TWO-A-DAYS
Have you ever participated in a team sport, trained for a marathon or tried to lose weight? A common practice during these times is,TWO-A-Days. This is when a team or person doubles up on their efforts and for a time practices or works out twice in the same day. The concept of doubling up, or TWO-A-Days, may also apply to studying during exam season or even when you have a cold and double your intake of vitamin C. I have a new application for this concept. There are times when your mind and soul need this same kind of extra attention. When you are overwhelmed, overstressed, or overtired—you know, those times when the faster you go the more you have to do and it seems like there is never enough time to get it all done. Your mind is racing and you feel like you are going crazy! This is the perfect time to add TWO-A-Days to your life. Twice a day begin just sitting. If you meditate now, begin doing it twice a day. If meditation is foreign to you, just give yourself 5, 10, or 15 minutes twice a day to just sit, relax and breathe. I realize this seems impossible when you already are stretched for time and don’t have a minute to spare. But, THIS is exactly when you need to do it the most. Giving this extra time and space to clearing your mind puts the chaos on hold and helps you gain mental and physical balance. During stressful times it also allows space for answers to come. TWO-A-Days don’t have to be just for sports. Learn to implement this into your own life. Once you get through the stressful time you may realize all the benefits it brings into your life. Peacefulness, calm, the ability to cope, and the lessening of the physical damage stress does to your body are all benefits of this practice. You may decide giving yourself the gift of quiet twice a day is something you want to continue every day. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: “Give yourself the gift of quiet twice a day. You deserve the peace it will bring to your life.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ YOUR TURN... My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to understand that during the craziest times of life, you need to take care of yourself in a calm and loving way! ***Since we all learn from each other, I would love to have you share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below or on my FACEBOOK page. And please feel free to email me at: [email protected]. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2016 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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DON’T WAIT UNTIL
5 O’CLOCK TO BE HAPPY! Are you watching the clock waiting and waiting for the five o’clock bell? When it rings do you jump in delight, running to your car thinking it is happy time? And if it is Friday night--all the better! Do you drag through your week just waiting for the weekend? Why wait until five o’clock to be happy? You have a choice in every minute of your day to be happy or not. Why waste all that time “waiting” to be happy? Create your own personal culture of happiness. The culture of “Always.” No matter what is happening around you, YOU can remain happy. In this second right now, you can be happy and content even if you are at work. You may not like your job and you may not be fond of the people you work with, but you have total control of your feelings and emotions. If you are only happy after 5pm and on weekends you are wasting 50% of your awake hours being unhappy. Look at it this way. Think of your life not in seconds, but in heartbeats. The average heart beats between 60-100 times per minute. On average that means you get approximately 11520 heartbeats per day. Don’t you want every heartbeat to be in a happy rhythm? Life does not begin at 5pm.Life is what happens to you every moment, with every heartbeat. Don’t waste your life waiting to be happy. Never feel stuck in an intolerable situation. If you need to, make a change, but don’t allow your happiness to hinge on a future point. YOU are in control and only YOU make the choice of being happy or not – right now. To me, it’s an easy choice! Don’t waste one precious heartbeat. Don’t wait until 5 o’clock to be happy. Begin your “Always” culture now. YOU are in total control. Make the Happy choice. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: “Don’t wait for something to change to be happy. Make the choice to Be Happy Now!” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ YOUR TURN... My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to think about your emotional state... every moment of every day. YOU are in total control -- pick HAPPY! ***Since we all learn from each other, I would love to have you share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below or on my FACEBOOK page. And please feel free to email me at: [email protected]. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2016 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] 
WHAT DO
YOU DO? We are all so tied to that question. It is in the top three questions we ask when we meet someone new. It is stamped on our business cards, on our income tax form and in our hearts. Executive Director, Counselor, Teacher, or Plumber – it doesn’t matter what you label it with- it probably isn’t accurate. When I left my position as “Executive Director,” I struggled with a new label, a new title and a new identity. It took me some time to transition, but after careful thought I came up with my new response. When I was asked that ever popular question, I began proudly stating, “I am a Speaker and an Author.” That was followed with the question, “What do you speak and write about?” I realized that calling myself a speaker and author was not an accurate description of what my life mission is. I have stood in front of people all over the country speaking for years. I have arranged words in creative ways beginning with writing my first story, “The Purple Easter Bunny,” in 2nd grade. But why do I do this? What impact does it have on others? Now I answer that question in a totally different way. A way that lays out my life mission in eleven words. “I Teach People How to Love Their Life – NO MATTER WHAT!” That gets right to the heart of it and begins a conversation that has depth and touches hearts. Everyone wants to learn how to do this and immediately asks me for more information. I do it through sharing my life stories, my life lessons and yes, of course, through speaking and writing. But my mission in life is to help others Love Their Lives. That’s it…. Short, simple and to the point. The labels and titles we stamp on our business cards are more of an importance booster for our egos. They don’t really say who we are or what we do. How can you say what you do in a way people understand? How can you share your life mission in a way that touches hearts? An Executive Director – Leads people to fulfilling their goals. A Counselor – Creates a space for others to learn about themselves. A Teacher – Opens the minds of others to new experiences. A Plumber – Is a Problem Solver An Artists doesn’t just paint, sculpt or draw—they capture emotion in a way that activates emotion in others. There are so many ways of saying what you do without the textbook titles we have been trained to respond with. The title is of little importance. It is the reason you do it – the“why” of what you do that matters. The next time someone asks you, “What do you do?” What will you say? ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: “Say what you do in a way that touches hearts and states YOUR heart’s mission.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ YOUR TURN... My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to think about what YOU do and how you express that to others. ***Since we all learn from each other, I would love to have you share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below or on my FACEBOOK page. And please feel free to email me at: [email protected]. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2016 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] 
THE BEAT
OF MY HEART I watched the clock as I walked on the treadmill. I had intentionally scheduled the stress test appointment for 6 am, planning to drive the hour to my office and attend a 10 am meeting. Suddenly I found myself laying on a hospital gurney with wires connected to a multitude of spots on my body and surrounded by a cardiology team. One doctor repeatedly asked me how I felt. I didn't feel bad until one of them said, “What your heart just did could be deadly and we want to take you upstairs.” Confused by that comment and glancing at the clock once again I knew I needed to be finished soon or I would miss my meeting. “What is upstairs?” I asked. The explanation came quickly, “The rhythm your heart just did can be caused by one of two things- you have blockages or your electrical firing system is not working correctly.” Another voice jumped in with, “The only way we can rule out blockages is by doing a heart catheterization and we need to do it now!” I explained that I was an hour from home, I had come to the hospital alone and oh, by the way I had a 10 am meeting to get to. Once again the two doctors played tag team with their responses, telling me I needed to get my husband there and that there was little chance of them letting me leave the room with this type of deadly rhythm. It was the third time I heard that word deadly that I asked them toplease stop saying it and that I indeed wanted to call my husband. The group left me alone to make the call. One cardiologist stood guard in the doorway watching me with a look of intense concern. The minute I put the phone down the group returned. The speed at which I found myself swept upstairs into a private room with two nurses monitoring me swirled my confusion even more. I laid there watching a different clock tick the minutes away until my husband would arrive. Feverishly clicking away on my phone I sent emails to my staff as I typed meeting cancellations and directions for the day. I sent texts to my children telling them the situation - at least what I knew. Then, I noticed that both nurses were constantly monitoring me and the machinery I was connected to. They never took their eyes off of me or left the room. I knew this wasn’t good. Finally I asked one of them “What happened to me?” She placed one hand on my arm while keeping her eyes on the machine. “You experienced VTach - Ventricular Tachycardia. For most people who do that we have to bring them back with the paddles - if we get them back. You are very lucky.” My phone slid out of my hand. I vaguely remember the big screen which showed the dye running through my body and the doctor saying, “There it goes... that is beautiful... not one blockage.” The rest of the day, the follow up appointments and the new heart monitor, that I learned to wear like an accessory to my daily wardrobe, is a blurred memory. My new “Electric Guy,” as I call him, is the Cardiologist that keeps me, my heart’s electrical system and my crazy rhythm controlled to avoid the mysterious fainting, bouts of weakness and blood pressure drops like I had experienced over the years. While researching VTach, I learned a few things about exercise, staying hydrated and avoiding stairs. Then I came across the meaning of heart. Scrolling through the many medical definitions of this magical organ that pumps blood, I stopped on this: Heart - noun \ˈhärt\: the central or innermost part of something; thought of as the place where emotions are felt This is it! The heart is more than the organ that pushes blood through our bodies. I believe it is the innermost part of us. It is the place where emotions are created, felt and shared. I believe that heart health goes much deeper than changing your diet, lowering salt intake and counting 10,000 steps per day. I believe the heart has the power to push not only physical blood, but the lifeblood of love, kindness and joy through our bodies. The care and health of our heart begins with feeling these emotions in order for the heart to pump them through our bodies and out into our lives. We must learn to respect these emotions, nurture them and grow them into feelings that help our heart function to its highest capacity. Instead of worrying, I prefer to believe my heart has an eccentric rhythm... maybe not the same as everyone else’s, but it is unique and it is mine. In addition to the list of heart healthy ideas we have all heard about, I support its emotional health by feeding it love, joy and kindness every chance I get! I try not to watch the clock anymore and the most important meeting I have is one where I am kind to someone, love someone and through joy feed my innermost self- my heart, the place where emotions are felt. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: “The foundation for good heart health begins with expanding kindness, joy and love in the inner most self - our own heart.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ YOUR TURN... My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to pay attention to the messages your heart sends you; the power it holds in "feeling" the true rhythm of your life. ***Since we all learn from each other, I would love to have you share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below or on my FACEBOOK page. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2016 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] 
THE YEARS BETWEEN
4 and 85 I found myself smack dab in the middle of four generations -- my 4-year-old grandsons, my daughter, my 85-year-old mom and me. On our 6-day road trip, the boys delighted in every cow we saw as we passed farms learning about silos and sunflower fields. Throwing rocks in a river was a competition and trying to touch a duck was hilarious. Sleeping in a hotel was like sleeping in a palace where we tested the softness of the bed and devoured the complimentary breakfast that was surely prepared especially for the two mighty kings that were heading out on their stallions. I marveled at the boy’s ability to squeal when a lady bug landed in front of them as if it was the most exciting creature they had ever seen. They delighted in hiking to find pinecones and watching deer run through the woods. For them, each moment was a new breath, a new experience, a new lesson in life. 
My mom clapped her hands when we pulled our car into her driveway. Her little body disappeared as we circled her in hugs.
The boys moved at 4-year-old speed as they told her stories, asked questions and turned the neighborhood park into the Wild Wild West as the spring horses became their saddles and the gravel their dusty trail. My mom squealed as if they were the most exciting creatures she had ever seen. For her, each moment was a new breath, a new experience, a new lesson in life. 
My daughter and I watched this from an interesting vantage point -- the space found somewhere in between 4 and 85.
The space where responsibility rules life and commitments control time. A space where the magic of a lady bug is lost and imagination is buried under laundry, mortgage payments and stock market swings. A space where the wonder of life can be temporarily put on hold while ladders are climbed and ceilings are broken. I learned my own lessons during this trip and it wasn’t that silos hold corn or that strawberry milk comes from red cows, as my grandsons proclaimed. I learned the importance of slowing down to allow a lady bug to climb up your arm. I learned that trying to touch a duck is hilarious. I learned that watching your family pull into your driveway is something that deserves applause. I learned that the space between 4 and 85 disappears as fast as a dandelion wish and in that space it is more important than ever to understand that each moment is a new breath, a new experience, a new lesson in life. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: “Live your life as if each moment is a new breath, a new experience, a new lesson in life.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ YOUR TURN... My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to pay attention to the speed of life...do not let a second slip by! 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 © 2013-2016 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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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. |