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 © 2013-2015 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] Thank you!
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WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN THE TOILET OVERFLOWS
I felt overwhelmed. With several speaking engagements ahead of me, blogs to write and my self-imposed deadline for the completion of my book, I felt like the toilet had just overflowed. You know, that panicked feeling of running to get the plunger as the water overflows and every towel you own is being thrown on the floor in an effort to control. The smell of not feeling Good Enough was quickly rising to the top of my bowl. How would I ever get it all done? So I did the logical thing – I turned the valve to OFF. I stopped the gushing stream that overflowed my mind and walked away from all the fear, pressure and commitments. I went outside and dug holes. I put my hands in the black dirt. I dug holes for tomato plants. I dug holes for bushes. I dug holes for geraniums and marigolds. I layered each hole with peat moss, potting soil and vermiculite and then gently placed plants inside carefully pushing the earth around the roots and up to the stem. My body eased and relaxed as I enjoyed the process of nurturing. My mind did nothing except watch the movement of my hands. It had emptied to a space of quiet silence with no worries of deadlines or commitments. The valve remained OFF. Suddenly it became very clear to me how easy it would be to complete all of my obligations. I had just been “Layering” myself in a dangerous way. Instead of layering myself with the joy of what I was doing, in the same loving way I layered the soil around the plants, I had been layering myself in a negative way… I wasn't being gentle, careful or kind. I was being self-demanding to the point of overwhelm. No wonder I felt blocked like the water was flooding over. In the process, instead of allowing my roots to stretch in the delightful enjoyment of these life opportunities I had tightened myself into a root bound knot with two options. I could either continue to squeeze the grip around myself forever running in an effort to control or I could clear my mind, do nothing and allow myself the time to relax into the joy of life. Meditation comes in many forms. Today it arrived while my hands were in the dirt and I realized that when you allow your mind the space to do nothing – it becomes easier to do everything. Pennie’s Life Lesson: “When you allow your mind the space to do nothing – it becomes easier to do everything.” YOUR TURN... My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to step back when you are feeling overwhelmed. In the space between overwhelm and that step you may find clarity. 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 © 2013-2015 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] Thank you! 
SEEING FOR
THE FIRST TIME He runs in the room, stops right in front of me and says, "Oh, Hi!" This is a lovely greeting that I have heard three times in the last 30 minutes. You see every time his almost two year old legs carry him out of the room and then back again he looks at me as if I have just arrived. With every, “Oh… Hi,” his enthusiasm and excitement jumping-jacks out of his body and his expression is one of pure delight! Everyone laughs at the charm of this, but the lesson is not lost on me. Imagine if we saw everything in every moment of our lives as if we were seeing it for the first time....even if we just saw it five minutes ago? Can you imagine being in the present moment at that level? Everything in our world would seem bigger and brighter. Looking at the sky would be like seeing blue for the first time. The sound of music would be as if we had never experienced harmony before. We would notice every petal on the flower, every flavor in our food, every breeze that brushes our cheek. Hearing the voice, laughter and seeing the face of those close to us would be like the moment we fell in love with them – over and over again. We would only see what is in front of us at that very second without giving any thought to what captured us the second before or what may be waiting for us around the next minute. Now, just right now is what fills the screen of our mind in vivid color and exquisite freshness. What pleasure! What joy! What an awesome way to experience life! Why not begin now? Stop right in front of the next person you see and say, “Oh…Hi!” and feel the thrill of seeing them for the first time! Pennie’s Life Lesson: “Greet every moment, person, place and thing as if you are seeing them for the first time. Savor the experience with new eyes.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ YOUR TURN... How could you work this into your life? What would you love to see again - for the first time? 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 © 2013-2015 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] Thank you! 
MEDITATION SAVED MY LIFE!
I began meditating over a decade ago during a very stressful time in my life. I was certain my mind and body would explode from the pressure, as I tried to handle many highly emotional life situations. Desperation set in as I struggled to gain some essence of control in my world of chaos. My first attempt at gaining relief from this tension was when I sat down, closed my eyes and with the sound of rain falling in my headphones said to myself over and over and over again, "Clear my mind... clear my mind... clear my mind." I didn't know what meditation was, nor did I realize thatwas what I was doing. I just knew I needed peace in my mind, heart and soul I lasted about five minutes, before I jumped up believing I had failed as my mind hadn't cleared at all. Determined, I continued this routine daily and soon I became more and more successful. Some days I could actually sit for the 5 minutes and my mind would clear. The minutes turned to ten, then fifteen and at times I would sit for hours. Meditation saved my life. I learned how to separate myself from the world outside of my body and control my emotions, thoughts and feelings. I could handle the stress of all that was happening in a clean, clear and calm way. After years of learning about the many various types of meditation, I have settled in to what works for me. I believe you do not have to follow a certain meditation dogma or philosophy to receive an emotional and physical benefit. The basic premise is to quiet your thoughts and allow calm, contentment and peace to fill the space of your mind and body. Now, whether I want to relax and release tension or concentrate on one thought, I turn to daily meditation as my life saving method. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie's Life Lesson: "Quiet your mind and allow calm, contentment and peace to fill you." ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
YOUR TURN...
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to try meditation. Begin by closing your eyes in peace for short amounts of time. Let me know how this works for you! 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 © 2013-2015 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] Thank you! |
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PLEASE NOTE: This page does not provide medical or legal advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or services to you or to any other individual. Through this site and links to other sites, Pennie Hunt provides general information for inspiration, encouragement and educational purposes only. The information provided in this site, or through links to other sites, is not a substitute for legal, medical, or professional care, and you should not use the information in place of a visit, call or the advice of your lawyer, physician or other healthcare provider. |