I am not a numbers person. I have written many times about how words fascinate me, but I find numbers less interesting. Yet, there is one thing I do that is totally number based. I create a quarterly report of my husband and my finances.

I have done this for years. Over time I have honed a concise and easy-to-understand spreadsheet. Every three months I collect all the statements for any bank accounts and investments, as well as the current value of our home, vehicles, and any other large assets. After inputting all the information, we have a report that reflects our financial life situation.

I have become known as the family secretary. I make sure all bills are paid and keep on top of all things financial. That sounds like a lot of work, but it isn’t as difficult as it used to be.

The world of technology has changed the way this is all done. We can set up most of our financial transactions through autopay or with a tap on our phones.  I remember the days of balancing a checkbook, writing out checks, and mailing payments for bills or driving to the utility companies to pay them in person.

Now, I log into my accounts to verify that the few checks I write are accounted for correctly, and I pay attention to any incoming funds that we are expecting. All of this is simpler than the tedious way I was taught in 9th-grade business class. I will admit that at the time I thought it was so grown up to practice signing my name elegantly at the bottom of the pretend checks in class.

The quarterly report takes me back to that time of writing things down and tracking money. It is fascinating to watch the total net worth of our assets fluctuate. As we have all seen large swings in interest rates and the stock market, there have been totals that were less than I’d like and totals that made me smile.

You may be wondering why I do this if I am not a numbers person. I do it because uncertainty makes me uncomfortable. I like to understand exactly where we are in our spending and our income. I like to feel safe and secure. I like to feel in control by knowing if we need to change the way we are spending or saving. The point of the quarterly report is to know. To know the exact number on an exact day and to compare it to the last report and to a year ago. It is a picture of our life. A click in time that is accurate. It is certainty.

You have probably heard the saying - you can’t manage what you don’t measure. These reports measure our finances so we can manage them. Many things in life can be tracked in the same way. Our health, our exercise, our weight. What about measuring our relationships, our friendships, our time, and our efforts in life? What if on a regular basis we took a good look at our lifestyle and how we are living? What if we measured how kind we are? How friendly we are. How helpful we are. How giving we are. How loving we are.

These kinds of honest assessments of ourselves may be eye-opening and allow us the opportunity to improve. To be certain that we are being the person we want to be. To be comfortable with who we are. Maybe it is time for all of us to do a quarterly life report.
                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                                                    Pennie’s Life Lesson:
                           You can’t manage what you don’t measure.
​                                               Start measuring your life!
                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

​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 © 2013-2024 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 #Happincess

“You are the plant grandma.”
Said my grandson from the backseat.
I always learn interesting things when my grandchildren are in the backseat of my car.
“What do you mean by that?” I asked.
“Well, you are the grandma with plants all over her house and you always give them to mom.”

This conversation came on the heels of my husband mentioning that our house was turning into a jungle. I immediately corrected his assessment of my plants and explained why he was wrong. After hearing the comment from my grandson, I wondered if my husband was right.

I have always loved plants. I remember having a plant in my bedroom when I was in junior high. When my grandmother passed, I inherited her Christmas cactus. I am not sure how long she owned it, but I successfully kept it alive for over 20 years.

I realize I attach meaning to plants according to how they came to me. I have plants from my dad and son’s funerals. I have violets that came from my mom’s best friend who was like my grandmother. Over the years I have propagated them and shared their violet flowers with friends and family.

The oldest plant I have arrived in a small planter in the shape of a bassinet and was delivered to me in the hospital the day my oldest son was born. When my mom sent this plant I doubt she thought it would still be alive 47 years later. Like so many of my plants tiny snips of leaves from it have grown into beautiful plants for so many others.

When I heard these comments, I realized I have been acquiring, producing, and increasing my plant numbers in the past few years. I put some thought into why. I have come to a few observations and conclusions.

I have a real connection to the fact that plants are alive and living. Indoor plants cannot survive on their own. They need to be nurtured, fed, watered, and cared for. They are dependent on a person to do this. I am a peacemaking caretaker, so sign me up – I love taking care of plants. Plants fill us with nurturing hearts and the knowing that because of us they thrive.

I love the ritual of picking out pots and containers, feeling the dirt in my hands as I am repotting plants, polishing their leaves, and finding just the right space for them to flourish.

I understand that if the soil isn’t healthy and the roots aren’t strong the plant will not be strong or healthy. This is much like a person- the foundation, health, and strength of our human roots play a major role in our lives.

Plants need light. The biological process of photosynthesis allows plants to convert light energy from the sun into chemical energy that they can use for food and growth. Humans need light. Sun on our faces and light in our hearts bring energy to us and to the way we live.

Plants bring the outdoors in. Having small pieces of nature in our homes fills our eyes with the breath of green that nature holds.

There have been studies that say plants purify the air and reduce allergies. That plants can reduce stress and depression. That plants create a more comfortable work environment. That a plant in a hospital room can shorten the patient’s stay. And that horticultural therapy successfully uses plants and activities with plants support healing and rehabilitation.

Yes, I am a plant lady and I have several plants in my home. They will continue to grow and produce more. I have a difficult time clipping leaves and throwing these live clippings away, so they go in a jar of water to grow strong roots and flourish into beautiful new plants for me to care for. They become gifts of love to others.

I will proudly be the plant grandma and my jungle will continue to grow.  I encourage you to get a plant of your own.  
                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                                                    Pennie’s Life Lesson:
             Welcome the calming presence of plants into your home and heart. 
                                   ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

​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 © 2013-2024 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 #Happincess

Do you ever visit someone’s home and it may not be as tidy as you think it should be?  Or you see someone’s house and think it is sterile and immaculate – more like an opulent museum than a livable home. In both circumstances, they are okay with how they live, but you are uncomfortable and are not okay with being there. Their okay is not your okay.

Have you had a friend who was so overjoyed when something good happened to them and you didn’t understand the importance of it? Or have you shared a happy event with someone and they seemed less than interested? Their joy is not your joy.
Have you ever known someone who has been stuck in trauma for years? You can’t understand why it continues to be so painful for them. Maybe you are suffering and are tired of people telling you that you need to get over it, move on, and forget about it. Their pain is not your pain.

In all of these scenarios, one person is using their own standards, values, and beliefs to judge the other person’s feelings, emotions, and lifestyle. This is not fair. We can only use our standards, values, and beliefs to judge ourselves and our lifestyle.

When we compare and contrast our beliefs and standards to how other people act and live, we are judging. The results of this judgment are not good. Either we look at them as less than us because they do not live up to our beliefs and standards. Or we feel inferior or envious of them because they are on a level above us. When this judgment occurs, everyone is uncomfortable.  

Everyone gets to make choices in life. They get to choose where and how they live. They get to choose the lifestyle that fits their needs. They get to choose what makes them happy and brings them joy. And they get to express that joy in the way they want to. They get to decide what is okay for them.

Trauma, heartache, and pain may not be something any of us choose, but the way we process it is. We all feel pain differently. The way we carry it is unique to each of us.
We may not agree on how life should be lived. None of us are right or wrong. There is no best way or bad way to get through this life. We all do it in our own way. What is working and okay with one person may be off-the-charts unacceptable to another. But guess what, it is all okay.

Comparing your standards to others is a lot of work. Constantly judging others against your life drains your energy. The next time you are ready to have a verbal explosion about how someone is living or how what they are doing (in your opinion) is totally wrong, stop yourself and remember this simple little mantra…their okay is not my okay.

It will slow you down. Stop you from judging. And it will simplify your life. Everyone gets to make their own life choices. Make sure that your choices are okay with you. Let the choices other people make be okay with them. It is all okay.  
                              ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                                                 Pennie’s Life Lesson:
                 The next time you are ready to judge someone, remember this:
                                                Their okay is not my okay. 
                               ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Happy July!
It is time to change the calendar. We are beginning the second half of the year. Where did the last six months go?

We are halfway through the 366 days of this leap year. We have enjoyed 22 weeks. What adventures did you have? What goals did you meet and what did you accomplish? We enjoyed 26 weekends. How did you spend them? Who did you spend them with? Did you spend any days with the people you love and care about?

Let’s dig a little deeper… how often did you see the people you love? Some of you might say every day. Some of you might say you see them once a year. Is it often enough? Do you wish you could see them more often? When you do see them is it quality time?

Ponder this equation. If your parents are 80 and your hope and expectation is that they will live to be 90 and you see them once per year that means you will see your parents 10 more times. Is 10 times enough? Do you need to make an effort to see them more than 10 times? And what if you are wrong and they live to be 85… then you have 5 times left to see them.

You can use this formula for many situations. If you are invited to your grandchild’s birthday party, but the idea of toddlers and messy cake and ice cream isn’t your idea of fun… Ponder this- how long will it be before that grandchild is spending all their time with friends and doesn’t want you at a party? You may have 8 or 9 parties before that baby is a teenager. That is 8 or 9 hours of your life. Do you really want to miss a party?

Now let’s think about you. Let’s say you plan to live to be 90. So, from the day you are born, you have 4,680 weeks and weekends ahead of you. You will enjoy 1,080 months. You will celebrate 90 Christmases, Easters, and 4th of Julys. That sounds like a lot of time, right?

If you are 45 now, divide all those numbers in half. That still might sound like a lot but think about how fast the first 2,340 weekends of your life went. Were they memory-making events? Do you remember how you spent them? Who did you spend your first 45 Christmases with?

We plan many things in life. We plan our education, career paths, where we live, and when we want to retire. But do we plan how we allocate our time to those we love?  
We have changed the calendar and with every change, there is a beginning. It is a new month, a new week, a new day. In the next 183 days what will you begin? What will you change? What will you look forward to? How will you spend your time? Who will you spend your time with?

Happy July! Happy second half of the year! Make it important. Make it a memory maker with the people you love!
                                    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                                                       Pennie’s Life Lesson:
                                       Time goes quickly. Use it intentionally. 
                                                 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

​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 © 2013-2024 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 #Happincess