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What a grand year 2013 has been for me!
I have had the opportunity to meet and work with so many wonderful people. I would like to express my appreciation for all of you who have “LIKED” my Facebook page, followed me on Twitter, pinned with me on Pintrest and watched my Youtube videos. To the 4,000+ followers who visit my website to read my blog or listen to my audio every week, I am truly humbled by your dedication to me and the life lessons I share. I have felt your love and compassion with every email, tweet and comment I have received. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your support, kindness and love. I am looking forward to 2014 with great enthusiasm. So many amazing things are ahead for me and PennieHunt.com. Every step is with the intent of helping others. Please continue to join me on this journey through life! Much love and happy holidays! Pennie ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: "Always be grateful!" ***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. Thank you!*** All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013 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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 DO YOU SPEAK THEIR LANGUAGE?
The store was busy. I was in a hurry. When I hustled to the front to pay for the few items I had in my cart, I thought it was my lucky day! Many checkout lines were open and the lines were long, but line number 13 had only one customer. I quickly zipped my cart into position. The clerk was happily smiling and scanning the purchases for the couple in front of me. Then I realized the struggle. The clerk, who was hearing impaired, was trying to communicate with the couple through sign language and loud hard to distinguish words. I watched as she demonstrated unlimited patience and began pointing to the screen on the register to communicate. The couple, relieved to be done with their transaction, hurried away. I realized why her checkout line was short. People were avoiding her. I pushed my cart forward, unloaded my items, smiled and waved “Hi,” to the clerk. Her grin was huge, her happiness bold, as she waved back and said, “Hello” in her loud grating voice. Knowing only a few words in sign language I awkwardly did my best to speak her language. Her motions asked if she could put my items together in one bag. I put my fists together, thumbs up, and pulled them away from each other in what I remembered to mean “apart.” She paused and looked at me with the excitement of a child. Her smile widened, her eyes connected with mine and I saw her face grow into a sparkle. I was speaking “her” language. We moved through the payment process with a few circles on my chest to communicate, “please” and as we finished I put my hand to my lips and then brought it down palm up to her and said, “Thank You,” in both her language and mine. Whose language are you missing? How often do we miss the opportunity to really see someone, look in their eyes, connect with who they are inside and speak their language? Do you get down on the floor and talk to a child at their eye level? Or do you talk down to them from a height they can only imagine being? Do you speak their language? Do you take the time to talk to those in your life circle about what is important? Do you know what makes them sing in the sunshine and cry in the dark? Do you know their pain? Do you speak their language? Do you show kindness to the elderly, homeless or marginalized people? Or do you sweep by them feeling like they are a nuisance? Do you speak their language? Do you stop when you come home and acknowledge your dog’s tail wagging dance of love when they see you? Or do you brush right by them to a task you feel is more important? Do you speak their language? It was my lucky day. By the clerk’s reaction to my effort at sign language, I believe she felt acknowledged, seen, heard and validated. Isn't that what we all want? What she didn't know was that she had given me a gift. Because of her, I stopped long enough in my busy day to really look at another, to notice our differences and yet stand on equal ground, to blend her form of communication with mine-- as she did her best to speak my language and I did my best to speak hers. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: “Take time to acknowledge others. See them, hear them, and speak their language!” ***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. Thank you!*** All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013 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!  DON’T CONNECT THE DOTS!
Have you ever experienced a meltdown…the kind where you find yourself in a messy puddle on the floor? I have a concept called, "Pennie’s DOT Theory", that states: “Any event that happens to us, around us, or concerns us is just one tiny DOT in the grand adventure of life. If we over-think one DOT it becomes magnified and joins with other DOTs to form a mass of stress that creates imbalance and unhappiness.” If we blow one DOT out of proportion it can consume us, make us irrational and ultimately we end up in that messy puddle. The problem is we over think a little DOT allowing it to become a big DOT. Remember this – D--O--T- DON’T OVER THINK the DOT! It happened to me. It began with a flu shot. Well, the flu shot is not responsible for the entire meltdown but it is the DOT that began the snowball rolling. For three days after the shot I felt tired, drained and far from the perky, optimistic, personality I am known for. My fatigue turned into a colossal cold. Another DOT. I stopped working out, stopped meditating, stopped eating right…DOT… DOT… DOT! As the days continued my snowball began rolling faster. More stressful DOTs showed up. The imbalance grew. I broke dishes, forgot things and my blood pressure went up. As the DOTs continued to connect, overwhelm set in. I began allowing the profanities of human emotions to marinate with the DOTs…. You know the ones… words like, jealousy, resentment, anger, insecurity, and ultimately the BIG four letter word - FEAR! Then it happened. It doesn't matter what the “IT” was… it was just another DOT, but the most dangerous kind for me…my feelings were hurt. The snowball aimed right for that DOT rolling around in it until every dirty bit of it was connected to the DOT party forming in my head. It was just the DOT to heat up the snowball enough for it to come to a full stop, a complete meltdown and a DOT EXPLOSION! The pity party wasn't pretty. The meltdown was ugly. The DOT explosion was epic causing a massive heart attack. You see, when you over-think little DOTs they join with other DOTs in the same way blood cells stick together to block your arteries. You don’t function well and it eventually leads to a heart attack. Thank goodness DOT heart attacks don’t send you to the hospital. Yet, they have the power to do just as much damage. Accumulating and over-thinking DOTs stifles your happiness. Fear takes over attacking your heart and breaking down its protective covering until an explosive meltdown occurs. A crack is formed and your heart is scared in hidden ways. Finally, I stepped back from the dirty puddle I was sitting in and realized I had broken my own DOT rules. By over thinking every little DOT I had given them the power to become huge in my mind. I allowed them to connect one, by one, stripping me of my calm, my contentment and my happiness. They blinded me and I couldn't see around them. I carried the huge DOT mass around like a collection of boulders in a backpack. Only as I dropped the backpack did they tumble out before me and I could see the tiny pebbles each of them really were. Just tiny DOTs in the grand adventure of life! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: “Any event that happens to us, around us, or concerns us is just one tiny DOT in the grand adventure of life. Don’t Over-Think the DOTs!" ***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. Thank you!*** All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013 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. |