The Corner of Spirit & Brave - Pennie Hunt

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN THE TOILET OVERFLOWS?

9/20/2020

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 stems. 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.

YOUR TURN...
Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below . And please feel free to email me at:
PennieHunt@gmail.com.
Thank you!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
            All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2013-2020 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.

I DRIVE HIS TRUCK

9/9/2020

It sits in the garage.
Everyone wonders why
I keep it.

The dust and dirt of the seasons covers it. I walk by it every day as the months and years come and go.

Twice a year I drive it.

I slide in the seat.
The smell of him is fading and the air freshener he tucked in the vent is beginning to crumble.

I carefully back down the driveway.
The gear shift is tight with age.

The windows rattle and the water seeps in as I drive it through the car wash.

The repair shop asks me why I want the oil changed when there has only been 50 miles driven since the last service.
I don’t tell them.

When I drive I feel his arms blend with mine as our hands in unison hold the steering wheel.

I push in his Bob Dylan cassette and it crackles loudly through the speakers.
Our hands drum to the beat.

And we are off.

We drive together, he and I, through 22 years of memories; the good, the painful, the magical and the tragic.

We find ourselves in a place where here and there - now and then doesn't matter.
A place where love binds us back together.

When I carried him I wanted to experience and remember every moment of my pregnancy and every un-medicated contraction during his arrival.
It would be my last passage through the process.
I re-live these now.

His first steps, his first words and his first day of school blur into the yellow lines of the road we travel.

We drive by the baseball field where his Little League Tournaments were played and the skate park responsible for his first stitches.

We stop at the gardens where the stone holds his name and the saying by Rumi.

We pass the gas station where I bought his last tank of gas.

The wind whistles as we drive through town by his apartment and onto the interstate where we drive fast as our thoughts and pain escalate

I hear his fishing poles and baseball equipment rattle in the back.

The speed is cleansing.

Together we sing, we laugh, we shout, we cry. We say prayers of gratitude for his life, our life together, his brother, his sister, family, friends -- and his daughter.

I hear the echo from so many years ago when the phone rang with a voice telling me he was gone.

Carefully, I position it back in the garage.
Bob Dylan stops.

Time is put in park as I feel his beard brush against my cheek and,

      “I love you, mom,” hums in my ears.
I answer,
       “I love you too, honey. I love you so.”

Another anniversary of
that phone call comes to
an end.
His birthday will be here soon.

Until then
it sits in the garage.
Everyone wonders why I keep it.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie’s Life Lesson:
“Love binds us together
no matter what separates us."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

J.T. (Jameson Tanner) Lindemann 1985-2007

YOUR TURN...
Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below . And please feel free to email me at:
PennieHunt@gmail.com.
Thank you!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
            All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2013-2020 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.

GLAD YOU DID – WISH YOU WOULD HAVE

9/5/2020

Frank

The banker on the other end of the phone line asked my husband if he knew Frank.
Yes, he did.

Did he know that he had passed away and the bank held an account for Frank that listed my husband as a joint owner?
No, he didn’t.

When he put the phone down his face, which moments before was happy and free of distress, was now lined with disbelief and sadness. He looked at me and said,

     “I wish I would have called him to
   have lunch last month when I
   thought about it.”

Although my husband talked about Frank often, he hadn’t been in close contact with his friend in some time. The sudden shock of his passing immediately led to regret for the missed opportunities that he would never be able to do over.

In life we are given moment by moment opportunities to make phone calls, to write notes, to share meals, to be kind and to give the gift of our time to those we love and care for.
At times you may wonder if it is something you should do or not. When you are trying to decide, use this meter to judge --

     After the opportunity passes will you say,
                        "I’m glad I did!"
     Or will you say:
"I wish I would have!"

This makes the decision so much easier. If you visualize how you would feel afterward and you are glad you did it, then it’s the right thing to do.

If you visualize being sorry you missed the opportunity, especially if there is no chance for a do-over, then it’s the right thing to do.

If neither of these answers fit, then maybe it isn’t something you need to do, but be very clear before you take this path. Living in the regret of “wishing you would have” is a sad place to be.

Take advantage of your next opportunity and be proud to say,
     “I’m glad I did.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie’s Life Lesson:
“We are given moment by moment opportunities that you will either be glad you did or wish you would have – which will it be?"
   ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Pennie Heart to Heart
GLAD YOU DID- WISH YOU WOULD HAVE

YOUR TURN...
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to think about your moment by moment opportunities... how will you respond?

Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below . And please feel free to email me at:
PennieHunt@gmail.com.
Thank you!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2013-2020 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.

THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT

8/29/2020

Grandma Betty with one of her cakes.

My grandmother decorated cakes. Birthday, anniversary, graduation, but mostly wedding cakes. Whenever we would visit, she was always mixing white batter and the freezer was full of cakes waiting their turn to be dressed in layers of white bridal frosting.

As far back as I can remember she would sit me at her round oak table, put a piping bag in my hand, and have me practice making roses. Red roses. Pink roses. Even blue roses.

I would go with her to the churches as she set the cake table with lacy cloth, shiny crystal candy dishes, and sparkling candles. She layered tiers of white creaminess one on top of the other to create a masterpiece for the bride and groom. I watched in awe of her ability to level the layers, so they didn’t fall.

My favorite moment was when she would untie the ribbon on a small white candy box. Inside was the crowning jewel. I watched her make them many times. Thinning the frosting to just the correct consistency and then through a tiny round tip she would squeeze the frosting onto wax paper creating two swirling butterfly wings. When they were dry, she would carefully place them in the candy box.

Adding a delicate butterfly to the cake was her trademark. She explained to me that butterflies symbolize new birth, a new beginning, and a wedding brought two people together to create a new life. She would gently push the wings into the frosting forming a butterfly on the back side of the cake where the wedding couple would see it as they cut the first piece. This act of love by my grandmother was the finale. The cake was complete.

My grandmother knew that as I grew, I began decorating cakes for extra money. I taught cake decorating classes and coached hundreds of people in the art of making roses.

What my grandmother never knew, was what impact her placing a butterfly on a cake made on me. It was the magic of the story. The power behind the message of new beginnings. Her action of love and kindness that impacted me.

It created in me a lifelong fascination with butterflies. The strength it takes for a simple caterpillar to enclose themselves in a cocoon to emerge as a creature of grace and beauty. I have thought of this many times in my life when circumstances forced me to find the strength and space to cocoon for a time and emerge when I was stronger.

It wasn’t until years later that I heard the term, “The Butterfly Effect.”
The concept of how a small thing can change a bigger outcome. The vision of a butterfly fluttering its wings and causing a furious wind in the distance is an exaggerated example. Small actions, events, and circumstances can serve as a catalyst to set in motion changes on a grand level.

The first step of a jog can be the beginning of a long-distance runner.
Hearing music for the first time can trigger the artistic talent of a maestro.
The dedication of a teacher can turn a child’s life around.
Buying someone a cup of coffee can set up a chain reaction of paying-it-forward acts of kindness.

Unfortunately, this can work in a negative way as well.
A comment voiced in anger can create an environment of hate.
A tiny germ can set into motion a worldwide pandemic.

My hope is that more energy is spent increasing positive light than in promoting the darkness of negativity.

It is not always big things that create change. It can be the tiniest of actions that create the grandest impact. Sometimes it is teaching a little girl how to make roses out of frosting. Telling her a story of the butterfly’s new beginnings and how out of simple actions, something beautiful can emerge.

In a future space and time, that little girl just may understand that at times in life building your own cocoon takes strength and faith that you will emerge even better. And that little girl just may use her life to share the power of love and gratitude in hopes of it setting in motion more of the same.
The Butterfly Effect.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Pennie's Life Lesson:
“Small actions, events, and circumstances can serve as a catalyst to set in motion changes on a grand level. Use more of your energy to increase the light than in promoting darkness.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Pennie Heart to Heart
THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT

YOUR TURN...
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to pay attention to how your actions can produce a ripple effects for future action or change.
Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at:
PennieHunt@gmail.com.
Thank you!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
            All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2013-2020 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.

NO PROBLEM

8/22/2020

She is 13, smart, beautiful, and caring. Her response to almost every question or comment is, “No Problem.”

“Thank you for visiting us.”  - “No Problem.”
“Thank you for the sweet note.”   - “No Problem.”
“Can you help me with this?”
  - “No Problem.”
“Can you play a different position in this soccer game?”
- “No Problem.”

Whether it is a text, a phone call, or in person. It is always, “No Problem.”
It is an automatic response for her.

At first, I thought it was cute. I thought it was funny. It became a game with me to see how many times she would say it during our interactions. After thinking about it, I realized I was missing the point. I now see that her favorite response was a lesson for me. Not only was her stance pure brilliance it is also the natural state of being in nature, in life, and in humans.

After all, the sun comes up every morning and the stars sparkle for us at night. Spring follows winter and flowers bloom in the summer. No Problem.

Rivers flow, winds blow, and leaves are blown from trees. No Problem.

Children play, babies giggle, and puppies romp. No Problem.

Calendars turn, birthdays are celebrated, and aging happens. Life is a cycle. No Problem.

We are born in this natural state of acceptance and loving life as it is given to us. When we are young our minds are open to learn and our hearts are eager to love and help. We don’t see the difficulties. We don’t look forward to what we might not have the capacity to accomplish. We observe and participate. No Problem.

It is a learned behavior to seek out the negatives and fear the obstacles. Reality shows us that there are real issues that need dealing with. There are real challenges. The longer you live the more you will experience these. The harder you look the more you will find.

This can cause bitterness, resentment, and cynicism. It is easy to run a ticker-tape of problems through our minds on constant repeat. It is easy to worry about families, communities, and the world. It is easy to take a negative perspective and see goals as impossible. It is easy to see EVERYTHING as a problem. It is easy not to try.

It took me a while to understand the power of this young woman’s auto response. By saying, “No Problem,” she is not only giving herself in service to others, she is giving herself a positive affirmation.

Her ticker-tape is repeating, in her mind and out loud, that nothing is a problem. She doesn’t allow her mind to go there. Her mind is in constant positivity. Her perspective is one of she won’t only try, but she will accomplish. She sees nothing as a problem, but instead as an opportunity to figure it out, create a solution, and to help others. She expects it to be fine.

Will she outgrow her youthful optimism?
Maybe she will, or maybe she will be one of the lucky ones that ‘gets it’ for the rest of her life. Maybe she will grow and blossom in this natural state, the way we were all meant to be.

But for now, can we learn a lesson from her? Can we begin looking at life challenges and difficulties as solvable? Can we change our self-talk to more of a can do, will do, confirmation of support? Will this make everything in life rosy and happy? Probably not, but let’s create a new ticker-tape in our minds. One that is a positive projection for others and ourselves.
No Problem.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~~
Pennie's Life Lesson:
  “Look at life as an opportunity to create solutions, and to help others.
- NO Problem!”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Pennie Heart to Heart
NO PROBLEM

YOUR TURN...
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to pay attention to how you respond to life. Can you say, "No Problem?"
Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at:
PennieHunt@gmail.com.
Thank you!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
            All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2013-2020 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.

LET ME LIVE UNTIL I DIE

8/15/2020

The taxi ride was uncomfortable. Heat pushed on my chest. From the driver’s window the dry wind blew in my face with relentless force. The driver, looking at me in his rear view mirror, asked me why I was in town and what I do for a living.
I quickly gave him my elevator speech. Struggling to send my words through the hot wind I ended with,

"I teach people how to Love Their Life-
   NO MATTER WHAT!"

As I delivered the words to him, the smell of smoke from the last passenger filled my nose, a crack in the vinyl seat pushed through my jeans and I realized the situation tested my own mantra.
I wasn't loving my life right now!

He became extremely interested and told me how his aging mom was very unhappy.
Then he hit me with the question that turned the heat of the day into a quiet background of minor distraction.

       "Can YOU teach my mom how to
   live until she dies?"

Could I?
Could I teach myself that?
What would it take to REALLY live every day I have?
How could I age into the person I hope to be at 80, 85, 90 and beyond?
How could "I" live ... really live until I die?

I created a wish list... a request....a prayer...

LET ME LIVE UNTIL I DIE

Please let me age with grace and primp with glory. Let me move with ease, bend to my toes, and reach for the sky. Let me wear shiny lipstick and curl my hair. Let my nails be manicured and my eyes shine. Let me wear colorful dresses that swirl when I walk and red high heels that click as I step.

Please let me be a fearless spirit and see adventure as rejuvenating. Let me be the one who wants to skydive at 80 and ride a Harley at 90. Let me feel the wind of possibility twirl around me never allowing the words, "I can't" to cross my determination.

Please let me giggle in girlish delight and blush when I flirt. Let me dance with boys at 90 and dance alone in the kitchen. Let me drop tears from happiness and lift spirits with contagious laughter. Let me be spontaneous with kind encouragement for others.

Please let me use the lessons of my childhood. Let me swing in the wind and slide every slide. Let me remember that please and thank you are words of kindness. Let me forgive those who have hurt, harmed, or rejected me as easily as I forgive the waitress for my lukewarm coffee or the person who pushes in front of me in line -- when I move too slowly. Let me be grateful for the hands that hold mine and the gifts I am given. Let me be reminded to share my toys in the sandbox and share love with my family, friends, and the world.

Please let my mind remember the memories.   The people who touched me, the experiences I had, the love I gave, and the love I was given. Embed in my mind these visions as colorful oil painted masterpieces that never fade. Let my mind not be so cluttered with details of despair that it fogs the joys of my years. Allow clarity of every amazing moment I've experienced so that I re-feel them intensely and cherish them deeply.

Please let me breathe every moment. See every sunrise. Hear every song. Dance every dance. Be kissed by every snowflake and stomp in every rain puddle. Let my joy in the joyous and sing with the songbirds. Let me hold tiny hands and hug every heart. Let me marvel in every moment of magnificence, no matter how simple and no matter how grand. Let me run the race to the end, laugh until the credits roll, and love until my heart is stretched and pushing through my chest.

Please let me press deeper into peace with every wrinkle and spiral closer to my soul with every year. Let me be patient in the process of living and accepting of the unimaginable purity of love that waits on the other side. Let me see the un-seeable as it surrounds me. Let me joyfully anticipate the unknown ahead as the known I believe it will be. Let me live with sweet peacefulness in my spirit and my soul.

Please, oh please, let me live until I die.

Pennie’s Life Lesson:
“Cherish every moment.
    Live, REALLY live until you die.”

Pennie Heart to Heart
LET ME LIVE UNTIL I DIE

YOUR TURN...
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to pay attention to how you live your life.
Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at:
PennieHunt@gmail.com.
Thank you!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
            All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2013-2020 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.

THE YEARS BETWEEN 4 and 85

8/8/2020

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 pine cones 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 ladybug 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 and 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:
PennieHunt@gmail.com.
Thank you!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
            All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2013-2020 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.

LET GO OF THE TUPPERWARE!

7/31/2020

I opened the door and the assortment fell on my head.

I picked them up off the floor, grabbed the step stool and climbed up to shove them all back into the overflowing cabinet like I had done hundreds of times.

As I jostled and pushed the bowls, pitchers and pickle containers back into the black hole of plastic, it occurred to me –WHY don’t I let go of the Tupperware?

Thirty years ago Tupperware parties were the acceptable girls-night-out. We all took turns hosting the gatherings where we listened to the sales pitch, ate cake, drank coffee and shared the secrets (okay, gossip) of the day and then ordered the obligatory plastic item.

At the time it seemed expensive, but the justification came with the durability of it, the perceived usefulness of it, the cool factor of the new products AND the lifetime guarantee. It was virtually indestructible, but if some major mishap did occur it would be replaced.

Along with this came a free add on with every item -- guilt.

I am convinced it was molded into each piece during the factory creation. It was an unwritten code that you WOULDkeep it forever. After all – the investment . . . the lifetime guarantee…and someday I will need it!

What do you have in your home that you won’t let go of? What ties up the space in your heart and mind that is bound with the guilt of investment and a someday but, never-to-be-used promise or guarantee?

Is your closet overflowing with clothes? Is there an unhealthy relationship in your life? Are you in a job you hate? Do you hold a victim story in your heart that you retell over and over?

The Tupperware of our lives comes in all forms. We invest in all of them with time, money and energy in the hope of a future pay off. And then there is the elusive guarantee of need –someday, of weight loss – someday, of love –someday, of a promotion – someday, and someday this victim story is going to explain why everything happens to me.

Maybe it was the 700th time of having a load of hard plastic fall on my head that finally spurred me to make a change. Maybe it was the recognition that it will never wear out so the guarantee doesn't matter. Maybe it was the realization that I will never use it – not even someday.

The why doesn't matter, but now it is packed in a box ready to be donated. My cabinet is organized, clean and clear. My guilt is gone.
I feel free!

When will you let go of your Tupperware?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie’s Life Lesson:
"We have things in our closets, hearts and minds that we hold on to in hopes of someday. ~ Let them go!"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

YOUR TURN...
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to let go of things that no longer serve you.
Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at:
PennieHunt@gmail.com.
Thank you!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
            All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2013-2020 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.

NO NEW NORMAL

7/24/2020

Are you tired of hearing the words,
The New Normal?
I am.
I have always disliked that phrase.
It is a filler that people use in conversations when they don’t know what to say.
When you get married, divorced, move, have a child, retire, and at funerals, you can expect to hear this comment,
“Well, you will need to get used to
the new normal.”
I don’t believe in this concept.

I remember as a kid listening in on our telephone party line. For those of you much younger than me, a party line was when one telephone circuit was shared by multiple telephone service subscribers. In my case several homes. I would pick up the phone to see if anyone was talking before I could make a call.

Our party line consisted of many families, but my favorite to listen to was a lady who spoke only German. I didn’t know what she was saying, but it was fun to listen until she would hear me giggle and insist that I get off the line. Being caught, I would immediately hang up. A party line was the only phone communication I knew so it seemed normal.

I remember when my family received our very own line and I only had to worry about my brother picking up one of the extensions in our home while I was talking to my girlfriends, or more humiliating for me, talking to a boyfriend.
Was this the new normal?

The day my Dad came home carrying what looked like a shoe box sized suitcase, my family was instructed to sit on the couch while he demonstrated his newest treasure. A phone that you could carry with you everywhere you went. To our embarrassment he did just that. I don’t actually ever remember it ringing, but it was often taken out of the box and shown off while his friends gasped in amazement.
Was this the new normal?

It was just 20 short years ago that everyone began carrying the fancy new flip phones. I was not an early adapter. I felt the only reason to have one was to be able to order pizza on my way home from work and synchronize the delivery person with my arrival at home. Soon enough, I was ordering pizza.
Was this the new normal?

Fast forward to today. I no longer have a flip phone, but a hand sized computer that holds my appointment calendar, address book, digital wallet, music, camera, and years’ worth of photographs, and important messages. It is truly the digital version of my entire life in my pocket.
Is this the new normal?

I could relate this kind of progression to the television, fashion, or our aging bodies. I don’t look at it as if our “normal” has become new. Instead, I believe this evolution is change and there is nothing more normal than change. Change can occur slowly or hit us with the speed of tragedy. Either way we should expect it.

Our lives don’t stay the same on any level. Babies are born. Children grow up. Illness occurs. People age and die. Products are invented. Art is created. Trees grow and mountains erode. The world coordinates compromise and begins battles.
Change happens.
Is any of it normal?
Is all of it normal?

Our world has seen a lot of change in the past few months. We have been asked to accept many new ways of living. What if we stopped saying, this is the New Normal and realized that nothing is stagnant, and change is part of life.
And yes, change is normal.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~~
Pennie's Life Lesson:
“Change can occur slowly or
hit us with the speed of tragedy.
Either way we should expect it.
Change is normal.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

YOUR TURN...
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to think about how change happens.
Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at:
PennieHunt@gmail.com.
Thank you!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
            All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2013-2020 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.

OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR!

7/18/2020

There are words printed on the passenger side mirror of your vehicle that read,

“OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR"
Have you ever noticed it? Have you ever really read it or given any thought to the meaning?

This is a warning for you to be cautious of a potential problem. You see, the mirror is convex, or curved, to increase the field of view, which also makes the objects seem smaller. Since smaller objects seem further away it is easy to misjudge the space you as a driver have to maneuver when passing another vehicle or changing lanes.

The warning is required by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and yet, we hardly ever notice it. We drive, pass other vehicles and change lanes as if we are in autopilot.

How many other areas of our life should we be mindful of this warning? We hold our newborn for the first time listening to their baby sounds feeling like we will hold them forever, but we blink and they are graduating from high school.

We believe our parents will always be our rock of strength and support and then, one day, we become their foundation of safety as they become smaller, weaker and can no longer accurately tell us stories of their life. Our life.

We think we have all the time in the world to accomplish our dreams of going back to school, writing a book or traveling to a magical destination. The problem is we misjudge the space of time we have between now and then. We think there will always be time. Lots of time. We forget that objects in the mirror are closer than they appear.

We will wake up one morning and that time is gone. The space has closed. We have passed the opportunity. None of us know how much time we have here in this life, but whether you are given 22 years here or 100 the future comes quicker than we think. That tiny speck in the distance that you think of as so far away is closer than it appears.
Heed the warning.
Do what you want to do now!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie’s Life Lesson:
“The future is closer than it appears.
Do what you want to do NOW.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Pennie Heart to Heart
OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR

YOUR TURN...
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to think about how fast time goes by - do what you want to do now before it's too late!
Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at:
PennieHunt@gmail.com.
Thank you!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
            All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2013-2020 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.

IT IS OK

7/12/2020

Well friends, today I am tired.
I am feeling drained and guilty.
Drained because my body feels weak, my mind feels overwhelmed, and my motivation is missing in action. I have tried 20 times this week to write something encouraging, something witty, something optimistic to share with you. Each time I gazed at a blank screen.

It is not like I have been running marathons or overworking my mind. I feel guilty because I am not accomplishing or producing. I feel guilty because I have no logical reason to be in this state.
But you know what... it is OK.

And then I realized.... This is exactly what I should write about. If it is happening to me, it is probably happening to others.
I believe we are so bombarded with news reports, numbers, and negativity that we are overwhelmed physically and emotionally. Throughout this roller coaster, I think we have all had ups and downs. Bursts of energy and slumps of sadness. All. Of. Us. Even me- the happiness lady.
And it is OK.

Several months ago, I was talking to a friend of mine about aging. She made a comment that went something like this - you sit in a chair because you don’t want to do anything, then you don’t do anything, then you can’t do anything.

It was one of those comments that stuck in my mind following me through my days and my dreams. I realized this morning that it isn’t just about aging. It can happen at any age.

Then I recognized the answer to my quandary. When we let circumstances that are out of our control take over our lives, we allow the things we can control to fall apart.

There is so much going on now that we can’t control. If we allow this to be our every thought, our every conversation, and our every breath we will immobilize ourselves. We become emotionally and physically exhausted and overwhelmed. All we want to do is sit in a chair. We don’t want to do anything, so we don’t do anything. If we do nothing long enough- we can’t do anything.

Atrophy sets in. This is not just a problem of the aging body. Atrophy can attack the body, mind, emotions, and motivation at any age. Looking at myself objectively, this is exactly what has been happening to me.

My days have been slipping away as if the sun comes up and immediately goes down with nothing much of substance in between. My days are lost in a blur of showering, getting dressed, and getting ready for bed. I don’t want to do anything. So, I don’t.

This revelation frightened me because I know what comes next. If I don’t change my pattern soon, I move to the last step - I can’t do anything.

This has been a wake-up call for me. I may not be able to control what is happening in the world or outside my home, but I can control what is happening in my mind and body.

I know what works for me- meditation; limiting my intake of news to enough to be informed and educated, but not saturated with overwhelm and negativity; exercise; eating healthy; connecting with people; sunshine and fresh air; loving my dogs... and so much more.

I know that doing these things will get my mind and body moving. The outside world will shift to a perspective that I control. My inside mind and emotions will shift into a place where I want to do things, so I do things, and I CAN do things.

I may still have an occasional lost day, but now I know the antidote.
And, it is OK.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~~
Pennie's Life Lesson:
“When we let circumstances that are out of our control
take over our lives,
we allow the things we can control to fall apart.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Pennie Heart to Heart
IT IS OK!

YOUR TURN...
My intent in sharing this with you is to share how I am feeling and help you understand that how ever we feel is ok.
Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at:
PennieHunt@gmail.com.
Thank you!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
            All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2013-2020 Pennie Hunt
This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt.
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THE ICECREAM BUCKET

7/3/2020

The rusty handle fit every hand.

The hand of my grandfather as he turned and churned the milky richness inside.

The hand of my uncle as he packed ice and salt in the open space between the wooden slats and the metal cylinder, then taking over the chore and pleasure of the cranking.

The hand of my father as he impishly pushed his brother-in-law from the crank so he too could take credit for blending the anticipated delight.

The hands of my cousins, brother, sister and me struggling with joyous giggles, layering hand on top of hand to create the strength to turn the crank. Taking turns, we sat on the blanket covered throne watching the melting ice turn to cloudy salt water running down the side.

And then, when all capacity to budge the handle even one more turn became impossible, my grandmother’s bony hands pulled the frosted silver chamber from the bucket, opening it to reveal the deliciousness of my childhood.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~~
Pennie's Life Lesson:
“The simplicity of life becomes
the boldest of memories.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

YOUR TURN...
My intent in sharing this with you is to spur a memory. What do you remember about summers of your past?
Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at:
PennieHunt@gmail.com.
Thank you!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
            All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2013-2020 Pennie Hunt
This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt.
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I WILL PLANT AGAIN

6/28/2020

I went out to water my garden. I use the word, garden, loosely.
It is a dog pen that the former owners built on the back of my garage.
I have repurposed it to be a tiny garden area just big enough for green beans, carrots, spinach, and if I am lucky a tomato plant. At a time when the entire world seems off-kilter, it has become my little 12 x 8-foot corner of happiness. I love to watch things grow. It gives me great joy to remind my husband that the tomato in his salad was grown by me!

The fence around it keeps the deer out, but the bunnies and gophers have no problem sliding under it to enjoy, what they believe to be, their personal delicacies. To stop them, I have built up rocks around the perimeter and adorned it with flags and brightly colored whirling flowers. This has worked well until now.

That morning as I happily walked through the garage and opened the door that leads directly into the garden my happiness was squelched. One day before, I had three pretty rows of green beans, some feathery carrot tops, and a row of radishes. The carrot tops and radishes had vanished and half a row of beans had morphed from a flourishing line of green to single sticks stripped of their leaves. I didn’t know if it had been a bunny or a gopher that had filled their tummy, but I was angry. I instantly began silently spewing unkind thoughts in my head about these little varmints. It takes A LOT to get me angry, but this did it. They had invaded my private sanctuary.

I watered what was left and headed out for my morning walk. The area where I live is quiet with sprawling lots and wide curving roads. Typically, this is a peaceful time for me, but I couldn’t get the vision of my pitiful garden out of my mind. It is amazing how anger can push movement. I walked faster and faster. And then, in the middle of the road, I had to dodge to the side to keep from stepping on the body of a little gopher. It startled me and my anger went to sadness.
I walked on thinking about how many times I had watched these little creatures’ jet across the road in front of a car, their tiny legs moving faster than seemed possible.

Not more than 15 minutes further on my walk it happened again. This time it was a bunny in the road. My heart sank. I will admit to being more partial to the bunnies than the gophers. I watch them in the spring do their Cirque du Soleil act and sunbathe in my yard. I delight in naming the new babies and watch for them to return the next year.

My walk became slower as I realized the same playful balls of cuteness that I love to watch are also the ones that moments earlier I was enraged at for eating my garden. The shock of seeing the lifeless bodies in the road as I walked also slapped me with reality.
Did I really believe that deep below the earth the bunnies huddled together to conspire against me and my garden?
Did I really believe that gophers were vindictive?
No.
They do what animals (and humans) do- they dig holes to create a safe home for themselves and their families. They hunt and gather to find food for survival. They play and lay in the sunshine. They suffer accidents and loss.

When I sat down to write about this my anger had subsided. I had resolved to plant a few more seeds and salvage what was left of my garden.

As I typed I heard rumbling. The sky turned black opening to a lavish amount of rain and hail. Once again, I opened the door to my garden. The hail poured over my feet. What was left of my garden was now thrashed with more damage than any small animal could cause.

How simple our lives really are. We all want the same thing. To feel safe. To have food and shelter. To have someone to love and care for and love and care for us.
It is an uncomplicated formula.

At times it is easy to accomplish and we find ourselves feeling like a lucky bunny nibbling with joy in a field of fresh bean plants. At times life is difficult and we are slapped with the reality of uncertainty, fear, and loss. The trick is to accept and adapt to what we can’t control and be brave enough to start over.

Next year I will plant again.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie’s Life Lesson:
“Be brave enough to begin again.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Pennie Heart to Heart
I WILL PLANT AGAIN

YOUR TURN...
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to be brave enough to begin again.
Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at:
PennieHunt@gmail.com.
Thank you!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
            All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2013-2020 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.

THIS IS A GOOD DAY

6/21/2020

I hugged him, kissed his forehead and said good night.
As I turned to walk away, he grabbed my arm and said,
     “This is a good day, such good day!”

It was a month before he passed away.
On a day that was circled with oxygen levels, medication and a sheepskin covered recliner – the things that became his life toward the end—I marveled at those words.

I looked at him in amazement and smiled at this incredible man. His mind was bright and clear but, it was as though his body was wilting as the determined disease gained control. Even though he knew he was dying, he continued to be grateful and look at life in a positive way.

But that was my Dad, Charlie Hunt.
He was a teacher.
Every day that he walked into his classroom filled with students he felt he was making a difference in their lives. But, outside of that, I am not sure if he knew he was teaching and making a difference with others in the grander classroom of life.

He demonstrated lessons in humility, kindness, dedication, and compassion. Once when I had treated him to a special gift he said,
   “Oh, I don’t need anything this fancy;
       you know we are just simple people.”

My Dad was teaching even in his last days. The final lesson he taught me was that no matter what life brings your way, always remember to begin and end every day knowing
      “THIS IS A GOOD DAY,
        SUCH A GOOD DAY!”

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could all live life as simple people who celebrate every day in this way?
                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie's Life Lesson-
“No matter what life brings your way, begin and end every day knowing ~
  THIS IS A GOOD DAY,
SUCH A GOOD DAY!"
                ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

YOUR TURN...
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to enjoy every moment of every day... you never know how many days you will have. Every day IS a good day!
Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at:
PennieHunt@gmail.com.
Thank you!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
            All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2013-2020 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.

WHY DIDN'T I

6/14/2020

Her nail polish was cheerful turquoise.
It matched the bright, happy color of her headband, however, everything between the nail polish and headband spoke of sadness.

Her teenage shoulders were bent from weakness as if they had carried years of stress. Her blue eyes rarely connected with mine as she took my order and prepared my sandwich.

It was a quick lunch stop for me as I was driving home from a speaking event.
In. . . and . . . out.
That is what I wanted.

It was late in the afternoon and only hunger could interrupt my determination to get home.

A fast sandwich and then back on the road.
I paid her, thanked her and hustled away with my lunch.

The whole time her despair was knocking on my heart’s door saying,
“Help, Help, let me in!”

I ran through the rain to the safety of my car and began the drive again. With every bite I took and every mile I drove I thought of her.

The knocking was still there.
The heaviness of her sadness.

The guilt grew with every swish of my windshield wipers. Guilt for keeping the words I wanted to say to her inside… beating them down deep into my throat because I didn’t want to take the time.

My mind was going faster than the speed limit with thoughts of ~

Why didn’t I?
Why didn’t I talk to her?
Why didn’t I ask about her day, her family, her life?

The shop was slow, I could have taken the time to talk to her, to help her, if only by showing I cared.

Why didn’t I?

How many times have I done this- missed an opportunity to help a stranger, or even someone close to me?

The heart knocks happen in small ways.
A word. A look. A feeling.
They are easy to miss and easy to ignore.

And yet, it is so easy to take a moment to smile, to ask, to give words of encouragement or a hug.
It’s so easy to let someone know you care.

Life lessons are hard to learn.
Especially when you miss the opportunity and there isn’t a “do over.”

This is one I won’t forget
Her turquoise sadness I won’t forget.
Next time I feel that knocking on my heart from someone in need, I will take the time.

Pennie’s Life Lesson:
“Never miss a chance to care, help and show kindness. Never miss a chance to love.”

YOUR TURN...
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to pay attention to times when you can help, say a kind word, or show you care. Take the time.
Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at:
PennieHunt@gmail.com.
Thank you!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
            All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2013-2020 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.

MAKE THIS DAY MEANINGFUL

5/31/2020

They wake me up every day at 5:30. My furry Shih Tzu alarm clocks are prompt and routine driven. After a visit to the yard, ice water, (yes, they are spoiled), and breakfast, they happily follow me, coffee in hand, to my office. I sit in my chair and cover my lap with their favorite blanket. Maneuvering into a blended ball of fur, they snuggle down on my lap for meditation time. Putting my headphones on is the final cue for them to take a nap.

They follow this routine every day. In a similar way, I follow mine. When I wake up, I take a minute lying in bed to run through a mental list of what I am grateful for. Once I am up and have completed the dog routine, I do some form of meditation. I always use headphones to keep distractions away and because of this, it has been deemed my “plugin” time. I then read something uplifting, do some writing, and set my intention for the day.

Over the years my intentions have been to have a happy day, complete a project, or tied to an action. This week that changed.

I had been invited by a friend to read, “The Book of Joy.” Books like this tend to take me a while, as I like to read a little and allow it to marinate through my mind and heart. As I finished reading one of the chapters, I was struck by a line that the Dalai Lama said,
“I set my intention for the day:
That this day should be meaningful.”

That was powerful. That took my breath. That is when I stopped reading. It was going to take some time to digest this concept. I thought of how many years I had been setting a daily intention. Had I been doing it wrong?

Suddenly my daily intentions actually felt more like goals. A check mark on a to-do list. Something specific to accomplish or produce. Had any of my intentions brought meaning to my day or my life? This one line forced me to rediscover my purpose for daily intentions. In a way, it opened so many possibilities. By setting my intention every morning that my day should be meaningful without stipulations, criteria, or expectations it creates a new way of living. It allows for the unexpected and opens space for the interpretation of meaningful.

I began looking back at my life. How many days do I remember as holding meaning? How many days made a difference? We all have meaningful days when events happen in our lives like graduations, weddings, births, and deaths. We all know markers in history that were meaningful for our world. Hopefully, we have all had days when we have been good humans and done
meaningful things to make a difference and, in our way, move humanity forward. Big things are meaningful and memorable. But I believe by setting the intention of having a meaningful day it doesn’t always have to be the grand in-the-news type of action.

Meaningful can be smiling at strangers, helping your neighbor, or reading a book to a child.
Meaningful can be showing compassion and concern to someone with less than we have. Meaningful can be holding the hand of someone who is grieving.
Meaningful can be expressing love and joy.
Meaningful can be listening to someone else’s opinion even though it does not pair with yours.
Meaningful can be spending a day in nature to appreciate its glory and to rejuvenate our own soul.
Meaningful can be reading a book, watching a documentary, going to the gym, or doing something for self-improvement.
Meaningful can be so many things to each of us.

This morning as I took off my headphones and looked at my sweet dogs curled on my lap I thought, please let this day be meaningful. My intention is that when I lay my head on the pillow tonight and think about my day, I will believe it was.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie’s Life Lesson: “Set your intention to make every day meaningful.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

YOUR TURN...
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to make your days meaningful.
Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at:
PennieHunt@gmail.com.
Thank you!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
            All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2013-2020 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.

SEARCHING FOR SUCCESS AND HAPPINESS?

5/23/2020

Are you searching for the secret to happiness?

Do you wonder why other people seem to be more successful than you—even if you believe that you work harder than they do?

In my mind, a big part of happiness and success comes down to three attributes.
~The ability to accept and adapt to change.
~The ability to believe you are Good Enough to love and be loved.
~The ability to express gratitude.

Let me break these down for you.
I grew up in a military family. I knew when my Dad came home with a manila envelope that inside were transfer orders and the location of where we would be moving to. I remember the feeling of being the new kid walking down a classroom aisle to an empty desk in the front row while everyone stared at me. I hated it. I learned as a little girl that I had a choice -- make friends on the playground or stand alone. I realized that I needed to accept the changes that occurred when we moved to a new community, adapt to my new environment, make friends, and enjoy the journey.

This has served me well through career changes, divorce, and grief. While others live in the Who-Moved-My-Cheese stagnation unable to accept that their life has changed and unable to adapt to the new adventures ahead of them, successful, happy people hone the ability to accept and adapt. You may not always like the event that spurred the change, (and there is always change) but you must cultivate the ability to thrive in the space you find yourself – no matter what!

We are bombarded with the message that we are Not Good Enough! We all protect that sore space hidden inside where we believe we are not thin enough, smart enough, rich enough…the list goes on and on. The newest guilt inducers verified by the thousands of self-help books on the market are that we are not happy enough, healthy enough, or holy enough.

Here is the thing – WE ARE ALL GOOD ENOUGH! I believe that just by the pure biological chance that we were created and survived the birthing process proves this –it is no accident! We were all meant to be here. I believe you are good enough and I can tell you this all day, but YOU must do the work on this one. YOU must come to believe, right down to your inner core, that YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH!

It doesn’t matter what trauma you had as a child or what wrongs you have committed you must come to a place of knowing that you are good enough to love and be loved. If you don’t believe it no one else will believe it of you. Relationships, love, happiness, and success will avoid you—after all you are sending off the vibe that you aren’t good enough and don’t deserve it. When you are circled in that type of negativity- happiness and success beware!

Lastly, you must express gratitude. Until you are grateful for what you have, you will never receive more. Let me repeat that, until you are grateful for what you have, you will never receive more. If all you have is a pair of shoes on your feet and a sandwich to eat for lunch, be grateful for that! Then dig deeper. Be grateful every morning that you open your eyes. Be grateful for every step, every breath, and every moment you are given and for all that your life is filled with.

Don’t just say, “Thank you.” You must feel gratitude with every cell of your body. Tell others why you are thankful for them. Write thank-you notes, make phone calls, volunteer, journal, pray, sing, dance – whatever moves you to a grateful, loving place. Do it!

You cannot hold on to a negative like hurt, anger, or fear when you are filled with love and gratitude. Practice the ability to express gratitude until it becomes part of your DNA.
Life is wild and unpredictable.

If you are in search of happiness and success, begin studying the people you know who are happy and successful. I believe it won’t take you long to see that they hold and nurture these three qualities. They accept and adapt to change. They believe they are good enough. For them, expressing gratitude is not just social politeness, it is ingrained in sincerity.

When you begin to cultivate and practice these three attributes you may just find yourself smack dab in the middle of happiness and success.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie’s Life Lesson:
“To be happy and successful cultivate these three attributes: The Ability to accept and adapt to change; The Ability to believe you are Good Enough to love and be loved; and The Ability to express gratitude.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

YOUR TURN...
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to study successful happy people. Watch for these three attributes and then practice them yourself.
Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at:
PennieHunt@gmail.com.
Thank you!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
            All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2013-2020 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.

NO LIFEGUARD ON DUTY!

5/16/2020

The air was warm, the sun shining and the pool inviting. The sign was very clear-
WARNING
NO LIFEGUARD ON DUTY!

This meant it was my choice to jump in the pool, but I was doing so at my own risk. I should be able to swim, because if not there was no one here to help me.

Luckily, I am a fairly proficient swimmer and was in the water in a flash! I kept rereading the sign as I paddled around the pool.

Isn’t that how life is? We are never promised calm waters and smooth sailing. We do not have personal lifeguards on duty to keep our heads above water or throw us a life ring. We are not given lifeboats that we can float in when life throws us difficult times.
We must learn, as the saying goes,
to Sink or Swim.

NO LIFEGUARD ON DUTY is an invisible sign that hangs over all of our lives. It gives us a choice. We can either be brave enough to jump in and experience life
- OR -
We can forever sit on the side of the pool wondering what the cool water feels like.
Wondering if we could swim.
Wondering if we could save ourselves if the water begins to swirl.
Wondering if we could finish the length, win the race and hold the trophy.

My choice is to dive right in and submerge myself in the joys of life. I have become my own Lifeguard - watching carefully for the dangers and knowing that rough waters will face me and when they do I will get through them- head down and determined to move forward.

We may not be given our own personal Lifeguard, but that won’t stop me from jumping in every pool I see.
Will you join me or hold my towel?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie's Life Lesson:
“Be your own Lifeguard.
Jump in the water of life!”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Pennie Heart to Heart
NO LIFEGUARD ON DUTY

YOUR TURN...
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to be safe, but jump in and enjoy life.

Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at:
PennieHunt@gmail.com.
Thank you!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
            All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2013-2020 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.

SECRETS YOUR MOM NEVER TELLS YOU --ABOUT BEING A MOM

5/10/2020

At 19 I jumped in the front seat of the craziest, scariest, most exhilarating roller coaster ride of my life. BAM! I Became A Mom!

I was mature, smart and ready to take on the world. (Weren’t we all at 19?) Little did I know that being a mom would be the most rewarding, life changing, ride I would ever jump into.
And jump I did, not once, but four times.

Everyone watched me do it.
And no one warned me about what was ahead – the ups, the downs, the jerks, the curves and the whiplashing shocks.
My own mother didn’t even hold up the“CAUTION PROCEED WITH CARE”sign!
She never told me the BAM of Being A Mom was a life jolt. She never told me the secrets.

She never told me that being a mom opens your heart to a love that you could never imagine. The birthing and cutting of a physical umbilical cord that attaches you human-to-human in no way cuts the invisible golden cords that attach you heart-to-heart. Their body may birth to the world an independent being, but a piece of this new soul is forever kept inside and connected to you.

She never told me that being a mom makes you vulnerable in a way you have NEVER been before. You open yourself to being dropped to your knees by your child’s tears, broken hearts and disappointments.
Their pain is your pain.

She never told me that being a mom means you will never sleep again. Well, never the same way you slept prior to the BAM. You may be prepared for the first months of sleep deprivation caused by night diaper changes and bottles that will soon pass.
What you aren’t ready for is the rest of your life sleeping with one ear half open to hear their cries from a nightmare, moans from a fever and footsteps as your teenager sneaks in the house passed curfew.
What you don’t know is long after they have grown and moved out of your home, you will sleep with a part of your heart open hoping they are safe, happy and loved.
You will never sleep fully again.

She never told me that being a mom is a 24 hour, 7 day a week, forever occupation.
No vacation days,
No sick leave and
No quitting!
Once you accept the position you are locked in heart, mind and soul – FOR LIFE!
**She never even whispered that it is a job you will love with all of your heart – and some days you won’t. On those days, you will peak at their sleeping faces and then wrap yourself in a cocoon of guilt and shame for allowing yourself to hate the job you love.

She never told me that being a mom brings you trophy words like Pride, Joy and Happiness that you can hang on your wall in an expression of motherhood.
It also brings you words like Anger, Hurt and Exhaustion that, in an attempt to hide your fear of inadequacy, you swallow and tuck in your belly hiding them so no one sees.

She never told me that being a mom makes you strong enough to endure the unthinkable.
You take on the risk of being told the baby you carry no longer has a heartbeat and you must be strong enough to walk out of the hospital carrying an empty blanket.
You take on the risk of birthing, nurturing and loving your child for years and then receiving the phone call that they are gone. In both cases holding tightly to the golden cords that now reach to your angel child.

She never told me that being a mom makes you understand that you will be joyous when your daughter is grown and has children of her own. You will watch through tears and laughter as she learns for herself, the unspoken secrets of being a mom.

Looking back, I would tell that naïve, 19 year old girl, who thought she knew it all,
to jump.
Jump with all the love, anticipation and joy she has because through all the ups and downs being a mom is the most amazing ride she will ever be on.
And through it all she will learn the unspoken code of never saying out loud the secret lessons of Being A Mom.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie’s Life Lesson:
“Mom’s are the gentle holders of our hearts. Hold theirs in return.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

YOUR TURN...
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to  understand the ultimate love that goes in to being a MOM! Love yours today!!!

Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at:
PennieHunt@gmail.com.
Thank you!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
            All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2013-2020 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.

May 10th, 2020

5/10/2020

ARE YOU SATISFIED?

5/3/2020

The server began clearing the dishes from our table and said,

“Would you like to order dessert or are you satisfied?”

This comment made me push back from the table and sit up straight. It wasn’t uncommon to be asked if you would like dessert after a restaurant meal. I’m used to hearing,
   “Would you like dessert?”
   “Did you save room for dessert?”
   “Can I tempt you with a sweet treat?”
And so many other ways I’ve been asked that question.
But…
It was the way she asked it that caused me to pause. Am I satisfied? I had to rethink my plan. Many times when I go out for a nice dinner, I automatically order dessert.

Sometimes I am completely stuffed by the time I have made my way through an appetizer, salad, the main meal…. and of course, dessert is part of the ritual of dining out. Being satisfied with what I had consumed so far had never played into the mindless response of ordering dessert.
I always want dessert!

The way she asked the question forced me to differentiate my want from my need; my contentment from my greed; my hunger from my desire.

The truth was I was full. My hunger had been (by definition) satisfied. The way she posed the question humbled me. I had just enjoyed a lovely meal. The quality and quantity was more than many people in our world have to eat in a day. I was embarrassed to ask for more.

This experience happened years ago, and yet, I have never forgotten that server. I have never forgotten the question. I have never forgotten the lesson.

How many times in life do we automatically want more? We want a nicer car, a bigger home, a larger paycheck. We want more attention, more friends, more love, and more happiness. When did we become so unfulfilled with where we are? Why have we learned this behavior of never being content with what we have?

Satisfaction comes from knowing when our belly is full, our thirst is quenched, and our life needs are met. The reality is, we can only drive one car at a time. We can only occupy one home at a time. And, no matter how much money we have, we can only eat one burger at a time. Satisfaction comes from knowing when enough is enough.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie’s Life Lesson:
“Be satisfied with where you are right now, with what you have right now, with the breath you are taking right now. Satisfaction comes from knowing when enough is enough.”

Pennie Heart to Heart
ARE YOU SATISFIED?

YOUR TURN...
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to look at your life and realize when enough is enough.

Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at:
PennieHunt@gmail.com.
Thank you!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
          All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2013-2020 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.

IT BEGAN WITH JUST ONE

4/24/2020

A few short months ago I never thought that masks would be a hot new wardrobe accessory.
I never thought I would be making them.
But, here we are.

It began with just one. I was only going to make one mask so my husband would be safe when he did his quick runs to the grocery store. After looking through many online patterns and watching a few YouTube videos, I chose the one I would make.

My first attempt was created from an old sheet. According to some articles, sheets with a high thread count work well for keeping germs away from your face. After cutting, pinning, pressing, and sewing, I tucked a tissue in the secret pocket for an extra layer of filtration as suggested.
I was proud when I presented my husband with the finished product. He was impressed too until he tried it on. It did not quite cover his face and the elastic straps were a bit too short. But it fit me perfectly, so the cream-colored prototype became mine.

I cut the next one from red polka dot cotton fabric - a little larger, man-sized. This time I tucked a coffee filter in the secret pocket. It fit him perfectly. He even liked the color.

I planned on stopping there, but then I thought about my mother-in-law, our kids and their spouses, our grandchildren, and my sister in Houston. My project became bigger and my mission more important. I dug deeper into my plastic tubs of fabric. I made three small ones covered in sport balls for grandsons. I made teal ones for our daughters. I made a ‘Paris green” one, which was the new favorite color of one granddaughter, and one with happy puppies for another. A large blue one big enough to cover one son’s beard that is growing longer and thicker with each passing work-from-home day.
Each mask became customized by personality, size, and color.
I happily checked off names from my list.

And then, I found it.
Tucked in some fabric I had kept from my mom’s collection after she passed away, was a scrap of cloth with horses trotting across a beige and blue background. My hands followed the path of the horses as I remembered how many times I had tucked my little cowboy in bed under his favorite horse quilt. I remembered how my mom had sewn each block together and her fingers had needled every quilted stitch. I remembered how much he loved the security of the quilt my mom made for him over 35 years ago and how those horses had kept him warm and safe. I held the treasure I had found knowing it was the last memory of that quilt.

My son’s daughter was 9 months old when he passed in 2007. She has grown into a brilliant and beautiful young lady who loves horses and sees the world through her daddy’s chocolate brown eyes. This small piece of cloth was barely enough to make a mask, but I knew who it was for.

Fabric has a way of piecing together memories and patching together families. A project born out of a time of fear and uncertainty became heart-work for me. What began with making one mask has turned into 35 and counting. Each one created to protect someone I love. Each one carrying the story of the fabric it was made from.

Out of all the masks I have made, there is one that holds a special power. An extra layer of protection that isn’t tucked in the secret pocket. It is a protection from the love embedded in the fabric. It is protection from my mom and my son for a special girl they both loved.
As her chocolate brown eyes peek over the top of the horses on her mask, I know she will be safe.

I never thought I would be making masks.
But, here we are.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie’s Life Lesson:
“The fabric you wear, the fabric you touch, and the fabric you
take for granted all carry a story.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

YOUR TURN...
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to think about how the fabric you wear, the fabric you touch, and the fabric you take for granted all carry a story.
Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at:
PennieHunt@gmail.com.
Thank you!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
          All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2013-2020 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.

WALK A MILE IN MY SMILE

4/19/2020

I have been called Pollyanna, Susie Sunshine, optimistic, positive and perky throughout my life. I accept all of those as terms of endearment, when actually at times they have been said in a teasing way.

I will admit to being a glass-is-full kind of girl. You know that saying, “Walk a mile in my shoes?” Well, I am asking you to,
“Walk a Mile in My Smile.”

I am far from perfect and I am not perky and positive every minute of every day. I have down times, sad days and occasionally become angry. But I am asking you to join me in the up-side of walking in my shoes.

I will admit to having the advantage of being blessed with a high happiness set point. This means I seem to keep a fairly high stance of happiness no matter what. When I do have the occasional gloomy, sad, inner rain, my body fights to regain its natural value of happiness.

But above that, I have learned to live with the habit of happiness. I have several rituals that I have used over the years to support this habit and they enable me to stay fairly true to my happiness set point. Here are just a few of these happiness enhancers that you may like to try.

Begin each day with gratitude. When your eyes open in the morning, take some time to lay there and be grateful for waking another day, for the bed you slept in, for the sleep you enjoyed and for the day ahead.

As you swing your feet off the bed for that first step of the day, say “Thank” as you place one foot down and “You” as you place the other foot. As you walk throughout your day, say “Thank you” with your steps. Subconsciously your mind will begin to fill in the blank of thank you for what.

As you are driving to work or to a meeting say, “Thank you” out loud for the meeting you are about to have, for the successful outcome and for the positive interaction you will have with those involved.

When you go to bed at night, instead of laying there running through the list of things you didn't get done or should have done differently, go through a mental list of thank-yous for all the people, places, and things that enriched your day.
An added bonus to this - If you have problems sleeping this will help with that too-- Counting thank-yous is better than counting sheep!

I bet you are noticing a pattern here. Yes, I believe the secret to my glass-is-always-full outlook is appreciation. If we appreciate every step we make, every breath we take and every interaction we have there will be little space left for negativity and anger.

Even if you have little to appreciate – begin there. Appreciate that. Be grateful for that. Say thank you for that.

As your appreciation grows so will your happiness. As your happiness grows the love you hold on the inside will spill to the outside and soon you will be walking miles in your own smile.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie's Life Lesson:
“As your appreciation and gratitude
grows so will your happiness!”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

YOUR TURN...
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to think about how you are feeling and the pressure you are putting on yourself.
Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at:
PennieHunt@gmail.com.
Thank you!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
          All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2013-2020 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.

HAFTA!!

4/12/2020

I woke up this morning already overwhelmed.

Before my eyes opened I was overwhelmed.

Before my feet even hit the floor I was overwhelmed.

  "There is so much I HAFTA do!"

My mind was already talking to me before I had time to shuffle to the coffee maker.
I HAFTA do laundry.
I HAFTA write a blog.
I HAFTA create my notes for a presentation next week.
I HAFTA hunt and gather, (my term for my not-so-favorite job of grocery shopping).
I HAFTA, I HAFTA, I HAFTA!   The list went on and on.

Feeling a bit less than enthusiastic to do any of it, suddenly the bubble over my head filled with...

"I don't HAFTA do anything!"  I really don't!

I decided that word should be banished from my vocabulary. I also decided to evict the words must, should, required, and for the bonus - I threw in gotta and oughtta!

The reality is what in life do we really HAFTA do?

I had clean clothes to wear today so I didn't HAFTA do laundry.

I wonder if I skipped a blog one week if anyone would actually notice and send me a 'where is it' message.

I know I could stand up and give my presentation next week without any notes.

And, I wouldn't starve if I didn't hunt and gather today.

Why do we put so much pressure on ourselves to feel like we are obligated to do...do...DO?

I realize we all have responsibilities in life and I am not saying we drop all common sense. I am saying we might be happier and healthier if we added common sense to our HAFTA list.

Once we get through the one or two things that are the necessary responsibilities and look further down the list, what if we measured them by whether they feed our soul or drain our energy. Whether they add joy or create chaos. Whether they lift our spirits or burden our soul.

What if we threw away our HAFTA lists and we began labeling tasks with the expressions of: like to; love to; want to; desire; crave; and even optional?

I realized that by taking away the forced implication of feeling like I "HAFTA" complete certain tasks and changing the mindset to a joyful desire of accomplishment that is totally optional, the overwhelm I felt went away.

Once my second cup of coffee set in I realized I like the tumbling hum of the dryer as it calms me to a place of feeling nestled and at home

I love to write-that is why I am either writing or thinking about writing all the time.

Sharing my message with people is my mission and making notes helps me feel prepared to give all I can to the people who come to hear me speak.

And after eating half of a very over ripe banana with my coffee, the vision of crackly fresh apples, baking banana bread and craving the smell of a simmering pot of vegetable soup made even the hunting and gathering outing seem desirable.

When I released the HAFTA pressure from my mind and turned most of my day into optional thinking I still accomplished just as much... and enjoyed the process!

Now with the smells of bread and soup swirling through my heart and home and my writing almost complete, I feel joyful, my soul has been fed and my spirit lifted to a higher space than when I woke this morning.

I don't HAFTA feel overwhelmed.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie's Life Lesson:
"Change your mindset from a
must do list to a want to list - then feel the stress and pressure
in your life lighten."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you think about how you are feeling and the pressure you are putting on yourself.
Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at:
PennieHunt@gmail.com.
Thank you!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
          All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2013-2020 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.

Happy, Healthy, and Safe!

4/5/2020

The writing I am sharing with you today, I wrote almost 3 years ago about moving my Mom, The Fernster, into a retirement community. My mantra became what I wished for her to be- Happy, Healthy, and Safe.
I feel like the circumstances are different, but right now during the Corona Virus it is the wish I hold for all my family, friends, community and the world – and myself.
During that time of transition, my mom was frightened and confused.
During today’s time of uncertainty, we are all frightened and confused.
Please read and share this! (My Mom passed almost 9 months ago- send her love to heaven)
And stay happy, healthy and safe!

“Mom, we want you to be Happy, Healthy and Safe.”
She scrunched up her face in a mixture of confusion, mistrust and fear. She didn’t like this conversation. It was an intervention we dreaded. Making a move from being independent and living on your own when you are 86 to a situation where caretakers are required is a difficult transition.
Difficult for my mom.
Difficult for her children.

The odd mixture of confusion and fear visited me as well. Guilt joined right in.

Emotionally, my heart wants my mom to be strong, beautiful and sound minded until she is 100.

Logically, my mind understands the small frail woman before me needs help.

Her driving has become a rotation of accidents, body shops, insurance rate hikes and relief that no one was hurt.

Her falls are becoming more and more frequent as evident by the swollen green and blue bump on her forehead.

Her memory sways like a breeze blowing through – at times gentle and kind with the sweet smell of freshness and at times as if a harsh wind has cleared any signs of her life from just moments before. Names are lost, appointments missed, bills are not paid.

I want her to be Happy, Healthy and Safe.
That has become my mantra.
Happy, Healthy and Safe.
Happy, Healthy and Safe.
In the weeks after that initial intervention conversation, we visited a variety of retirement facilities and signed a contract with one.

The process of separating her life into boxes of KEEP, DONATE and THROW AWAY was both physically and emotionally painful. There were clothes three sizes too big for her shrunken frame. Dishes and a tea pot collection from my grandmothers. Photos of my parents laughing when they were young, carefree and dating. My dad’s military records that have been tucked away since 2005 when he passed.

I wore gloves to keep my hands from being cut and bruised by the papers, boxes and cleaning supplies.
But, there was nothing to protect my heart as I relived the memories of my mom as we invaded her life.

The house was empty as I walked out the door and down the sidewalk past the "For Sale" sign.

Happy, Healthy and Safe.
I know her new environment is just that.
I know it is the right thing to do.
I know it is necessary.
I also know there is no going back into that home and the space where my mom was the mom I remember.
Happy Healthy and Safe.
     Happy Healthy and Safe.
Isn’t that what we all want?
Isn’t that what we all need?

I wish this for my friends, my community and the world.
I wish this for my family.
I wish this for myself.
And I wish this for my Mom.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie’s Life Lesson:
“We all want and need to be
   Happy, Healthy and Safe.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

YOUR TURN...
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you think about our world situation is trying to teach us about being happy,healthy and safe!
Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at:
PennieHunt@gmail.com.
Thank you!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
          All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2013-2020 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.

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.

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Photographs by Pennie Hunt and Materpiecebysarah.com