently create safe spaces and systems for the negative, harmful moments. One bad or good moment can change everything. Make an effort to fill your life with as many peaceful, loving, happy moments as possible.
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                                                    Pennie’s Life Lesson:
          One moment can change everything - how we think, feel, and respond.
      Try to find more positive moments of change than negative moments of fear.
                                                     ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

​​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 © 2013-2025 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 had chicken pox in 4th grade. When I showed my mom my itchy red bumps, she told me it was just a rash and to get ready for school.

As the day progressed, so did my itching. My teacher noticed my scratching and asked me what was wrong. One look at the red spots and she sent me to the nurse’s office, who immediately called my mom to come and pick me up. 

Yes, I had successfully exposed my class and the entire school to chicken pox. 
I remember the next few days, my mom went to work, and Dad stayed home with me. He tinkered in his shop, coming in occasionally to check on me as I lay on the couch, vacillating between sleeping, scratching, and drinking juice. He wanted to make sure I was ok.

Being a military man, my dad set the tone for a structured home life. As a child, there wasn't much sleeping in on weekends or hours spent in front of the TV watching cartoons. Our family got out of bed and started our chores. 

When it was time for fun, we had fun. We loved weekends at the lake. My dad built a wooden box that he perched on top of our Pontiac station wagon. It was filled with a tent, sleeping bags, and cooking supplies. I thought the box looked like a Halloween coffin and driving down the road I am sure we looked like a cross between a Chevy Chase movie and the Beverly Hillbillies. But our family of five, fishing poles, a few hot dogs, mom’s potato salad, and always a dog or two equaled fun!

As time went on and I had children of my own, I never lived far from my dad. He would occasionally stop at my house to have a cup of coffee, check on my little family, plan fishing trips with my kids, and make sure I was ok.

I am a list maker. I make lists for everything. I have a list of things I need to do before I leave on vacation. A continual running list for grocery shopping. A list of gifts I have purchased for future birthdays and holidays. A list of writing idea prompts.​ I even have a list of when my dogs need shots and veterinary visits. I could go on, but I bet you see the picture.

I also have a mental list that is always talking to me​. ​It is a list of things I want to do. You may call it a bucket list. I’m not excited about labeling it, but my mind never lets me forget it. Some items are things I need to get done that bug me, like cleaning out the junk drawer or pulling weeds along my driveway. But mostly they are life things I want to do. When I accomplish them, they stick in my mind as important memories.

I always wanted to see the fall colors of New England. It is something my mom wanted to do, but never crossed off her list. That may be why I wanted to go so badly. A few years ago, when I finally had that experience, it became a vivid memory in my mind. Today, I can describe every hue and flavorful color of each leaf and tree I saw.

Up until then, when I was asked if I had ever been to New England in the fall, I would say,
“Not yet, but it’s on my list.”

My husband and I talked about visiting Italy for years. When we took that trip, it again embedded a deep memory. I can tell you about the sway of the gondola as we floated in a small canal in Venice and watched families eating dinner in their homes as we passed by.

Before that trip, when someone asked if we had ever taken that trip to Italy, I would respond, 
“Not yet, but it’s on my list.”

Maybe that should be the name of my list​ - Not yet, but…
I could share with you what the current items are on my Not yet, but… list, but I would much rather spur you to ponder what is on yours. I imagine it wouldn’t take much thought for you to come up with a half dozen or more items that you have on that list.

Once you think of them, it is time to get busy. Prioritize the ones that are the most important. Don’t think about the cost, logistics, or all the excuses why you can’t make them a reality. Instead, concentrate on why they are meaningful to you. Why have you carried them around yearning for the experience?

Once you have prioritized them by importance and meaning, then ask yourself why you haven’t made it happen. Take the first one on the list and begin planning what you need to do to make it a reality. What is the first step you need to take? And the second step, and so on.

You control the outcome of all the items filed under - Not yet, but it’s on my list. Begin doing them and creating vivid, colorful memories of having the experience.

This might be the most important list you have. The one that can’t wait. It is time to get busy making​ the things you want to do in life happen. There is no better time than now to cross them off the list.
                              ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                                               Pennie’s Life Lesson:
                              Stop saying, Not yet, but it​'s on my list. 
                                       Start crossing things off the list.
                               ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

​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 © 2013-2025 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 
**Love Your Life**  **Finding Joy**  **Gratitude**  **Mindset Shift**
**Positive Energy** **Mindfulness**  **Self-Care** **Resilience**
**Stop Comparing Yourself**  **Life Challenges**  **Happiness** 
**Authentic Life**   **Create a Life You Love**

Recently, I bought a new suitcase. It is red, shiny, and ready to go on my next adventure. I said goodbye to my old one as it was carried away in the garbage pick-up a few weeks ago.

It was worn, beat​-up, dirty, and tired. Tired of being thrown around. Tired of​ being dragged behind me every place I went. Tired of holding all my old baggage.

We all have baggage. We carry it in backpacks, weighing down our shoulders. We hold baggage in our hearts and minds. And we drag it behind us wherever we go.
As years pass, we add to it. We stuff bitterness, anger, disappointment, heartbreak, fear, and grudges into our suitcases. We shove, squeeze, and sit on it to zip it closed. Only to open it when there is more to add. Then the stuffing begins again.

The baggage gets fuller and heavier until something breaks. The zipper explodes to expose all the past pain we carry.

Does this sound familiar?

​Is it time for a new suitcase? We all have bad things happen to us. Some are tiny pebbles that bruise our feet as we walk. Some are rocks that we need to bend over and move. Some are boulders that require us to get out the climbing gear, buckle up, and work to get up, over, and past them.

None of it comes with directions, and certainly none of it comes with the requirement of loading the pebbles, rocks, and boulders into a suitcase to drag for the rest of our lives. And yet, that is what we do.

What if you dumped it all out onto the floor right now? Let the boulders roll and the rocks and pebbles kick up dust as they all fall before you. Now, wipe the dirt out of your eyes and look deeply. Think about how long ago some of these things happened to you. I suspect most of it happened years ago. Some may feel like they occurred a lifetime ago.

​Study your pile of stones. Has it been worth the effort to carry them? Is the bitterness, anger, and fear worth the years you have given them? Are the grudges and heartbreaks still valid?   

When you carry weight like this for years on your back or drag it behind you, one of two things happens. You become hunched over in fear, hiding from living a full life. Or you are pulled backwards from the weight of dragging all that baggage. Either way, you are stuck in yesterday and cannot move forward to enjoy today or even think about tomorrow.

Is it time to walk away from the load you are carrying? Put your worn, beat-up, dirty, tired baggage on the curb for the next garbage pick-up.​ Buy yourself a shiny new empty suitcase with fancy wheels to roll alongside you easily and not weigh you down. Get ready for your next adventure. Fill it up with all new wonderful memories and experiences. Stand up straight and take that new suitcase forward to a new life.
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                                                    Pennie’s Life Lesson:
                            Don’t let the baggage of yesterday take away today. 
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