The Corner of Spirit & Brave

SOMETIMES I FAIL

7/28/2017

SOMETIMES I FAIL

The traffic was crazy.
I was late.
People were waiting for me.
My stress was building as I pulled into the parking lot only to circle six times before finding an empty space. Running into the restaurant I blurted out a rather uncharacteristic rant of a not-so-nice kind.
I saw the shock and surprise on the faces of my friends.

Later I couldn’t get the image of my rant and the reaction it spurred out of my mind.
I thought of the ways I want to live my life.
Sometimes I fail.
I fail at being the person I want to be.

I want to be PATIENT and KIND with others, with life situations and with myself.
            Sometimes I fail.

I want to be LOVING by sharing love and positive energy with everyone I meet and in every space I stand.
            Sometimes I fail.

I want to be OPEN to all views and opinions, because I believe everyone has a path to walk and it is not my place to judge, criticize or blame.
            Sometimes I fail.

I want to be AWAKE and AWARE of the small and grand messages of Grace that I receive.
            Sometimes I fail.

I want to be someone who WALKS HER TALK and models the lessons I have learned and the concepts that I teach.
            Sometimes I fail.

I want to be CONFIDENT in knowing that I am who I am --and that I am Good Enough!
            Sometimes I fail.

I want to be SILENT and LISTEN to my heart sing the messages of my soul that guide my life in a peaceful way.
            Sometimes I fail.

I want to be CAREFUL with my voice.  Words Matter and carry with them power when they are sent out into the world - I want to choose them with care as I know that once said or written I cannot take them back.
            Sometimes I fail.

I want to be GRATEFUL at all times for the people, things and experiences I am given in this life.
            Sometimes I fail.

I want to be FORGIVING of others and myself and let go of the past so that it doesn't take away my future.
            Sometimes I fail.

I can’t go back in time to that day and erase my rant or the unkind words that I blurted out to those I care about. The best I can do is realize that sometimes I will fail at being the person I want to be and to love and forgive myself-- as in every failure there is a lesson.

Pennie’s Life Lesson:
“Accept that sometimes we fail and with every failure there is a lesson.”

YOUR TURN...
My intent in sharing this with you is to confess that I am not perfect...none of us are. Although we may not intentionally mean to hurt someone or break one of our own personal guidelines...it happens. Sometimes we all fail. That doesn't make us a bad person -- it makes us human.
How have you failed and learned from it?

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 © 2013-2017 Pennie Hunt
This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt.
Feel free to forward this post.
Please keep the entire message intact, including
contact, logo, and copyright information.
If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission
please email: [email protected]

PENNIE HEART TO HEART
Why I wrote: SOMETIMES I FAIL

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LET THEM DANCE

7/21/2017

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LET THEM DANCE

She is a four year old, blonde, blue eyed student of life.

The evening sunset was long gone and dinner had settled in our bellies. Just as most of us sat down to relax, she jumped in the middle of the room to demonstrate the dance moves she was learning in ballet class. She kicked off her worn pink western boots and transformed from a chatty whirlwind of activity into a seriously composed tiny dancer.

Her voice whispered,
“Tap, point, tap, point,”
as she awkwardly rotated through her toe points and pirouettes.

After several methodical demonstrations of her talent, the group began clapping. Her irritation was obvious when she loudly stated,
“No! I am still doing it!”

The clapping hushed immediately as the understanding was clear -- she was not done yet!

How often in life do we interrupt someone else’s dance?
We are so rushed, busy and preoccupied that we don’t notice their dance or take the time to let the moment unfold.

When we see a fellow soul loving life, enjoying the moment and singing their heart song, we should hold the space of delight with them. We should let it last for them (and for ourselves) as long as it can. We should stretch it into as much absolute pleasure as possible.

She may be a four year old learning her way, but for that space in time she was a teacher of life. The lesson was clear; the meaning was firm. We need to recognize another’s dance whatever form it takes and celebrate it as much as we do our own. Allow it to last until the music of their heart stops and the dance is complete.
Don’t interrupt. Let them dance.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie’s Life Lesson:
“Every soul has a dance to dance.
Celebrate everyone’s heart dance.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

YOUR TURN...
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to applaud everyone's dance. Let them dance for as long as they want. Be in the moment of JOY with them!
Let them dance!
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 © 2013-2017 Pennie Hunt
This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt.
Feel free to forward this post.
Please keep the entire message intact, including
contact, logo, and copyright information.
If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission
please email: [email protected]

Pennie Heart to Heart -
Why I wrote LET THEM DANCE

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PERCEPTION of PERFECTION

7/14/2017

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PERCEPTION of PERFECTION

Recently it was pointed out to me that I am not 28 anymore. This message came in two ways. One from my body as I bent over during a Yoga pose and thought to myself,

“Whose knees are those?”

Later as I was questioning out loud how my knees have changed, a friend pointed out that my age number no longer begins with a "2."

When did that happen? For that matter, how did I rush through 3 and 4? My friend’s point was, why would I expect to have 28 year old knees when I wasn’t 28 anymore and that I should stop being critical and accept myself and body for the beauty it holds, even if my number now begins with a "5."

Whoa! That set off some major pondering in my head. Accept myself? Accept myself?

The first thing I had to do was contemplate what my perception of me at this age and space in my life should be. What was I willing to accept?

I will admit to being someone who over the years has had a difficult time with the perception of perfection. I have been the over achiever who wanted to be perfect.
The perfect wife.
The perfect daughter.
The perfect mom.
The perfect friend.
All my life I have held a perception of what my perfect weight should be, what I should and shouldn't eat, how much I should work out, what I should be doing for others… the list could go on and on.

Take a minute and visualize the Perception of Perfectionyou hold for yourself.

Do you have it? If you are like me it is an over exaggerated, unattainable Perception of Perfection fueled by our own self talk and the world we live in. The media tells us minute-by-minute how we should look, dress and feel. We buy into this and continually believe we are not good enough.
     (Read Good Enough -click here!)

Is this realistic?

My pondering has brought me to a place of honesty with myself.   My new mantra is this:
Pennie’s Perception of Perfection= Honesty, Health and Happiness.

I may not be the same size I was and have the stamina I had at 28, but I look and feel pretty good. I am healthy and I love my life. And guess what? My age number does start with "5" and those are my knees.

Now take out your paper and pen and write your ownPerception of Perfection that fits you.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie's Life Lesson:
“Our personal Perception of Perfection should be based in Honesty, Health and Happiness.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
YOUR TURN...
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to love the age you are, the body you have and the joy life brings during all times of your life!
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 © 2013-2017 Pennie Hunt
This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt.
Feel free to forward this post.
Please keep the entire message intact, including
contact, logo, and copyright information.
If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission
please email: [email protected]

Pennie Heart to Heart -
Why I wrote Perception of Perfection

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Write Your Story In Cursive!

7/7/2017

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Write Your Story In Cursive!

Did you know that being taught to write in cursive is no longer required in schools?

The new thinking is that the keyboarding skill is a more productive use of time and better prepares the child for the real world.

To me this is much more than whether the young generation can read the original United States Constitution or whether keyboarding speed will secure them a career.

To me this is about the ability to artfully caress thoughts as they flow from the heart to the paper curling and swirling with love and meaning.

To me it is about reading a recipe hand written by a great grandmother that holds generations of tradition in the writing.

To me it is about how words like:
love,
song,
dance
and spirit
all carry a deeper meaning when written with the design and art of rhythmic curves and loops.

Writing in cursive gives us the concept of slowing to the pace of flowing through the consonants and vowels,
taking breaths between words
and pausing between the period and the next capital letter to think about the space between the two.

--The space where we blink away tears and break for a belly laugh before we continue…
and when we do, the dancing of the cursive words carry the meaning of both.

Now, in a world that seems to be all about abbreviation and how quickly things can be accomplished or acquired, I encourage you to live the way you want to be remembered… live with flair, fun and fascination.

Don’t print. Don’t type. Write your story in cursive!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie’s Life Lesson:
“Live the way you want to be remembered – with flair, fun and fascination!
Write your story in cursive!”
    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
YOUR TURN...
My intent in sharing this with you is to help you see the difference between living in printed world or living with fun and flare....live your life in cursive!

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 © 2013-2017 Pennie Hunt
This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt.
Feel free to forward this post.
Please keep the entire message intact, including
contact, logo, and copyright information.
If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission
please email: [email protected]

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WHO IS YOUR BACKSEAT DRIVER?

7/1/2017

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WHO IS YOUR BACKSEAT DRIVER?

Are you letting stories that you repeat over and over again define who you are? Do you allow them to drive your life? If you don’t know what I mean read:
WHO IS CHAUFFEURING YOUR LIFE?

Maybe you have your stories under control but have another problem… other PEOPLE who want to (or you allow to) chauffeur your life. You know, that back seat driver that is always telling you where your life should go at every turn. As you read that did someone immediately come to mind? Did you see their face and hear their voice? If so, you know what I am talking about.

Humans need human contact to survive. People need people. We need time. We need touch. We need connection.

What we don’t need is to feel like we are powerless or controlled. We don’t need to feel like our emotions and happiness are totally dependent on pleasing someone else. We don’t need to feel like our actions are being controlled by the demands of another person.

I do have a caveat here -- I am not talking about a mutually loving relationship where there is reciprocity of respect, kindness and love. It is healthy when we give of our self and do acts of love and kindness for others and in return receive feelings of love and self-satisfaction.

I am talking about the sponges that soak up all of our good intentions and acts of kindness without returning any level of thoughtfulness. Oh, occasionally they may throw a sweet gesture your way, but for the most part, they hold an expectation that you will always be there, always support them and always give, give, give.

We believe the control is created by the other person, but the reality is – WE create the situation by giving away our control. We allow the back seat driver to steer our life and control our actions. Let me say that again- WE create the situation by giving away our control.

By doing this we give away our happiness. We cheapen our value by letting others push our buttons. We feel tied like a puppet with no way to cut the strings. And yet, we are the only ones who can.

It is even possible that the other person is not aware of this situation, but it has been going on for so long that it has become a habit that holds no consequences or responsibility on their side. After all, they are in the cushy seat, the comfortable place, the receiving end.

We must create boundaries.
Boundaries around what we will or won’t do.
Boundaries around our self-inflicted guilt when we believe we are responsible for the other person.
Boundaries around our hearts as a protection from the invisible force of expectation we feel from the other person.
And boundaries around our minds that have been trained to create the illusion of obligation to this person.

Isn’t it time to put the brakes on?
If you are always giving family members or friends money to get them back on their feet, but never see them grow up and take control of their own life --Stop writing checks expecting this to change.

If someone is always late, wait an appropriate 10-15 minutes and then leave- they obviously feel their time is more important than yours. Don’t cheapen your value.

If you are the one who tries to make everything perfect for others in hopes of making them happy, but it is never enough-- it probably never will be enough and they will probably never be happy…and while doing this neither will you.

If you are under obligation to continually take care of or give to a person, evaluate if the obligation is real or is it just your perception that you “owe” someone your time and talent. Evaluate the situation for codependency. Are you getting something from being a martyr? Even if you feel like you are being used and taken advantage of, have you become dependent on being needed?

If you are continually trying to stop giving your resources of time, finances, energy and control of your emotions and life to someone else, but only break free for short periods of time. Then you slip back into the old pattern again of one-way giving. Chart how long you have been doing this pattern. Where has it gotten you?

If you are following a life path because someone told you it was the road you should take, but you hate the scenery, you feel lost, or you know in your heart it isn’t the way you should be going, it is never too late to stop, make a U-turn and let your soul’s GPS recalculate to guide you on YOUR path. There isn’t time to be controlled by a backseat driver. Be your own navigator on this road of life.
Take control of your own steering wheel.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie’s Life Lesson:
“Take control of your own thoughts,
time and talent.
Don’t allow a back seat driver to
steer your life.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

YOUR TURN...
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to think about who is controlling your emotions and actions. Shouldn't YOU be in control???

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 © 2013-2017 Pennie Hunt
This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt.
Feel free to forward this post.
Please keep the entire message intact, including
contact, logo, and copyright information.
If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission
please email: [email protected]

0 Comments

SOMETIMES I FAIL

PENNIE HEART TO HEART
Why I wrote: SOMETIMES I FAIL

LET THEM DANCE

Pennie Heart to Heart -
Why I wrote LET THEM DANCE

PERCEPTION of PERFECTION

Pennie Heart to Heart -
Why I wrote Perception of Perfection

Write Your Story In Cursive!

WHO IS YOUR BACKSEAT DRIVER?

Author

Archives

Categories

SOMETIMES I FAIL

PENNIE HEART TO HEART Why I wrote: SOMETIMES I FAIL

LET THEM DANCE

​Pennie Heart to Heart - Why I wrote LET THEM DANCE

PERCEPTION of PERFECTION

Pennie Heart to Heart - Why I wrote Perception of Perfection

Write Your Story In Cursive!

WHO IS YOUR BACKSEAT DRIVER?

Author

Archives

Categories

PENNIE HEART TO HEART
Why I wrote: SOMETIMES I FAIL

Pennie Heart to Heart -
Why I wrote LET THEM DANCE

Pennie Heart to Heart -
Why I wrote Perception of Perfection