​“Hold the fish with both hands. Reach your arms forward as close to the camera as you can, keeping your face and body back. The fish will look much bigger in the photo than it is in real life.”

Those were his directions. He loved fishing, and he loved even more to talk about all the monster-size fish he caught. The reality was, many of the fish he caught were not that big, and he threw them back into the water so they could grow bigger. He was picky about which ones he embraced as a good fish story and which ones he released. His pictures and the perspective of fish size were important to him.

My friend taught me many lessons, and this one about perspective was one of his best. Most of the time he used fishing stories, but the lesson rarely had to do with fishing. It has been years since my friend passed, but I have thought about this tip many times.

This concept of embracing and releasing is embedded deeply in our lives…whether you realize it or not. We are all hooked by thoughts, beliefs, and experiences. Some are good. Some are bad. It is up to us to decide how we process them. What perspective we see them with. How we live through them and with them.

We can take one bad experience in life and focus on it, holding it closer and closer to the camera so it seems bigger and bigger. We never allow our emotions to work through it. The trauma changes our lives, causing constant tension and stress. We let it become overwhelming. But if we really looked at it, we might be able to see it isn’t as life changing as we initially thought. We can reduce this whale of a problem into a little fish that we release.

Conversely, we can have one small thought. An idea that if we let it float out of our mind, we can miss an opportunity. But if we take that one small idea and focus on it, examine it - hold it close to the camera - the perspective changes. We may realize it could be the beginning of a new business, a new relationship, a new life. It could be a big enough fish to keep and embrace as a story in our life. 

We live in a constant state of deciding what we should zoom in on and embrace and what we should step back from so we see the real size and importance of releasing it. Life is all about perspective.
 
If you hold on to pain and view life from a perspective of negativity, you will live a life of tension and stress. Release it.
 
If you hold on to love and joy, while viewing life from a perspective of positivity, you will live a life of happiness and peace. Embrace it.
                                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                                                   Pennie’s Life Lesson:
                           We can choose to release the negative in our life and
                                             magnify and embrace the positive.
                                                       ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

​​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

When I found it, I wanted to put three fingers up and recite the Girl Scout Oath. The plastic bag lying on the bottom of my cedar chest held memories of my childhood. The Brownie beanie was crumbling, but my Girl Scout beanie, belt, bow tie, sash, and gloves were folded just the way they were left decades ago.

I unfolded the sash and laid it out to see the badges. Southwest Oklahoma Troop 901. Membership stars and the love pin that designated that I had shown love to family, friends, and the community. Angel wings showing the progression from being a Brownie to a Junior Girl Scout.

It was the badges that grabbed my attention. A coffee cup for hospitality. Footsteps for walking, hiking, and nature. Skating. Water sports. Cooking/baking. Love and care of animals. The more I researched the badges I earned, the more amazed I became. The areas I worked to learn about as a child were the areas I have always loved throughout my life.

Every morning I post a video of my coffee cup and welcome my followers into my day. I have always been a walker, hiker, and lover of nature. I grew up ice skating, roller skating, and water skiing. I can still skate and continue to be a water baby. Cooking and baking are one of my favorite pastimes. And if you know me, you know how I adore animals. Even the love pin struck me as I teach others how to, “Love Your Life- No Matter What!”

How could I have known when I was 9 years old that I would center my life around those areas? Do we come into this life with a knowing of what we are meant to be a part of? Is our big life picture destined to be created before we are aware?

Then the concept of gathering badges invaded my thoughts. I do remember the reading, the requirements, and the activities it took to be awarded a badge. As a young girl it was my first taste of this kind of accolade that seems to be repeated in life.

Our school grades were the same type of process. Team sports all have requirements and a level of accomplishment to receive the trophies. It is the same with work promotions and life stages that give us badges, titles, and status. Don’t forget the badges of being a spouse, parent, grandparent, and friend. Do we just continue to add badges until our life sash is full?

Last week I attended the National Speakers Association Conference (NSA). When I arrived, I put on my lanyard that held ribbons that documented my accomplishments. Fifteen+ Year Member. Power Women of NSA. NSA Author. It was my NSA sash.

For four days there were ceremonies for accomplishments. People were called on stage and the list of requirements they met were announced and then a ribbon, a title, or a trophy was awarded to them. As these people walked through the halls, fellow members oohed and awed over their ribbon or newly given recognition. They beamed with pride.

It was Girl Scouts all over again. I clearly remember walking over the small wooden bridge that ceremonially recognized the promotion from being a Brownie to a Junior Girl Scout. I remember wearing my sash and the pride I felt with every addition of a badge.
​
Maybe life doesn’t change as much as we think. We will always want another badge for our sash. We continue to reach for them until our life sash is full, folded and tucked into a plastic bag.

Then someday our badges may be found in a memory box of keepsakes.
                                               ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                                                  Pennie’s Life Lesson:
                   Life is a series of requirements and accomplishments.
                                                Choose your badges wisely. 
                                               ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

​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