My name is Pennie Hunt and I am a Firewalker. That is probably not something you would expect me to say, but it is true. I even have the t-shirt to prove it!

Several years ago, I attended a motivational conference. After days of inner work about personal power and strength, focus and motivation, the climax of the event was a fire walk.

A huge pile of wood crackled and burned until it fell into a thick layer of chunky red-hot coals. We were instructed not to run, to walk at a slow, steady pace and don’t stop. Look up and forward at our destination, not down at the fiery hot coals. Others could stand behind the starting line, but fire walking was something we had to do alone.

As I stood at the edge of this path of fire watching others successfully walk through and celebrate at the finish line, I wondered if I had the courage to do it. The previous days of learning (and believing) that I had the strength to control my own outcome circled in my head.

Did I have the courage? The answer was, YES! As I stepped up to the coals, barefoot and ready, I heard the crowd cheering words of encouragement. Once I took the first step there was no turning back. The cheers became muffled behind me. I looked up, walked forward, and listened to my own voice tell me I could do it. As I stepped into the wet pad of moss waiting for me at the end, my hands flew up, my support team cheered, and yes, I may have cried with excitement-- I did it!

I came home from that event exhilarated and believing I could accomplish anything, after all, I was a Firewalker!! Many times since then I have revisited the learnings of that event and the feelings of walking over burning hot coals. I realize how it has related to the many fires I have walked through in my life. 

Here's the thing... Everyone is a Firewalker! We all walk through fire at some point in our lives.  These fires take many forms: divorce, health issues, loss of a job, or the death of someone you love. The lessons I learned that day on the burning coals work for all of life’s fires. I will share a few here.

You must take the first step. If you stand at the edge of the fire yearning for the soft landing on the other side, you will either be pushed in or remain living in a place of fear. You must take the first step.

You must take your time; walk slowly and experience the fire. If you try to rush the process believing that by running through you won’t feel the pain, hot coals will be kicked up lodging deeper into your skin. You will have to deal with the pain.

You must feel the fire, but keep moving through. If you get stuck too long, the fire begins to feel normal to you. You become used to the burning and the attention you receive for being there. Eventually, others may lose interest in your burning and leave you standing in the heat.

You must walk through your fires alone. You may have many people cheering you on from the sidelines, but ultimately you have to learn the lessons and walk through fires alone.

You must look up and forward as you walk. As you walk, if you continually look down at the fire, the fear will consume you causing you to live a life of victimization and bitterness. You must look ahead to a future past the fire.

You must check for smoldering sparks. Tiny pieces of hot coals stick between your toes and in the depths of your heart. These hidden sparks may seem harmless, but when left unattended may flare up again and again.

Say thank you and celebrate what was good about walking through fire. When you have walked through the fire, look back at what you accomplished. Honor the fire for the lessons it gave you --strength, courage, patience and love.   

You must believe you can. Finally, and most importantly, from the first step to the last, you MUST believe in yourself! 

I am Pennie Hunt and I am a Firewalker. And guess what, YOU are too.
                                ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                                                  Pennie’s Life Lesson:
               Believe you have the courage to walk through the fires of life
                            and be grateful for the lessons they teach you. 
                                ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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 © 2013-2023 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. ​

Do you believe you have value? I don’t mean a monetary price tag. I mean a value of importance and worth to family, friends, coworkers, employers and your community. Do you believe you hold value to them? Do you value yourself?

Hmmm. Never thought of that? We can become so caught up in our daily lives that we begin to go through the motions of work, school, caretaking, commitments, and obligations. All the things we believe we must do. We can become so mechanical in our actions that we don’t think about what value we are adding. We just move from one task to the next.

This can desensitize us to feeling the emotions that attach to our movements and to the people we are moving for. We can block the acceptance of gratitude and appreciation from others because we don’t see the value we have given them. And they don’t tell us. Our self-worth can settle into a space much lower than it should be because we have blocked the energy of value from others that would feed our worthiness.

If you asked someone what value you bring to them what would they say? A teenager may say things like – you take me to school and cook for me. A coworker may say – you get your work done on time so I can get mine done on time. These kinds of answers make us feel competent but might not make us feel valuable. What would your spouse or partner say if you asked the same question?

Wouldn’t it be great if the answers were – when you cook for me it makes me feel loved and cared for. Or -- when you get your work done on time you make me feel supported and that we are a team that can trust each other. Your value to me is the mutual trust and support we share.

Could you answer the question if someone asked what value they bring to you? It works both ways. If you want to feel valued, you must communicate to others how you value them. Action and body language communicate as deeply as words. When someone you care about walks into the room, look up from your computer or phone and show interest and happiness. Show that you value them enough to give them your full attention.

In business we talk about ‘value added’ and how we can add value to our product or service. Can we use this same concept in our life and interaction with others? Can we pay attention and really think about what value we are adding? Can we pay attention to what value others are adding?

Feeling valued and expressing how you value others becomes a dance of complicated simplicity. It is simple to tell people how important they are to you and why. It is simple to express your gratitude for them. We seem to make it complicated by couching our feelings in words of task accomplishments instead of words of value, appreciation and gratitude for having them in our lives.

Begin telling others today what value they bring to your life. Use words of feelings and emotions. You may be surprised how they will reciprocate by telling you what value you bring to them. You will begin to understand the value you hold, and your self-esteem and self-worth will grow. Your confidence will expand. Your relationships will flourish. How you value yourself will become an important compass for your life. You will know you have value.
​                            ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie’s Life Lesson:
                Express to others why they are valuable to you and your life.
                                     Believe you add value to them.
                                    Always, always, value yourself. 
​                            ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

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 © 2013-2023 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. ​

​When he hit the ball over the fence, all the coaches seated two rows in front of me stood up and asked, “Where did he come from?” It was the third pitch and the third time in a row he struck a home run hit.

We just moved to this new community and J.T. was trying out to be on one of the 10–12-year-old Little League teams. He had played baseball since he could stand on his chubby baby legs and carry around a plastic bat. He was proficient at hitting that hard and that far. It was a good thing, as he wasn’t a fast runner, so he had to hit it over the fence, or they would get him out at first base.

I should explain, he wouldn’t just run the bases after he hit the ball over the fence. Every step was filled with a dancing combination of excitement, happiness and enthusiasm. He would jump on home plate with joy. He didn’t play for the score or accolades. He played to have fun and fill everyone who watched him with laughter and joy.

This is how he lived his life. To have fun and spread joy and laughter.

Music lit him up. He couldn’t stand still when he heard it. He would jump up and start dancing.  His hands were always drumming on the steering wheel as he drove and sang along with the radio. He played his drums with a fire that came from somewhere inside of him and his guitar became an appendage of his body that he couldn’t live without.

When he laughed, everyone laughed with him. He cared about family, friends and strangers in a deeply connected way. He wondered about everyone’s story. He carried the heartache and the heartbreak of others as if it was his burden to hold.
And he could hug. Oh, he could hug. He would surround you in a circle of energy that would penetrate straight to your heart and back to his. Just when you thought he was done, he would squeeze a little harder for one more zap of love. You never wanted him to let go.

When he was a teenager, we took him to Laguna Beach. Early one morning we stood on our hotel balcony looking out at the ocean. In the distance on a rock formation that had surfaced during low tide, my husband pointed to a figure and said, “That’s JT.”  He was sitting as far out as he could at the edge of the largest rock. The ocean waves were slapping the rocks around him and the mist of the water spraying the air gave the scene a mystical feel.

We watched him for a long time, imagining what he was thinking, what he was wondering about. My husband said, “He is an artist.”

It was true. He was a true artist, a musician, an adventurer and a lover of nature and all beings. He had a deep connection to feelings and emotions. And an even deeper curiosity about life, the universe and what might lie beyond this human experience.

After he passed at the age of 22, I found a crumpled paper in his wallet with a phone number scratched on it. I did an internet search for the number and found it belonged to a well-known artist. I sent him an email asking if he knew my son and why his number might be in my son’s wallet.

His swift response included this:  I remember JT coming to my Gallery. He seemed to really get involved in my work which is the greatest of compliments for me. I think his involvement in music connected him to my work. We fine arts people have a wonderful connection because of our mission. I am very sorry I didn't get to know him better as he did have that sparkle in his eye from his wondering about the Universe. 

I thought that was a magical way to describe my son. He did have a sparkle in his eye and always wondered. Wondered about life, people, heartbreaks, happiness, and all things that make up the Universe.

To answer the question, where did he come from? Maybe someday I will find out. Someday I hope to join him in the special mystical, magical place I believe he went to… or should I say he returned to.
​                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
Pennie’s Life Lesson:
“Some people, sweet and attractive, and strong and healthy, happen to die young. They are masters in disguise teaching us about impermanence.” - Dalai Lama XIV
                                              ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
                          In memory of my son, J.T. 1/14/1985—9/13/2007 

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 © 2013-2023 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. ​

ometimes I hear a comment that makes me ponder. Recently I heard someone say if you have an hour of work to do and two weeks to do it in, it doesn’t matter if you complete it in the first hour or the last hour of the timeframe - as long as you get it done.

I have been pondering that idea for days. I realize I have done both in my life. For the most part, I prefer to get things done sooner than later. When the task is done, I can relax and enjoy the rest of the time feeling confident that I am not running behind or putting myself under pressure at the last minute. This scenario works well for me.

There are times when I relax first, believing I have lots of time to get it done. Usually, I keep thinking about it until inevitably something happens that fills that time leaving me in the pressure cooker. I become overwhelmed, nervous and afraid I won’t get the job done.

I know people that the second scenario is their go-to. They wait until the last hour and then seem to work well under pressure. It is almost a game of chance for them to beat the clock right before the buzzer goes off.

In most cases, I guess neither way is right or wrong as long as you complete the task.
I did think of one exception. We have an entire lifetime to express love and kindness, support and encouragement, joy and happiness. If we use the idea that it doesn’t matter if we do this in the first years of our lives or wait until the last hour of our life to express these feelings, there is a difference. I don’t believe any of these can be done in the last hour or year and have the same impact.

If you knew someone who was critical, mean, unhappy and never expressed love or kindness their entire life, but in the last moments tried to get it all done, would it hold the same meaning to you as someone who expressed it their entire life?

Maybe this is a time when accomplishing it sooner than later is a better option. Maybe if you began expressing love and kindness, support and encouragement, joy and happiness at a very young age, it becomes a habit that you continue throughout your lifetime. It makes a difference.

Maybe if you never learned how to express love and kindness, support and encouragement, joy and happiness in the early years of your life, it also becomes a habit of not showing these traits throughout your lifetime. It makes a difference.

We have an entire lifetime to get this job done. The glitch is we don’t have a set time frame or know if that lifetime will be 22 or 103 years. So, I think it might be best to begin thinking about how you express feelings and emotions early in your life. If you are lucky, you were taught how to do this and began at a young age.

If you are reading this and think you better start before it is too late. Don’t wait. This is one thing that you don’t want to wait until the last hour to get it done. It makes a difference.

Sometimes I hear a comment that makes me ponder. I hope this one does the same for you.
                                       ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
                                                         Pennie’s Life Lesson:
                                  Some things are better done sooner than later.
                                                             It makes a difference.
                                                     ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

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 © 2013-2023 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. ​

In this new year I am going to release to find space for peace.
What does that mean? 
 
Over a decade ago, I gave up on New Year’s Resolutions. They never worked for me… or maybe I never worked intently on them. I always felt like I failed three weeks into the new year. So after years of trying I stopped making resolutions and I began choosing a word for my year. A word I could concentrate on that acts as a GPS to keep me on track. A concept I would ponder and pay attention to for an entire year. This has worked much better for me than a resolution.
 
I print out the word and place it in places I see every day like on my computer screen, my bathroom mirror and my car visor. When I see it, I am reminded to keep the word, and its meaning, a priority in my life.
 
This year I struggled with the word. I knew I wanted to clean out some areas in my life. I tried a few words on for size. 
 
I thought of how I wanted to purge some things, but I don’t like that word. When I say ‘purge’ it doesn’t feel good coming out of my mouth. It leaves a bad taste. 
Maybe “downsize?’ No, that didn’t hit the mark. 
 
Clean, eject, remove, eliminate, rid, dispose, declutter. None of these seemed right. 
 
I landed on release. That is what I was going for. This year I want to release things. I want to release clothes and household items I don’t use and donate them to those in need. I want to release things I keep in the hope of using them someday, but probably won’t. I want to release a few pounds and give them back to the Universe or to wherever pounds go when they leave your body. 
 
But more than that…
I want to release comparison, competition and criticism that I have received and given.  Resentment, anger​, past hurts and wounds need to go. 
 
Then I asked myself a big question. Why? Why is releasing important to me? Why do I want to release these things? The answer was loud and clear - to create peace. 
 
I want to live in a clutter-free environment that feels peaceful. I want to be at peace with my health and body. From my closets to my heart and mind, I want plenty of space for peace.
 
I also don’t want to feel like this is a chore or punishment. I want to learn to love the process of releasing. I’ve never been good at letting go. I become attached to things. I’m sentimental and attach emotion to items. 
 
I have sweaters that I’ve had for 20 years. I’ve held a few grudges just as long. I find places to stuff old clothes just on the chance I want to pull them out and wear them again. I find places to stuff emotions just in case I want to pull them out and carry them around again. 
 
This year I want to learn how to love walking away from what I don’t need and find joy in walking into the open space of peace it leaves.
 
Does this sound like a lot? It is! But what if I could be successful at releasing even half of what I hope to? I would be dancing in a big opening of peace! The more I’m able to release the bigger my dance floor will be.
 
This year my word is a phrase, Release to Find Peace. 
I’ll let you know how it goes. 
What will your word (or phrase) be?
                                               ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                                                       Pennie’s Life Lesson:
                                   When you release, you open space for peace.
                                   ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things
 
I bet you couldn’t read that without singing it. Here we are, Christmas week and all the decorations, wrapping, baking and music sends me back to memories of my past. Just like the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein song, I can remember a few of my favorite things from my childhood.

The holiday dinners my mom made with all my favorite foods. The cut-out sugar cookies were my favorite treat. The different trees we had over the years, green, flocked, live, artificial, and yes, we had one of those silver trees with the color wheel shining on it that was oh so trendy at the time. (If you know what I am talking about we have just revealed our age.)

I remember the year my brother climbed into the garage attic to find the gifts our parents had hidden there. My sister and I stood at the bottom of the ladder laughing and clapping our hands when he held up our presents. I squealed when he held up the Chatty Cathy Doll that I had begged my parents for. I also remember the lack of surprise and guilt on Christmas morning when she was standing under the Christmas tree waiting for me.

My Dad was the king of giving funny gifts and teasing us about what Santa would bring. We went through a phase of eating pop-tarts every morning for breakfast. My sister and I hated the hard corners and edges. We would break them off and pile them in a corner on our plate so we could enjoy eating just the creamy soft inner part. My dad would continually grump at us for wasting half of the toaster treat. For Christmas that year we were given a box full of our broken pop-tart edges. I have no idea where he had hidden them for all those months, but I remember his glee when we opened the box.

Another year he had collected enough identical boxes from his work to wrap every one of our gifts. It was impossible for my brother, sister and I to guess what was in the boxes that were all the same shape, size and even weight. My Dad was very proud of himself for pulling off such a clever scheme.

One of my favorite Christmas gifts was from my brother. For days I would hear an odd squeaking sound coming from his bedroom. My entire family repeatedly told me it was something wrong with the furnace and they would call the repairman after the holidays. On Christmas morning my brother came out of his room with a very oddly wrapped gift for me. It was a cage that held my new buddy, Oscar the hamster. Oscar had been running in his squeaky wheel for days in my brother’s room. No repairman was needed.

The moment that Oscar came into my life brought me joy that I have never forgotten. Because of that memory years later, my own three children woke up on Christmas morning to find 3 hamster cages with their new best buddies inside. And the joy was repeated.

We all have childhood memories like this. We can all remember our favorite things about holidays in the past. Why not share these memories with others during this holiday week?

My song would go something like this…
Petrified pop-tarts and silver-shined trees
A hamster named Oscar – oh yes, if you please!
Brown paper packages that all look the same
These are a few of my favorite things
 
When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad
                                 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                                                       Pennie’s Life Lesson:
                      Take some time to remember a few of your favorite things from
                                                        holidays of the past.
                              Share your memories with someone you love.
                                            ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

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 © 2013-2022 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. ​

For many people winter is long, cold and isolating. Many suffer from seasonal depression caused by the long dark days of winter. Many struggle with the lack of friends or family support during the holidays. This kind of cold makes us hunker down in our homes curled tightly in a “protect me” position. We try to protect our hearts.

It is human nature during any type of cold to do this, not just winter. The feelings of cold and isolation can strike at any time. Anger, rejection, betrayal, grief, fear, and depression all create feelings of cold and isolation.

Have you noticed when we receive difficult news, or tragedy hits we instantly reach for our heart, pull our shoulders inward, curl our back forward, and sometimes even drop to the floor? This circles our heart in protection. We want to enclose ourselves in a cocoon so that the cold and pain cannot reach us.

The tight “protect me” pose closes our body posture in a way that tightens around our heart secluding it from others. Secluding us from others. We feel cold and isolated from everyone as if we are alone in a frigid storm just trying to survive.

When the end of winter is in sight or the journey through a life challenge becomes easier, we see the sun fill our lives once again. The days become longer and brighter. We become lighter. As the warmth rejuvenates us, we stand up taller in a happier, open stance. Our back straightens and our hands reach away from our hearts opening our chests to breathe again. This strengthens and stretches our lives in a more openhearted way, allowing love to flow through our hearts freely once again. We break out of our cocoons to feel the sun, leave the isolation and open our hearts to others.

This openheartedness creates a glow that not only warms us, but everyone we interact with. By pulling back the layers that protected us from the cold, like Superman pulling back his shirt, we reveal our hearts and come alive once again.

Does this cycle sound familiar to you?
Do you see it in yourself? 
Do you see it in others?
A little introspective time alone to regroup and analyze our life isn’t always a bad thing. But when the cold feels too lonely and the isolation becomes too deep ask for help. Never be afraid to ask for help. Invite a friend or family member to listen to your fears and concerns.

If you see a friend or family member cocooning too deeply, knock on their door, call their phone, or reach out to check on them. A small gesture can offer hope that they desperately need.

Ask for help when you need it, offer hope when it’s needed. Let me say that again, ask for help when you need it, offer hope when it’s needed.

Pay attention to how and when you curl into the “protect me” position. Pay attention to how and when you break free of your cocoon to spread your butterfly wings for all to see. There is a time for both.
Power comes with knowing when to safely curl and when to fly.
The real power comes from knowing when you need help and when you need to offer hope.
                                   ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
Pennie’s Life Lesson: Ask for help when you need it, offer hope when it’s needed.
                                             ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  

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 © 2013-2022 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. ​

He runs into the room, stops right in front of me and says, "Oh, Hi!"
This is a lovely greeting that I have heard three times in the last 30 minutes.

You see, every time his almost two-year-old legs carry him out of the room and then back again, he looks at me as if I have just arrived. With every, “Oh, Hi,” his enthusiasm and excitement, jumped out of his body. His expression is one of pure delight! Everyone laughs at the charm of this, but the lesson is not lost on me.

Imagine if we saw everything in every moment of our lives as if we were seeing it for the first time.... even if we just saw it five minutes ago. Can you imagine being in the present moment at that level?

Everything in our world would seem bigger and brighter. Looking at the sky would be like seeing blue for the first time. The sound of music would be as if we had never experienced harmony before. We would notice every petal on the flower, every flavor in our food, every breeze that brushes our cheek.
Hearing the voice, laughter and seeing the faces of those close to us would be like the moment we fell in love with them – the first time. 

We would only see what is in front of us at that very second without giving any thought to what captured us the second before or what may be waiting for us around the next minute. Now, just right now is what fills the screen of our mind in vivid color and exquisite freshness.

What pleasure! What joy! What an awesome way to experience life!

Why not begin now? Yes, right now during the hustle of decorating, shopping and baking, slow down and experience it all as if it was the first time. The first time you ever experienced Christmas. The first time you ever plugged in the lights that turned your home into a sparkling wonderland. The first time you bought a special present for someone you care about. The first time you frosted a cut-out snowman cookie – and then ate it, letting the frosting line your lips and the goodness feed your happiness. It would be your first parade, your first elementary school choir concert and your first Christmas Eve church service. It would be the first time you helped your children put out cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer.

On Christmas morning, it would be the first time you saw a stocking with your name on it filled with goodies. You would open the first gift, wrapped in glitter paper and tied with a red bow, that you ever received.

What if we went even a step further?
What if it was the ONLY time you were ever going to experience this? What if each event was a once-in-a-lifetime moment? You know, the kind of moment when you rode a bike for the first time without training wheels. The moment you said, “I Do.” The moment your child was born. These are spectacular moments that happen once and can’t be done over. What if we lived our days like this? Excited for every experience and totally focused on the moment?

These are two techniques to keep you in the present. Looking at things as if it is the first time and enjoying a moment as if it can never happen again. I challenge you to try these in the next few weeks. You will be involved at a deeper level in your life. You will create powerful memories. You will be more present with those you love.  
​
I hope you enjoy this season with pure delight- maybe for the first time.
                               ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                                                 Pennie’s Life Lesson
                        Greet every moment, person, place and thing
                           as if you are seeing them for the first time.
                                  Savor the experience with new eyes. 
                               ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

YOUR TURN...        
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 © 2013-2022 Pennie Hunt
                             This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt.
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​“If you keep saying he is shy, he is going to be shy.”
I wasn’t thrilled with this comment coming from a stranger – or anyone for that matter.
 
I was at a neighborhood rummage sale with my adorable young son. I say adorable in the most truthful and unbiased way because he was. His thick dark hair framed his face spotlighting his huge brown eyes. One blink of his long lashes and people were sucked in by his cuteness. Everyone wanted to talk to him. He didn’t want to talk to anyone. He clutched my leg hiding his face in my jeans.

It was the same scenario everywhere we went.

Three people at the rummage sale tried to talk to him and three times he hid his face. I just repeated, “He is shy.” A fourth woman came up behind me and in a quiet voice said, “If you keep saying he is shy, he is going to be shy.”

I spun around almost knocking over my son who was firmly attached to my leg. We met eyes. Her’s with truthful intention, mine filled with disbelief and a bit of anger. As quickly as her eyes jabbed me with the depth of her comment, she disappeared down the driveway and into a car. I didn’t have the chance to defend myself for stating what I thought was the truth- a protective statement to keep strangers away from my child. How dare she tell me what I should or shouldn’t say about my son.

The verbal smackdown I received kept me company as I went on with my day. Every time I replayed the interaction and heard the comment it dug deeper and deeper through my heart lodging in my stomach. My anger turned to embarrassment when I realized she was right. Each time I said he was shy it embedded in my son’s mind, teaching him to be shy and reinforcing this trait. I wondered how many times I had said it in front of him. I knew it was many more than the three times at the garage sale that day.  I do know that was the last time.

I have never forgotten this experience. I am grateful to the woman who gave me this lesson that made such an impact on me and without him knowing it, on my son. I have had similar experiences in my life where a stranger seemed to be at the right place at a time when I needed to be given an important lesson and then vanished as quickly as they arrived.

Are they Earth Angles that arrive with special assignments to teach us, guide us and turn us toward the correct path? Maybe they are giving us a swift smackdown, a quick pick-up, or a powerful nudge to wake us up and save us from our own good intentions.

I guess you will have to decide the answer to that question for yourself.  I know what I believe. I believe angels don’t have to be hiding wings under a trench coat or dropping feathers with every lesson. I believe angels walk with us through our days and touch our lives right here on Earth teaching us and bringing us simple gifts of truth. Many times we don’t notice when it happens, but the lessons sink into our minds.

Oh, and that adorable boy with the big brown eyes and thick dark hair, is no longer hiding behind my leg. In fact, he is now a very handsome and very successful man who can often be seen presenting on a stage to over 12 thousand people. I say that in the most truthful, unbiased and proud way because he is.
                                    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                                                     Pennie’s Life Lesson:
                              Pay attention to the lessons you learn from strangers.
    They may be angels in disguise delivering the most important messages of all.
                                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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 © 2013-2022 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. ​

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 © 2013-2022 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 believe everyone is either a number person or a word person. Which one are you?  There isn’t a right or wrong answer.

A number person loves spreadsheets filled with numbers, tracking amounts and calculating percentages. When they don’t feel well, they will say things like, “I only feel about 50% today.”

They like to give you scales to rate things… on a scale from 1-10 how strong is your pain. They remember the date and time that everything happened. Birthdays, anniversaries, and the day they bought their first car. They know the make and model of every car they ever owned! They can rattle off statistics about every topic they are interested in.
Does that sound like you?

Not me. I like numbers. I am fascinated with numerology and the connections numbers make to our name, our birth date and events that happen in our life. That may be where my fascination with numbers ends.

I do have spreadsheets filled with names. I track my progress in journals filled with words explaining how much better or worse I am doing. Percentages? I don’t go there. When I don’t feel well, I will explain what hurts, how much it hurts and how long it has been hurting. I feel terrible, mediocre or fantastic! No 1-10 in my mind. My thoughts process in feelings and emotions, not percentages or scales.

I might not remember the exact date when events happened, but I can tell you what season it was, how the air smelled, if the wind was blowing, how happy everyone was and what I was wearing. My memory clicks through scenes as if there is a movie camera in my mind rewinding and playing the video.

I remember seeing my first car for the first time. I danced circles around it and couldn’t wait to slide into the blue seat that smelled the way old vinyl smells. I can tell you how the radio belted out Elton John’s Tiny Dancer and how the windshield wipers sounded when they swooshed from side to side. I do remember what kind of car it was because it became her name – Rambler!

Word people name everything! My current car is named Ruby. She followed Liberty, Blaze and so many others. My refrigerator is Kevin. And a few years ago, on a blustery fall day when the leaves were swirling yellow and red in my driveway, Thelma and Louise were taken away to a place where old washers and dryers retire. That is the day Lavern and Shirley came into my life. They sparkle and shine proudly in my laundry room.

I love words. I love the way they sound rolling out of my mouth. I love playing with them, rearranging them, and creating stories about life’s progress and setbacks with them.

Number people love numbers. They love the way they bounce around in their minds. They love playing with them, rearranging them and creating stories about life’s progress and setbacks with them.

Word people and number people aren’t that different. We may speak a different version of the same language, but we are saying the same thing. Sometimes the two types of people collide in disagreements and disconnection. When we realize we are just framing life in a different way communication becomes easier.

I may describe my life and progress with colorful words and descriptions. A number person may chart their life and progress with percentages and monetary increases. In the end, we tell the same story.

Are you a number person or a word person?
                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                                                    Pennie’s Life Lesson:
           Number people and word people frame life in a different way.
                                             ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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 © 2013-2022 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. ​

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 © 2013-2022 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. ​

​“Are you always this positive?”
This is the number one question I get asked when people meet me in person.
My answer is a very quick, No!
 
I write and speak about happiness, love and seeing the positive side of life. I also write and speak about grief, loss and sadness. We all have a stew of emotions that we carry around. Yes, I do my best to see the good side of everything and I encourage others to do the same, but there are moments when I slip. When I do, my husband will say, “That wasn’t very Pennie-Hunt-dot-com-like” – referring to my website which is packed with my uplifting quotes and writings.

Yesterday was one of those days when my action was not very Pennie-Hunt-dot-com-like.

This week I finished my 3rd book and sent it off to my publisher. After many months in the mental creation and writing process, I was ecstatic to be handing it over. That ecstasy was fleeting as I quickly moved into the reality of knowing it was not really finished. Now it is a process of back and forth with my editor, proofreader, and layout designer. All these steps rattle a different set of my nerves.

My lovely project manager, Dana, keeps these moving pieces flowing. She has been playing middle person between me and the designer for weeks to create the vision I had in my mind for the book cover. Yesterday I opened an email containing what I thought would be the final version, only to find it had not been tweaked correctly according to my last requests.

Hurriedly I sent back an email reiterating the last directions and expressing my concerns. When I received her response, it was filled with apologetic comments. I was a bit confused until I reread the email I had sent. It was strong. It sounded grumpy. It was definitely NOT Pennie-Hunt-dot-com-like! I quickly realized why I received the over-apologetic email response.

I wanted to crawl under the covers and begin the day again. I wanted to take back the email. All the positivity I promote and encourage others to do was instantly sucked from my body. I had a vision of how my email must have hit her, how it must have ruined her day. I felt like a failure.

I quickly sent her an email saying I was sorry about the way my email must have come across to her and blamed it on the inhumaneness of communicating through technology. Then I sent her a second email apologizing again.

Past lessons that I have written about came pouring through my head. I began beating myself up with my own comments like- you can’t take back words; words hold power; be kind. And yes, the one that hits me like a dagger… “That wasn’t very Pennie-Hunt-dot-com-like!

My mind was in rare form letting the negative self-talk jab me with punch after punch. Then my heart kicked in. It pushed back by reminding me that I am human and that I make mistakes. The punching from my mind and the pushback from my heart continued most of the day. It takes time for the heart to be strong enough to squelch the power of the mind.

As with most of my life lessons, this one was a hard one. As much as we all try, none of us are perfect. When we slip, we should apologize and fix what we can. Then see the opportunity to practice patience, understanding, and acceptance of ourselves. Forgive the humanness in ourselves and when you are on the receiving end of someone’s bad day, frustration, confusion, or anger, offer them the same.  

Today is a new day. I know I will never be perfect, but today I plan to be a little better than the person that I was yesterday.

The next time I am asked, “Are you always this positive?”
My answer will be a very quick, “No! I try, but I’m not perfect and still have many lessons to learn.”
                                           ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                                                    Pennie Life Lesson:
                                       Today, don’t try to be perfect,
             just try to be a little better than the person you were yesterday.
                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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 © 2013-2022 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. ​

Are you sad?
Many people are.
As I write this, I see a gloomy, cloudy, windy day out my office window. The trees are releasing the last of their beautiful fall leaves and the cold of winter is ready to blow in. You may be trying to get a foothold on a normal life again after our years of uncertainty only to be hit daily with more uncertainty in the headlines.
 
You can concentrate on all this negativity. You can add to the list all of your personal problems until you are sad. Very sad. You can mix in some anger. Add a little blame or shame, and soon you are a mess.
 
Here is what can happen…
You get so used to being sad that you don’t know it’s sadness - it just feels like you. 
You get so used to being angry that you don’t know it’s anger - it just feels like you.
You get so used to feeling blame and shame that you don’t know it’s blame and shame - it just feels like you. 
 
Fill in your blank with any negative emotion you have.
You get so used to feeling ____ that you don’t know it’s ____it just feels like you. 
 
Think about that. Do you even know what YOU should feel like? You become so used to talking about being sad that it becomes who you are.
 
Be careful how you allow your emotions to take over your life. They can become a habitual personality trait You begin protecting this trait. Don’t touch my sadness, it’s all mine.
You begin projecting this trait onto others. You talk about it, you think about it and you live in the bubble of it without letting anyone or anything positive in.
 
It is easy to fall prey to this negativity. If you weren’t sad before you began reading this, by the time you read the first paragraph you were probably thinking about how sad you must be. What if the first paragraph read like this:
 
      Are you happy?
      Many people are.
​     As I write this, I see a glorious fall day out my     
      office window. The trees are releasing the last of their beautiful colorful leaves. It
      is a lovely sight to watch the leaves flutter down, swinging back and forth in the          wind until they softly settle on the ground. Soon sparkling snow will cover the     
     leaves with a blanket of white. The coziness of winter will quickly be here and the
     headlines will be filled with tips on holiday baking and shopping ideas.
 
Do you see the difference?  Do you FEEL the difference? I was looking out the same window. I just saw and felt it differently. My emotions were different.
 
Monitor how happy emotions can easily take over your life. They can become a habitual personality traits. Protect your happiness and don’t allow others to disrupt it. Begin projecting positive emotions onto others. Nurture and share love, joy and happiness.
 
Here is what can happen…
You get so used to being joyful that you don’t know it’s joy - it just feels like you. 
You get so used to being happy that you don’t know it’s happiness - it just feels like you.
You get so used to feeling love that you don’t know it’s love - it just feels like you. 
 
You control how you see things, how you describe things, and how you react and respond to life situations. Look out your window right now. I hope you see the beauty of a glorious fall day.
                                    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                                                      Pennie’s Life Lesson:
                            Be the one who gets so used to feeling joy and happiness
​                      that you don’t know it’s joy and happiness— it just feels like you.
                                    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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 © 2013-2022 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. ​

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 © 2013-2022 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. ​

Do you have a balanced life? Think of your life like a pie chart. Divide it into equal sections. Have as many sections as you want and label them any way you like. Some examples are- Family, Relationships, Career, Education, Spiritual/Religious, Health, Fun, etc.
 
If you have a perfect life, you have a perfect pie chart. Each section is a perfect color and compliments the section next to it. Every slice of your life is getting an equal percentage of attention and giving an equal percentage of benefit and value back to you. Every piece of your life has meaning. You are proud. It makes you happy to look at this fantasy.
 
Let’s get real. No one has a perfect pie or a perfect life. Most of the time one section is receiving more attention from you while others are lacking. Your career may be flourishing, but your relationship is struggling. You may be pursuing more education and allowing your health to be neglected. Maybe you are an adrenaline seeker chasing fun while letting the rest of your pie take care of itself. Your chart may be trying to spin with the unevenness of a flat tire.
 
A tragedy may be thrown into your life which completely throws your nice round pie into something that resembles a Picasso painting.
 
When there is hurt, disappointment, failure, disaster, or heartbreak in life we often put 100% control and meaning to the tragedy or problem. It is all we can think about. Nothing else matters. Our life is 100% taken over by one struggle. We want to pull the covers over our heads and hide from the rest of our world. We can’t control the problem so we shut down the whole pie. We freeze.
 
When we let circumstances that are out of our control take over our lives, we allow the things we can control to fall apart. Let me repeat that slowly… When we let circumstances that are out of our control take over our lives, we allow the things we can control to fall apart.
 
This is the time to move your mind and body. Give meaning to other parts of your life. If you experience a relationship breakup or the loss of a job, put movement and meaning to the other things in your life. Point your attention toward your health, your job, your family or your hobby. Push movement and meaning to the other parts of your circle that you can control.
 
If you are stuck and it feels overwhelming, take it one at a time. Take the time you spent on the relationship or job and pour it into another area. You will never forget what happened, but you can carry it with you in a healthy way while you build and repair the other meaningful areas of your life.
 
The sections of your life will always fluctuate. Life isn’t perfect and we as humans are not flawless. The moments of a perfectly proportioned pie are rare. The goal is to pay attention to all areas of your life before a devastating event occurs. The stronger you feel in your pie of life the more strength you will have to lean into other areas of support to help you through the difficult times. Keep the sections of your pie as fulfilled and balanced as possible.
                               ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie’s Life Lesson: Give movement and meaning to every part of your life. 
​                                         ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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 © 2013-2022 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. ​

My parents were giddy.
They couldn’t wait until breakfast was over. My mom opened a small plastic black jar, carefully measured a spoonful of power and watched it trickle into a glass. Smiling, she added cool water and stirred until it was dissolved. She handed the glass to my Dad and he slowly sipped down the precious mixture.

I watched this entire ritual. The fascination of how involved my parents were in this process left me a speechless observer. When the glass was empty, I asked what the drink was. 
My Dad was in the final stages of a terminal illness. Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. He spent his time sitting in a sheep-skin-lined recliner and tethered to oxygen tubes. For several months I visited as often as I could in an effort to help my mom care for him and soak up as much time with my Dad as possible.

I knew the routine. I knew how to help him to the bathroom, how to do sponge baths, how to check his oxygen levels, how to give him medication and how to make his oatmeal for breakfast. This black jar of powder was new.

They were more than eager to tell me about it. A man had come to their retirement community with a van full of black jars. Over free coffee and pie he presented to a group in the community hall. He talked about the power of the powder in the jar. The vitamins, the minerals and the magic it held. Since my parents were confined at home to stay close to the oxygen, they were unable to attend, so the kind man came to their home and gave them a personal demonstration.

They happily bought several jars at the discounted rate of $125 each. They believed it was going to bring strength and health back to my Dad. They were convinced it was the answer to their prayers.

Being skeptical, I picked up the jar to read the ingredients. The first ingredient was sugar. I dipped my finger into the jar and licked off the powder. It tasted like pure sugar. I pointed this out to my mom and reminded her that giving Dad a glass full of sugar water twice a day was not good for his diabetes.
 
That evening the Hospice Doctor stopped by as he often did on his way home from work. He chatted with my parents, took my Dad’s vitals, adjusted the oxygen and headed out the door. I quickly grabbed the black jar and followed him to his car.

I explained the situation and handed the jar to him for an expert opinion. As he read the label I blubbered nonstop about the amount of sugar and could this possibly be good for my Dad. There didn’t seem to be anything in the jar that could be beneficial, and I was sure that it was pure sugar. I was certain it was a sham. A pyramid scheme. A modern-day version of a snake oil salesman.

The doctor calmly listened and when I stopped, he said, 
​“I think you are correct. I believe there is only one ingredient in this jar.” 
I leaned in feeling very smug that I was right.
He continued, “The only ingredient in this jar that will help your Dad is Hope. We have passed the point of worrying about a little sugar. If this powder gives him hope that he will be here tomorrow, hope that he may feel better, and hope that it might be a cure, then it is worth every cent they paid for it.”

He put the jar back in my hand, gave me a smile, hugged me and left.
I stood in the driveway holding the jar that had suddenly transformed from a jar of sugar into a precious jar of powerful medicine. The salesman had told my parents the truth. The jar did hold magic. In that moment I realized that my Dad would be leaving soon and in my hand was the only thing he needed. A black plastic jar that held Hope.
                                     ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie’s Life Lesson: We all need hope to lift our spirits and lighten our hearts. How it is delivered to us does not matter. 
                                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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 © 2013-2022 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. ​

We have all been taught to critique, compare, and judge each other and ourselves.  

When we have a baby, they immediately experience being weighed and measured. Every checkup is a comparison of where the child is landing on the percentile chart of expected growth. School is based on grades and the curve of classroom and grade expectations of learning.

Marketing creates an environment where we judge ourselves against the models comparing body size and shape. We critique our wardrobe and style. Are we cool? Are we hip? Are we up to date?

At times it becomes difficult to like ourselves, our environment or our lifestyle. Our inner voice is always telling us we need to change. To grow. To be better. To keep up!
What if we turned that around? What if we had been taught to admire, acknowledge, and accept ourselves and each other? After all, if you don’t like yourself, how can you expect anyone else to?

When we stand in front of a mirror we naturally zoom in on our flaws. We look at ourselves and see what we don’t like. We are harsher on ourselves than we are on anyone else.
I hate the circles under my eyes and the wrinkles that are appearing. I’d like to be taller and thinner.
 
Try this… stand in front of a mirror and look for what is good about you. What do you love about YOU? At first, we see the physical.
I love my green eyes and auburn hair. My hands remind me of my grandmother. My smile makes me happy.
 
The longer you stare at yourself the deeper you will look and the more you will see.
I am blessed to be alive. I am blessed with a strong and capable body. I am blessed with a caring heart.
 
Continue to look deeply saying out loud what is good about you, what you are blessed with, and what you appreciate and admire about yourself, your environment and your lifestyle.
I am blessed to have an amazing family. I am blessed to love and be loved. I am blessed to have a home to live in and a car for transportation. I am blessed to have clothes to wear and food to eat.
 
This is an exercise that will feel uncomfortable. You may need to repeat it until it becomes natural. When you feel down or insecure repeat it. When you feel sorry for yourself, ask the mirror what is good about you, your life and the situation you are in. It is hard to feel down when your list of blessings keeps adding up.  
 
You will create a foundation of love and appreciation for yourself that cannot be shaken by the opinion and critiquing of your inner voice or others. You will be confident in yourself, your environment, and your lifestyle. You can still grow and be better, but that desire will no longer be based on fear, the need to be cool, fit in or keep up. It will come from a place of wanting to be the best version of you. The you that already has so many qualities to love and admire.
                                    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie's Life Lesson: “When you feel sorry for yourself, ask what is good about you, your life and the situation you are in. It is hard to feel down when your list of blessings keeps adding up.”
                                               ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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 © 2013-2022 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. ​

Have you ever noticed how we all use taglines? 
I have a few taglines, like “Love Your Life - No Matter What,” and “You Are Good Enough!” I use these when I write and speak as memory markers to push my point into your mind. These are intentional and purposeful.
 
You have taglines and may not even realize it. These are unconscious taglines. My mom would begin many of her conversations with, “Let me tell you something,” and then proceed to tell her story. It was one of her unconscious taglines. She unconsciously was gaining our attention by declaring she was getting ready to say something important. 
 
How often have you heard someone end a thought with, “Do you know what I mean,” or someone repeatedly use, “seriously though” to begin speaking? There is a new one I am hearing people use lately. They weave the tagline, “Do you feel me,” into what they are saying. In a short conversation they might reiterate this several times. 
 
I began thinking about how often we use unconscious taglines and how we choose the ones we use. Is our mind overriding our thought process and telling our mouths to speak the truth about what we need?
 
Think about those phrases- Let me tell you something, Do you know what I mean, Seriously though, and Do you feel me? They are all asking the listener to understand how we think and feel. They are asking the listener to take our thoughts and feelings seriously. They are a cry to be heard.
 
Listen carefully to others when they talk. It won’t take long to pick up their taglines. You will catch the word or phrases they consistently repeat. Listen to yourself talk, or better yet, ask a family member or friend if they hear you say something over and over. They will probably immediately tell you what your tagline is.
 
It was pointed out to me that I say, “Isn’t that interesting.” I am a naturally curious person and I find life in general extremely interesting, so this is a natural unconscious tagline for me. It began as an unconscious tagline and has become an intentional habit. It is possible that my unconscious mind was pushing those words out of my mouth to teach me how to observe and not judge. Instead of giving a biased opinion or becoming angry about a situation, it is easier to say, “Isn’t that interesting.” This is a reminder to me to take time, observe and think it over before commenting further.
 
Is your unconscious tagline positive or negative? Is your unconscious mind trying to teach you a lesson? Is it crying out for a change or for help?
 
One thing I believe about people (including myself), is that we all want to be seen, heard, understood and loved. At times it takes our unconscious mind to push these taglines out of our mouths in order to repeat something we feel. Our unconscious mind is teaching us a lesson in communication. A lesson in listening. A lesson in understanding. A lesson in feelings. A lesson in taking words seriously.
Do you feel me?
                                         ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie’s Life Lesson: Listen to the words that come out of your own mouth.
​You may be unconsciously speaking words that are a lesson you need to learn. 
                               ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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 © 2013-2022 Pennie Hunt
                             This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt.
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Fifteen years ago this week I lost my son. I never use that word, lost. I hate it. I have always said he passed as if passing into a new life on the other side, passing into heaven, or passing through the white light explained where he went. The term ‘lost’ made me feel like I would forever be searching for him. That there would be a chance he would return, rejoin my life and tell stories of his adventures. When someone is lost there is always the hope that they will be found.

Death doesn’t work that way.

Grieving a child is an endless process. A roller coaster of heart-stopping drops and endless climbing. We climb to be strong enough to walk through life with the outward look of normality while covering the permanent inner change of our DNA. And we are changed. Every tiny molecule of our DNA is changed.

I remember a conversation with my older son after the funeral when he said,
   “Mom, what will it be like when he has been gone 10 years?
    What if we forget him?”
My response was,
   “Oh honey, 10 years is a long time away.
    And we will never forget him!”

Well, that marker came and went and here we are at 15 years. Comments like, “getting over it,” “being done,” or “forgetting” do not relate to my grief. If that were true, wouldn’t 15 years be long enough?

Fifteen years ago this week my son passed, but he isn’t lost. He sits with me when I write and stands with me when I speak. He giggles through the twinkle in his daughter’s eyes and belly laughs with us when we share stories of him. I can feel his baby hand wrap around my finger as I rocked him and hear his cries in the night. He comes back to me when I drive his truck and he sings along when Bob Dylan is played on the radio.

He would be 37 now, but he is not. My memories flash from his movements in my belly as I carried him to seeing him the last time when he was 22. Forever 22 as people say when talking about a loved one who has passed. I remember my 22-year-old son with clarity as if he were sitting in front of me as I type this. His beard, his smile, his crooked baseball cap and his laugh. I remember how it felt to be hugged by him while the bristles of his beard brushed against my face.

For 15 years I have searched these memories. I have closed my eyes as I held his guitar to hear him sing as he played it. I have opened plastic bins to unfold and refold his favorite clothes, holding them tightly to my face in hopes of smelling a faint scent of him. I have driven his truck to feel his hands on mine as together we hold the steering wheel. These memories don’t wear out and are never used up.

Fifteen years ago this week my son passed. Fifteen years is a long time, but not long enough to get over it, be done with grief or forget him. The reality is that I loved him from his first movements in my belly and I will grieve for him until the day I pass into a new life, into heaven or walk into the white light to join him.
When I do, I am sure he will say,
            “Mom, I never left you and now your grieving ends.
​                                  It has been long enough.”
                                                      ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie’s Life Lesson:
            When your loved one dies, they are never lost.
                             They are always with you.
                                                         ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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 © 2013-2022 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. ​

Welcome to 7th grade. How’s it going for you so far?
 
We are all students in this journey we call Life. The entire Universe is our university – there is no accident in the similarity of words there. I believe our time here on earth as humans is our 7th-grade level in the University of the Universe. We have passed the grades before this and have many yet to come. We are all here at this level to learn, to teach and to love.
 
Do you remember your 7th grade year in junior high school? Some of us had great experiences and were the rock stars, the athletic jocks, the popular ones, or the studious brilliant ones. Some of us suffered through and were the unpopular ones, those that struggled, failed, flunked, skipped classes or dropped out.
 
This 7th grade level of our learning through the University of the Universe is no different. We have the shining stars of music, sports, popularity and intelligence. We have the strugglers who fall victim, slip behind and never seem to get ahead or catch a break.
 
And guess what? I believe we are all in the space we are supposed to be in to learn what we are meant to learn and to teach what we are meant to teach. 
 
We have a variety of class topics here in this version of 7th grade. If you are a star in this life you shine and share your voice and experiences with others and are in the class of teaching. If you are struggling, the course you are enrolled in is one to learn humility, patience and empathy for others.
 
The amazing news is, that there can be semesters in this 7th grade. If you begin your time struggling, you may learn your lessons and move into the next semester’s course of being a star. Conversely, if you are a star and become arrogant, ungrateful or just need to learn other lessons, the University of the Universe has the power to enroll you into a semester of struggling, to teach you humility, patience and empathy. 
 
Our task as students in this level of our life education is to understand and believe that no matter what semester we are in, class we are taking or curriculum we are guided by, we are here for the lessons our soul requires.
 
Our report cards will grade us on our ability to learn the lessons to our highest capacity. Our assignment is to teach what we learn to others. And our most important homework is to be grateful for the experiences, the teachers and the lessons – the joyous ones and the painful ones – and seek and share joy and love in the process. 
 
Most of us would like to be granted a do-over for our 7th grade year of junior high. If it was fabulous, we would like to relive the glory. If it was painful, we would like to do it right the second time. Well, you’re here now and your entire life is the 7th grade of our University of The Universe. Enjoy it, live it and dance in it to your happiest level!
 
Welcome to 7th grade!​ ​How’s it going for you so far?
​
                         ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie's Life Lesson: In the school of life, be grateful for the experiences, the teachers and the lessons – the joyous ones and the painful ones. Seek and share joy and love in the process.
                         ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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 © 2013-2022 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 sat in a room filled with over 900 people.
We all had a sad story.
The same story.
We had all lost a child.

The common thread was wrapped around each of our hearts tightly and safely never to be cut. The other end of the thread curled, waved and stretched into a web of interaction that connected everyone in the room. We all understood. We all shared a piece of the web. We all shared a piece of the pain.

Some parents lost their only child. Some carried the loss of more than one. Over 900 stories of pain sat in a room where we gathered to share. Together our love and pain created an energy that was at moments thick and heavy and at times light and freeing. The emotions were made bearable by the powerfully strong connectivity in the room. The stories varied in versions, time frames and circumstances, but the same sad story connected all of us.

In a recent conversation, someone mentioned to me that there seems to be so many sad stories right now and that everyone you talk to has one. I believe that is true. I believe that the more birthdays we are lucky enough to enjoy and the more candles we blow out, the more sad stories we will have. The longer we live we will hear more and more sad stories from others.

Is it possible that as we age the stories become sadder or is it the accumulation of stories that becomes heavier with every layered story and every year that passes?
Over the years I have had my struggles. I have watched my loved ones and my friends struggle. I have said goodbye to people I love. I personally know the story of divorce, job loss, accidents and illness. I have laid battered, bruised and broken in a puddle of helpless hopelessness. I have suffered. We have all suffered.
 
Could it be that there is a sensibility to this? I believe so. We will all be wounded. The wound may be sharp and quick, but deep. The wound may be a slow, dragging pain that leaves a scar in a wide jagged way. No amount of ointment, stitches or bandages will heal the puncture. Wounds are meant to break an opening so a lesson, a message or a meaning can reach our hearts. Wounds are the marks of living. Sad stories give us a way to share our wounds. I believe that it takes the darkest of times to open us up to learning the most. To live this life we must endure and understand the difficult times. The dark times. The sad times. We must own our sad stories.
 
This is what connects us as humans. We can enjoy the beautiful days because we have felt suffering. We can enjoy health because we have felt illness. We appreciate success because we have struggled. We welcome joy because we have felt despair.  Emotions are made bearable by the powerfully strong connectivity in the network of our family, friends, coworkers and neighbors. We all have threads wrapped tightly and safely around our hearts while the other end of the thread reaches into the web we all share.

The longer we live the more sad stories we will hear, have and hold. The stories will vary in versions, time frames and circumstances, but sad stories connect all of us.
                 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
                                             Pennie’s Life Lesson:
                    The longer we live the more sad stories we will have.
                    The darkest of times open us up to learning the most.
                 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

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 © 2013-2022 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. ​

Settling into seat 8F, I pulled my jacket off and tucked it into my carry-on bag. I would not be needing that in Phoenix. I looked forward to the sunshine and warmth ahead. In went the jacket. Out came my reading glasses, IPad, magazine and headphones.  Headphones! Where are my headphones? 

I always travel with them. They are the noise canceling kind that block the roar of the plane engines, the voices of the passengers visiting, the cries of babies in the back, and the intercom messages from the cockpit. I block these so that I can enjoy the time to read, sleep or meditate in the headphone secluded space of rain falling, ocean waves, or the tweeting of birds; whichever seems to be my pleasure of the moment.

With a sigh, I felt the aggression of the engines lift the plane into the sky as 9F, began to explain to 9E, in his best not-so-quiet voice, why he sold his home in New Jersey and moved to Phoenix.

I realized that for this hour and forty-five-minute flight my headphones were happily next to my meditation chair at home.  Hummppfff!

After reading an article or two in a magazine I laid it to the side, closed my eyes and began breathing. With the deep in and out rhythm my body sensed this as the call to meditate.  To enjoy calm. To go within to the space of quiet where the outer world drops away. Where the deepest thoughts of my soul mix with the messages from the energy both in and out of my body.

​I guard this time of meditation as a mother guards her child. This is more than just a happy place. This is my sacred time. My daily ritual of flowing into calm serenity to a place which is more than one foot here and one foot there, but more like all there. All-in, as they say in Poker, to an out-of-this-body and fully in-peace space.

The engine’s roar became a soothing hum that muffled the voice of 9F. The ping of the pilot's bell seemed to whisper the message of safety that floated by my thoughts of awareness without stopping to take residency in my space of peace. I was there! Not here, not asleep… but there.

Almost an hour passed when my breathing returned to the shallow breath of normality. My eyes fluttered open as my senses returned to the awareness of my surroundings. The engines below my seat continued to spin as the mechanical dropping of the landing gear engaged. 

        "And in Phoenix the homes were a STEAL when I bought it, so from what I cleared on                    my Jersey home, I paid cash for the new one." 

Seat 9F had not stopped the elaboration of his happy relocation to Phoenix.

I realized that I had successfully enjoyed the flight. I enjoyed a time of meditation and for a brief period blocked the outside forces of noise, chaos and distractions. I smiled at the reminder that calm serenity can be accomplished any place. Any time. The noise of the outside doesn't have to detract from this. The outer world we cannot control. It is the quiet within that we search for. It is the quiet within we can find... even without headphones.
                                ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pennie's Life Lesson: Searching for tranquility does not require a vacuum of silence. Real peace is found within - even during the distraction of life.
                                 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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 © 2013-2022 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. ​

Have you ever felt a knocking on your heart? A feeling like you know you should reach out to someone. You know you should help. You know should make eye contact, say something, touch their arm or give them a hug. Your heart is telling you to do it, but you don’t. You miss a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that you can never get back.

These opportunities happen all the time to all of us. It only takes a second to miss them.

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...        
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 © 2013-2022 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. ​