BE THANKFUL FOR SOUL SLAPS AND AIRBAG MOMENTS You are driving along the boulevard of life believing everything is fine and then WAM! BAM! ... in one flash the airbag goes off in your face and for a moment of unconscious confusion you don't know what happened, how it happened or why it happened, …but it changes everything. These airbag moments slap your soul in a life altering second when the world stops and our thinking is forever realigned. Life is instantly, and permanently, categorized as before and after. Your brain files all memories of the past and visions of the future in relation to the moment… it changes everything. The slaps are at times harsh heart jabbing events and at times joyous celebrations. The moment your child is born. The phone call that brings you to your knees. The last walk from the office as you change careers or life stages. The undeniable mistake that can't be reversed. The receiving of life, love and happiness ....or the ripping away of the same. These all cause a slap to the soul that says, "WAKE UP!" Wake up to see what you had, what you have and what you will be given. Wake up to be thankful for it all and for the time you held it. Wake up to understand that THIS moment is the moment that counts and don't take the people or experiences in your life for granted. No one journeys through this life without Soul Slaps and Airbag Moments. There is no secret bubble of protection that shields us from the vulnerability of being stricken. Peace comes from learning to appreciate the Soul Slaps as lessons that move our journey forward. The breaking open of our hearts creates space for love to expand and being brought to our knees, by pain or joy, forces us to lift our heads and look up instead of down. The understanding of this will bring the calmness required to heal. Pennie's Life Lesson: "Be thankful for Soul Slaps and the ability to see the lessons in both the joyous and the jabbing." YOUR TURN... My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to see the lessons in all life altering events-- good and bad. 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 © 2013-2015 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you!
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OPENHEARTED
For many of us winter is long, cold and isolating. This kind of cold makes us hunker down in our homes curled tightly in a “protect me” position. It is human nature during any type of cold to do this. Weather, anger, rejection, betrayal, grief, fear all create feelings of cold and isolation. The tight “protect me” pose closes our body posture in a way that tightens around our heart secluding it from others. When the end of winter is in sight and the journey through life challenges comes to a close we see the sun fill our lives once again. As the warmth rejuvenates us, we stand up taller in a happier stance. This strengthens and stretches our lives in a more openhearted way allowing love to flow through freely. 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 heart and come alive once again. Pay attention to how and when you fold into “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 curl and when to fly. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: “There is a time for both the caterpillar’s cocoon of safety and the freedom of butterfly wings. Recognize when it is time to be safe and when it is time to fly.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2015 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you!
LIFE IS ALWAYS FILLING
Marion is an eccentric combination of Annie Oakley, Gloria Steinem and Shirley Temple. Like Annie Oakley, Marion understood tough times and learned to work hard in order to become financially successful. In the 1860’s Annie, changed ideas about the abilities of women. A century later, Marion did the same. Both had the courage to prove that a woman could stand her ground in the world that men controlled.
Marion, a single, teenage mom with an 8th grade education began waitressing in a small cafe bringing tips home to provide for her infant son and mother.
Over the years she gained her PHD in the ways of life eventually purchasing the cafe, bars, supper clubs and even a construction company. Like Gloria Steinem, she was not afraid to speak up and voice her opinion -even when it was unpopular. She continues to be a strong advocate for women and doesn’t shy away from a discussion about her political views. I’ve seen Marion lock in a business deal during dinner, strongly expressing her opinion about the details of the agreement and, then, just as easily changes her composure, blinks her flirty eyes and giggles with the impish playfulness of a young Shirley Temple. Marion is a force to be noticed. Marion is my mother-in-law. I delight in listening to the stories of her younger years when purchasing property was done with a hand shake and over-bearing men were no match for her. She tells of how she has made money, lost money, felt success and experienced desperate times. It was during one of these stories that I heard her make this profound comment, “I never really looked at my glass as half full or half empty. I always thought my glass was filling up!” That statement should be on T-shirts, coffee mugs and tattoos! That is not just optimistic – that is living a life of expectation. A life of adventure. A life of anticipation-- of learning from whatever waits around the next corner. What if we could all see life that way? The next time you believe you are having a bad day or living through a challenging time think of it as your life just filling up. Filling up with experiences to learn from. Allow your cup to fill with all life has to offer- the good and the challenging. I hope for Marion, for me and for everyone that our cup of life continues to fill until that very last drip tickles the rim and runs down the side. And when that happens we all wink, giggle and with an impish smile know that our life was full! Pennie’s Life Lesson- “Your glass is not half empty or half full – it is always filling!”
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 © 2013-2015 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you!
UBUNTU,
I AM BECAUSE WE ARE After several years filled with emotional events, celebrations and struggles I recognized the significant role women play in a family and the strength they bring to the stability of the family tree. Through my roller coaster ride that I call life, I know I can count on these women for sharing laughter, tears, and a hand up or at times a push forward, but always, always, love and encouragement. There is an African Philosophy which describes this called Ubuntu. It means - "I am because we are." The women of a family work together like the stitches in a quilt. Each stitch is unique-some long, some short, some tightly pulled, some more relaxed, but each add their own character to the patchwork, creating strength that helps all of life's experiences to make sense. Ubuntu, I am because we are. Years ago the Hunt family formed a gathering called the Women's Annual Rejuvenating Montage. The acronym WARM was formed. Invitations were sent, a logo was created and the t-shirts were made. The WARM Guiding Principles are simple. A member must be a woman at least 18 years old AND a direct descendant of my mother; married to her direct descendant; or given birth to one of her direct descendants. Ubuntu, I am because we are. WARM was created for the women following my mother to rejuvenate, relax and continually nurture the bond we share. Our montage is the juxtaposing of diverse personalities into a single element of commonality. We have learned to understand each other, and ourselves, better as we discover our own shared human qualities and how we all fit in relation to our quilted family. During these gatherings we are willing to share, willing to be vulnerable, and willing to affirm and accept each other as a part of the whole. Ubuntu, I am because we are. This tradition will continue past our lifetimes and for generations to come. The Ubuntu belief is that our ancestors continue to exist among the living. With every new member, WARM will carry the spirit and love of all of us as we come and go, stitch by stitch, adding strength to our quilted bond. Ubuntu, I am because we are. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie's Life Lesson: "No one stands alone - we are who we are because we all exist together." ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ YOUR TURN... My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to look at the people in your life who make you who you are, the ones you can count on...the ones that you know that without them you would not be the person you are today. Who stands in UBUNTU with 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 © 2013-2015 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you!
LET ME LIVE UNTIL I DIE
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 hold 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 me joy in the joyous and sing with the song birds. 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.” 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 © 2013-2015 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you! THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TABLE Years ago I heard a story about an executive who was called into the human resources department and invited to find success elsewhere. The executive commented, “I have been on your side of the table and fired many people in my career. What I have learned is that there are two sides to the table…. Today it is my turn to be on the other side.” There are many tables in life. We often forget there are two sides to each table. During our happiest experiences do we realize that at the exact same time it could be one of those moments of desperation for someone else? A young couple I know brought a baby girl into the world a year ago. They were ecstatic to add the curly headed beauty to their family. They were on the right side of the table. Unfortunately, their sweet baby lived less than a month and they were forced to the other side of the table in the most devastating way. Happily, this week my young friends rejoiced at the birth of a baby girl who shares the same curly black hair as her sister before her. I join their friends and family surrounding them with love and well wishes. At the same time a longtime friend of mine passed away due to cancer. I join her friends and family clinging to the circle of support and love which surrounds them. I received emails and phone calls from one family sharing joyous news, while at the same time I received the most devastating messages of grief and sadness from the other. The table stood large before me as I saw the experiences of both sides. Pain and grief on one side. Joy and gratitude on the other. How often do we forget that while we sit on one side of the table that there is always someone on the other side? My young friends today hold their new daughter marveling at her perfection while the soreness of missing their first daughter lives in their hearts. They know what it’s like to be on both sides of the table. The ebb and flow, the natural order, the balance of good verses bad is part of our daily lives. It takes the ebb to feel the flow. It takes the bad to know the good. It takes a backdrop of the darkness of night to see the sunrise in the morning. Be sensitive. Be grateful. Be aware. We never know when it will be our turn to sit at the other side of the table. Pennie’s Life Lesson ~ “There's always two sides to the table. Be grateful when you sit on the sunny side and strong when you find yourself on the shadowed side.” ************* Special thanks to Ms. Amara Beatrix Mitchell for allowing me to use her beauty shot in this post! *************
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 © 2013-2015 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you!
BUSY
“How are you?” – “Oh, I’m so BUSY!” “Hello there, how ya doin?” – “I am swamped, I’m too BUSY!” “What are you up too, want to ….. "No, no, no, I can’t I have too much going on- I’m too BUSY!” “I’m busy” has become our response to any greeting. Busy has become our natural state. Busy has become a thing- a noun – like a dark shadow that circles our lives. Do you see what we are doing to ourselves? When did we begin equating being busy with success? Maybe it began as an attempt to seem important by verbally listing the engagements, meetings and commitments we have on our to-do-list…and ending with a sigh. Always a sigh. At some point we began believing our own self talk. After all, our mind and brain will believe our own voice more than any other voice. And we were very convincing. We began to believe that we had to have a list to keep up with everyone else. We had to be busy! We began to believe that the level of busy-ness was the measure of our own self-worth. So the list became longer. We foolishly became filled with distracting details of our activities. The exchanged expression of ALL we have to do became expected. And exhausting. But, we didn’t stop there. We began adding things to our lives. Remember being busy = success! Yes, life moves fast. New age electronics have increased this speed at an astounding pace. It is frightening to ponder. We all have work, families, responsibilities and commitments. Do we have to make ourselves even more overwhelmed with the continual documenting of our busy-ness to everyone we interact with? Secretly we just want to scream! What if we began answering greetings with, “I’m well, I’m happy and I am thrilled to see you today!” What if we greeted others with, “What is making you happy today?” And then, shut up and smile. Possibly, just possibly, the response may be more engaging than the level of overloaded activities filling the pack on their back. They may just share a joyful story or expression of happiness. The way greetings are meant to be. Here is mine to you: “Hello there, how are you? What brings you joy today?” And your response is??? Pennie’s Life Lesson: “Stop telling yourself and others how busy you are. Instead speak of the joy and happiness that fills 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 © 2013-2015 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you!
MIND BODY AND SOUL FOOD
If we are what we eat then today I am oatmeal, blueberries, a turkey sandwich, an apple, salmon, salad and green beans. Oh, and a medium vanilla chia latte and one...okay, two really tasty sugar cookies. Well, I'm not perfect! Think about what else we feed ourselves every day that helps to create who we are. Did you savor the taste of love and joy? or Did you eat a big helping of self-criticism and negative talk? Did you swallow shame and guilt? How much anger and resentment did you chew on today? What about that green smoothie of jealousy you had for a midafternoon snack? And then right before bed did you munch on doubt and insecurity? All of these things blend into one big combo meal of emotions and feelings that feed who we are. Have you heard the expression, "junk in- junk out?" This is exactly what happens to your body and life. In the same way eating high calorie, sugar-filled junk food will show outwardly in the form of weight gain, when you feed yourself negativity then negativity will show outwardly to create a life of anger, depression and pain. Isn't it time to pay attention to what you feed your mind, body and soul? Create a menu of positive self-empowering mind, body and soul food. Begin mixing in healthy amounts of gratitude and self-care into your diet. None of us are perfect and along with the occasional really tasty sugar cookie there will be times that negative self-talk, doubt or shame will sneak into your daily diet. Forgive yourself when you indulge in these and then - move on! If you knew you had the power to create happiness in your life wouldn't you do it? Well, you do! It all starts with being grateful. Begin and end each day in gratitude. Just like weight lifting begins strengthening your body with one work out at a time, exercising your gratitude and self- compassion muscles will reshape your life one thank-you and one act of self-love at a time. Gratitude leads to love, joy and kindness. When you begin fueling your soul with these it will show outwardly bringing happiness to your life. YOU do have the power to become what you eat! Eat wisely. Pennie's Life Lesson: "You are what you eat -- feed love to your mind, body and soul!" ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ YOUR TURN... My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to pay attention to your negative self talk and emotions that you consume and replace them with loving self care and gratitude. 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 © 2013-2015 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you! I DRIVE HIS TRUCK 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 1985-2007YOUR 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 © 2013-2014 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you!
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN THE TOILET OVERFLOWS
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 stem. 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. Pennie’s Life Lesson: “When you allow your mind the space to do nothing – it becomes easier to do everything.” YOUR TURN... My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to step back when you are feeling overwhelmed. In the space between overwhelm and that step you may find clarity. 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 © 2013-2015 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you!
SEEING FOR
THE FIRST TIME He runs in 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 jumping-jacks out of his body and 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 face of those close to us would be like the moment we fell in love with them – over and over again. 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? Stop right in front of the next person you see and say, “Oh…Hi!” and feel the thrill of seeing them 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... How could you work this into your life? What would you love to see again - for the first 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 © 2013-2015 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you!
MEDITATION SAVED MY LIFE!
I began meditating over a decade ago during a very stressful time in my life. I was certain my mind and body would explode from the pressure, as I tried to handle many highly emotional life situations. Desperation set in as I struggled to gain some essence of control in my world of chaos. My first attempt at gaining relief from this tension was when I sat down, closed my eyes and with the sound of rain falling in my headphones said to myself over and over and over again, "Clear my mind... clear my mind... clear my mind." I didn't know what meditation was, nor did I realize thatwas what I was doing. I just knew I needed peace in my mind, heart and soul I lasted about five minutes, before I jumped up believing I had failed as my mind hadn't cleared at all. Determined, I continued this routine daily and soon I became more and more successful. Some days I could actually sit for the 5 minutes and my mind would clear. The minutes turned to ten, then fifteen and at times I would sit for hours. Meditation saved my life. I learned how to separate myself from the world outside of my body and control my emotions, thoughts and feelings. I could handle the stress of all that was happening in a clean, clear and calm way. After years of learning about the many various types of meditation, I have settled in to what works for me. I believe you do not have to follow a certain meditation dogma or philosophy to receive an emotional and physical benefit. The basic premise is to quiet your thoughts and allow calm, contentment and peace to fill the space of your mind and body. Now, whether I want to relax and release tension or concentrate on one thought, I turn to daily meditation as my life saving method. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie's Life Lesson: "Quiet your mind and allow calm, contentment and peace to fill you." ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
YOUR TURN...
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to try meditation. Begin by closing your eyes in peace for short amounts of time. Let me know how this works for 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 © 2013-2015 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you!
THE UNIVERSITY OF THE UNIVERSE
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 every grade before this and have many yet to come. We are all here at this grade 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 rock stars, athletic jocks, popular, or studious and brilliant. 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 are victims 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 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 likely teaching the class. If you’re struggling, the course you are enrolled in teaches humility, patience and empathy for others. The amazing news is, there are semesters in this 7th grade. If you move past struggling and pass the test you can graduate 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 more lessons, the University of the Universe has the power to enroll you into a semester of struggle where you will learn humility, patience and empathy … the hard way. Our task as students of life is to understand and believe that no matter what semester we are in, what class we are taking or whatcurriculum 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 others what we have learned along the way. 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 school. If it was fabulous we would love to relive the glory. If it was painful, we would like to go back and do it right the second time. Well, you’re here now and your entire life is the 7th grade at theUniversity 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 – and seek and share joy and love in the process.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ YOUR TURN... My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to understand that we hare here to learn, teach and love... enjoy the process! 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 © 2013-2015 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you!
LIFE VEST
I was forced in the water 5 years, 8 months and 5 days ago. She was pushed recently. I met her last month. Immediately, I saw the ache in her eyes as we spoke; the hurt that hides behind the everyday chit chat and smiles. I know too well how to recognize the look of buried pain that is in the eyes of every grieving parent. We shared photographs. We all carry one. Some are wrinkled and worn and some are sealed in protective covers to keep them safe. I noticed the care she took when I handed her the picture of my son, J.T. and the loving way she brushed her fingers over it. I silently thanked her for that. I did the same with her photograph. We parents with angel children understand that the love we send them does not stop just because they are not physically here with us. Our stories are different, and yet the same. The love we feel for our children. The pain we feel without them. The memories, the "did-that's”, the "wish-we-could's," the missing and the wanting all roll into one similar pond of pain. I am further in the water than she is. The hot and cold of it, the swirling and splashing is a continual dance of how we maneuver without drowning. The trick is to do it with the grace and balance required to keep our heads above water -and breathing--always breathing. At times I have fought the water current and at times I have floundered reaching for a life vest. The life vest has become one I wear secretly like bullet proof protection under my clothes with the hope that nothing this painful will ever penetrate my heart again. I continue forward. I see others in the distance, with well-worn life vests, who have maneuvered the water much longer than I have. I feel comfort in knowing they are leaving a trail to follow. I turn to see the ones behind me as they wade in, stumbling and unsure if they will survive the voyage. I reach my hand back to steady them as the waves hit, listen to them as they cry and help them position their life vests. After 5 years, 8 months and 5 days I have learned to swim a little better. But, I will always wear my life vest. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie's Life Lesson: “Sometimes we need a life vest and sometimes we can be a life vest for others.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ YOUR TURN... My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to reach out to others going through a difficult experience-- one that you have lived through! 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 © 2013-2015 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you!
Q-Tip It!
Years ago when my husband and I were dating I learned a powerful lesson. He would occasionally say something like, “I need a couple of days.” Of course I immediately took this personally and thought something was wrong. I would call him and stop by his house to see if he was okay, after all I must have said or done something to upset him. He would assure me I hadn't and that it didn't have anything to do with me or “us.” I soon realized he was right. It didn't have anything to do with me. We just have different ways of recharging. He needs downtime. He needs a quiet respite to rest, relax and regenerate. For me, when I need recharging I feed on the energy of being with people. Talking, laughing and companionship regenerates me, so of course when he would tell me he needed time to himself I felt pushed away. I took it personally. How many times in life do we take things personally and the reality is that it has nothing to do with us? Whenever a stressful situation occurs many of us default immediately to the negative. We blame ourselves. Let’s look at it differently. Let go of the immediate assumption and realize it isn't always about us…it could always be something else that causes someone to be cranky, in a hurry or snap at us. Here is a trick to help with this self-inflicted internalization of stress. Q-tip it! Yes, Q-tip it! Quit Taking It Personally! As a reminder, take a couple of Q-Tips and tape them to your computer, your bathroom mirror, or your car visor. Look at them often and when something happens in life that sets off your internal blame game, remember to Q-Tip it! The lesson I learned from my (now) husband all those years ago has saved me from many hours of needless worry. It isn't always about me. And guess what, now we recharge using what works for both of us. We recharge together, laughing, talking and in the quiet space of each other’s companionship. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: “When the stress of life sets off your internal blame game, Q-tip it! Quit Taking It personally!”
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YOUR TURN... My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to think about why things upset you... are you taking it personally when it has nothing to do with 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 © 2013-2014 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you!
WALK A MILE IN MY SMILE
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 SMILE..... smile when you are happy and smile when people least expect it. Just SMILE and see what 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 © 2013-2014 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you!
WATSU MASSAGE
I arrived for my Watsu Massage a bit early, put on my swimming suit and sat patiently in the lounge area. I love this part of spaing. You know, "spa-ing" as in the art of enjoying a spa...and I do see it as an art. I can smell a spa by just being in the approximate area. The blending of the massage oils, the steams, the cucumber eye circles and the eucalyptus all blend to set off the alarm in my mind that shouts, "Spa Ahead!” For me, sitting in the lounge area drinking lemon water, enjoying the tiny cup of almonds, listening to the meditative music, while enjoying the melding of smells is part of the anticipatory enjoyment of the spa experience. After a few minutes of this relaxing time the attendant appeared. She led me outside on a stone path through green foliage, lava rock walls and tiny grass huts to the cave area where the Watsu water pool sat in quiet seclusion. There the massage therapist, Sandy, was waiting. I was happy to see she was the one who was my Swedish massage therapist the year before. I liked her then and felt relief that I would be having this new experience with someone I knew and trusted. Recognizing me, I believe the feeling was echoed. The description in the brochure stated, Watsu is a passive form of aquatic body work that supports and gently moves you through warm water in graceful, fluid movements. This relaxing, meditative treatment is designed to bring total tranquility to you as your therapist supports, stretches and massages you. Meditative. Tranquility. Words that hit my heart and spirit, but . . . sensing I didn’t understand exactly how a massage in the water could be accomplished, Sandy told me there would be bending, stretching, yoga-like movements and to just relax and let go. She explained that the water is half salt and half fresh with no chlorine or chemicals so it holds a "very healing quality." She continued with a description that reinforced the meditative and tranquil qualities of the Watsu. This was going to be interesting. She began by instructing me to sit on a rock seat on the side of the pool while she put floats around my ankles. Then in one slow movement she took my hand and glided me into the water and quickly maneuvered me into position with my neck resting on her arm. Without stopping I was pulled around through the water feeling like Wendy as Peter Pan led her into the sky to fly. After a few swirls my body just followed where she pulled it and surprisingly I quickly released and relaxed. It was a sensation like I had not experienced before and the definition of being in the water and/or flying was blurred. My ears were submerged so the muffled sound of water and the waterfall, which echoed through the cave, surrounded my thoughts. The sound became very ocean-like as the swirling in the water continued. The concept of being led into the sky to fly through the universe while being whirled deeper and deeper in a spiral of water continued. With all of this motion only my eyes and nose remained above water. Submerged not only in water, but in the drifting. My eyes never opened. I was not sure they could. The worries and knowing of anything outside of me were clearing from my thoughts as if the flow to the right told me to "release," the flow to the left spoke, "let go." Hadn't Peter Pan also said something about if you want to fly you have to give up what's weighing you down? By this point my body seemed weightless. All ideas of gravity were missing from this space. I became aware that this was a massage of the mind, not of the body. It was an exercise in letting go of control. Release. Let go. Release. Let go. My body had given control of my thoughts to the quiet stillness of my mind; to the place I find myself during meditation. The space of magic when I leave the heaviness of my body to explore the vastness of all there is outside of the personality I call "me." The massaging continued, release, let go, release let go. Swirl. Swirl. Swirling. At some point the stretching began. Practicing Yoga on a not-so-regular schedule, I knew what my body could and couldn't do; how it would and wouldn't bend. But here in the water my body seemed to bend deeper. Stretch further. A slow ballet of graceful, fluid movements, as the brochure predicted. Time escaped as the hypnotic water dance continued. Suddenly the calming serenity was interrupted by the thundering sound of water pounding. I felt the heat of the sun on my face for the first time since entering the cave. The sound grew louder and louder as the sensation of water pelting my head rushed the coming together of my body with my mind. I felt the heaviness of my body return as the joining formed the oneness of me. The reality of remembering to remember that I had lost control of my body and myself caused me to jolt with a splash to regain control and movement of my body. “The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease for ever to be able to do it.” ~ Peter Pan Realizing for the first time in over an hour that I was not alone, my eyes opened to see Sandy pulling me away from the waterfall that had just caused my mind-body reunion. Smiling at me, she pulled both of us to the side of the pool. Sandy thanked me and left. Following her suggestion, but possibly more out of the need to stabilize my body and my thoughts, I sat on a bench outside the cave. The sunshine woke up my senses. The feeling was coming back in to my legs, my arms, but mostly my mind. Release and let go became hold on and connect. After some deep breathing the ballet of swirling, flying, and water diving, mingled through my thoughts. What had I just experienced? A work out? Not quite. A massage? Maybe. A meditation? Absolutely. Did I fly or did I dive through a tornado of water? Did it matter? What I did realize as the sun continued to solidify the connection of my mind and body is that the adventure was one of the mind. One of believing. One of the spirit. And a bit of magic. Maybe Peter Pan was right. Could it be that “All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust.” Pennie”s Life Lesson: “Allow yourself a time to release and let go. In this place of trust you will fly.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ YOUR TURN... My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to try something new and to be open the experience. 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 © 2013-2014 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you!
THE ROAD TO TRANQUILITY
On the way to my home I turn a sharp corner. I say sharp because if I didn’t make the turn I would drive right into a barricade. The special thing about the corner is the sign above the barricade. It says, “Tranquility” with an arrow pointing toward my home. Every time I drive by the sign and make the turn I take a deep breath in agreement. My home is a place of safety, peace and, yes, tranquility. For years I have called my home the, “House of Zen.” From the moment I enter I am greeted with the serenity of water trickling over slate stones in my water fall. There is no television on the main floor of my home and only the sound of serene music mixes with the water. The views from my windows are of nature in its glory. In every corner are items that bring me joy and comfort. My home is my sanctuary. How does your home create tranquility for you? When you walk through the threshold do you feel safe? What do you need to do to create calmness and serenity? You would be surprised as to how the littlest things can make a huge difference. Think of your senses…. What you see, hear, smell, touch and taste in your home spurs feelings. Music, candles, water, fire, flowers, texture….. these are things that can change the entire feel of a home and create a place of tranquility. Isn’t this the way we should feel as we are entering our private space? As I turn the corner this in-my-face visual reminds me to leave all my worries, concerns and negative experiences at the corner. When I turn onto that road to tranquility I am at peace. I am at home. Pennie’s Life Lesson: “Home is your space for safety, peace and tranquility.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ YOUR TURN... My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to create a space of calm in your home... a place for you to feel safe and loved. 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 © 2013-2015 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you!
PERCEPTION of PERFECTION
Recently it was pointed out to me that I am not 28 anymore. This message came in two ways. One from my body as I bent over during a Yoga pose and thought to myself, “Whose knees are those?” Later as I was questioning out loud how my knees have changed, a friend pointed out that my age number no longer begins with a "2." When did that happen? For that matter, how did I rush through 3 and 4? My friend’s point was, why would I expect to have 28 year old knees when I wasn’t 28 anymore and that I should stop being critical and accept myself and body for the beauty it holds, even if my number now begins with a "5." Whoa! That set off some major pondering in my head. Accept myself? Accept myself? The first thing I had to do was contemplate what my perception of me at this age and space in my life should be. What was I willing to accept? I will admit to being someone who over the years has had a difficult time with the perception of perfection. I have been the over achiever who wanted to be perfect. The perfect wife. The perfect daughter. The perfect mom. The perfect friend. All my life I have held a perception of what my perfect weight should be, what I should and shouldn't eat, how much I should work out, what I should be doing for others… the list could go on and on. Take a minute and visualize the Perception of Perfectionyou hold for yourself. Do you have it? If you are like me it is an over exaggerated, unattainable Perception of Perfection fueled by our own self talk and the world we live in. The media tells us minute-by-minute how we should look, dress and feel. We buy into this and continually believe we are not good enough. Is this realistic? My pondering has brought me to a place of honesty with myself. My new mantra is this: Pennie’s Perception of Perfection= Honesty, Health and Happiness. I may not be the same size I was and have the stamina I had at 28, but I look and feel pretty good. I am healthy and I love my life. And guess what? My age number does start with "5" and those are my knees. Now take out your paper and pen and write your ownPerception of Perfection that fits you. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie's Life Lesson: “Our personal Perception of Perfection should be based in Honesty, Health and Happiness.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ YOUR TURN... My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to love the age you are, the body you have and the joy life brings during all times of 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 © 2013-2015 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you!
WHY DIDN’T I?
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 never miss the opportunity to show kindness! 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 © 2013-2015 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you!
DO YOU SPEAK THEIR LANGUAGE?
The store was busy. I was in a hurry. When I hustled to the front to pay for the few items I had in my cart, I thought it was my lucky day! Many checkout lines were open and the lines were long, but line number 13 had only one customer. I quickly zipped my cart into position. The clerk was happily smiling and scanning the purchases for the couple in front of me. Then I realized the struggle. The clerk, who was hearing impaired, was trying to communicate with the couple through sign language and loud hard to distinguish words. I watched as she demonstrated unlimited patience and began pointing to the screen on the register to communicate. The couple, relieved to be done with their transaction, hurried away. I realized why her checkout line was short. People were avoiding her. I pushed my cart forward, unloaded my items, smiled and waved “Hi,” to the clerk. Her grin was huge, her happiness bold, as she waved back and said, “Hello” in her loud grating voice. Knowing only a few words in sign language I awkwardly did my best to speak her language. Her motions asked if she could put my items together in one bag. I put my fists together, thumbs up, and pulled them away from each other in what I remembered to mean “apart.” She paused and looked at me with the excitement of a child. Her smile widened, her eyes connected with mine and I saw her face grow into a sparkle. I was speaking “her” language. We moved through the payment process with a few circles on my chest to communicate, “Please” and as we finished I put my hand to my lips and then brought it down palm up to her and said, “Thank You,” in both her language and mine. Whose language are you missing? How often do we miss the opportunity to really see someone, look in their eyes, connect with who they are inside and speak their language? Do you get down on the floor and talk to a child at their eye level? Or do you talk down to them from a height they can only imagine being? Do you speak their language? Do you take the time to talk to those in your life circle about what is important? Do you know what makes them sing in the sunshine and cry in the dark? Do you know their pain? Do you speak their language? Do you show kindness to the elderly, homeless or marginalized people? Or do you sweep by them feeling like they are a nuisance? Do you speak their language? Do you stop when you come home and acknowledge your dog’s tail wagging dance of love when they see you? Or do you brush right by them to a task you feel is more important? Do you speak their language? It was my lucky day. By the clerk’s reaction to my effort at sign language, I believe she felt acknowledged, seen, heard and validated. Isn't that what we all want? What she didn't know was that she had given me a gift. Because of her, I stopped long enough in my busy day to really look at another, to notice our differences and yet stand on equal ground, to blend her form of communication with mine-- as she did her best to speak my language and I did my best to speak hers. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: “Take time to acknowledge others. See them, hear them, and speak their language!” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ YOUR TURN... My intent in sharing this with you is to help you see all the people in this world and to encourage you to "speak their language".... and they may just speak yours! 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 © 2013-2015 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you!
In honor of Mother's Day, I am sharing this "Pennies From The Past" about my Mom.
My amazement, respect and love for my Mom grows with each year. Happy Mother's Day to the Fernster!
OH FERN !
I can still hear my Dad say, “Oh, Fern”, as she began one of her stories. He called her Fernie Annie. Her nickname is The Fernster. Elsie Fern Tutewiler Hunt – yes, that is her name. To me she is Mom and yet, she is more than any of those names. Growing up I remember her as the family organizer, the child wrangler, the disciplinarian, and the choreographer of our life. She was a working Mom when most were home watching soap operas and creating meals from the Betty Crocker Cook Book. She worked hard and expected the same from others. Thinking about the Fernster, I began to wonder who she was before me, before the years of motherhood and responsibility wrapped around her. I looked at some pictures of her in younger days. I saw the impish smile of a child and imagined her laugh. I saw the hair of a young woman flow around her physical presence – self-assured, happy and carefree. I realized that stepping back from the Mom I've always loved I could look deeper to see a whole person. Years before her title of Mom, there was a woman filled with spirit, determination and dreams, eager to experience this world. The Fernster is almost 82 now and slowing down a bit. Her eyesight a little less focused, her hearing and memory a little muffled, yet her spirit and spunk remain intact. Now I see the whole person wrapped with memories of a life lived, people loved and experiences had. And yet, the spark of that young woman still burns with spirit, determination and enthusiasm for life ahead. The Fernster. Fernie Annie. Elsie Fern Tutewiler Hunt, yes to me she is Mom and yet, she is more than any of those names. I value her not only as Mom, but as a whole person she is. I love her so -- the person she was before me and the person she is today with me. Oh Fern, keep telling those stories. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie's Life Lesson: “Step back to see the ones you love as a whole person!” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ YOUR TURN... My intent in sharing this with you is to help you see all the people in your life as much more than who they are now to you... look at all of their titles, their life experiences, their hopes and dreams. See them as the 'whole' person they are! 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 © 2013-2015 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you!
TWO-A-DAYS
Have you ever participated in a team sport, trained for a marathon or tried to lose weight? A common practice during these times is, TWO-A-Days. This is when a team or person doubles up on their efforts and for a time practices or works out twice in the same day. The concept of doubling up, or TWO-A-Days, may also apply to studying during exam season or even when you have a cold and double your intake of vitamin C. I have a new application for this concept. There are times when your mind and soul need this same kind of extra attention. When you are overwhelmed, overstressed, or overtired—you know, those times when the faster you go the more you have to do and it seems like there is never enough time to get it all done. Your mind is racing and you feel like you are going crazy! This is the perfect time to add TWO-A-Days to your life. Twice a day begin just sitting. If you meditate now, begin doing it twice a day. If meditation is foreign to you, just give yourself 5, 10, or 15 minutes twice a day to just sit, relax and breathe. I realize this seems impossible when you already are stretched for time and don’t have a minute to spare. But, THIS is exactly when you need to do it the most. Giving this extra time and space to clearing your mind puts the chaos on hold and helps you gain mental and physical balance. During stressful times it also allows space for answers to come. TWO-A-Days don’t have to be just for sports. Learn to implement this into your own life. Once you get through the stressful time you may realize all the benefits it brings into your life. Peacefulness, calm, the ability to cope, and the lessening of the physical damage stress does to your body are all benefits of this practice. You may decide giving yourself the gift of quiet twice a day is something you want to continue every day. Pennie’s Life Lesson: “Give yourself the gift of quiet twice a day. You deserve the peace it will bring to your life.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ YOUR TURN... My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to understand that during the craziest times of life, you need to take care of yourself in a calm and loving way! Please 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 © 2013-2015 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you!
CLEAN YOUR VIEW
The window washers just left. I can see like I have never seen before! Yes, I have cleaned my windows in the past, but this is the first time in the years that I have lived in my home that I hired a window service. They cleaned all my windows and doors quickly, systematically and professionally. I watched from the inside of my house as they soaped the window in front of me. The deposits of the seasons and weather ran down the glass in a muddy rinse. As the squeegee moved back and forth the clarity opened with every stroke until the window was a bright exposed screen to life outside. I had no idea the windows were that dirty. I had been living (I thought) comfortably in my home glancing occasionally out the window with little thought to whether I was able to see clearly. Isn’t that how we live our lives? We skip along day by day not even noticing what is in our view. We are numbed by our thoughts and memories of the past and occupied by our hopes and dreams of the future. We survive in a comfortable chaos somewhere between the two without realizing that we are missing out on our present purpose. Our present purpose is to breathe this breath, walk this step, see, smell and taste this moment. It is not to be so clouded by the dirt of the past and the film of the future that we don’t see the sparkling canvas of nowright in front of us. Is it time to clean your windows? Is it time to soap away the preoccupation of what has happened, stop dreaming of what might happen and live in the sparkle of what is happening? Wash clean the window of your mind. Today, right now, this moment is an amazing sight. Relish the reality of now! See like you have never seen before! Enjoy the view! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: Wash away the preoccupation of what has happened; stop dreaming of what might happen and live in the sparkle of what is happening! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ YOUR TURN... My intent in sharing this with you is to help you live in what is happening right now. Enjoy your view! Please 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 © 2013-2015 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you!
EMOTIONAL BENEFITS
We are all on a search for "Emotional Benefits." We all freely give "I love you's" with the expectation that we will receive an I love you in return. Everything we do, say, act on or experience is with the expectation of making us feel good, feel happy, feel important or feel loved. Our need to connect and belong is a driver in life. Emotional benefit is attached. Why do you think our world is so dependent on the buzzing of our cell phones? Because with every vibrational Tweet, every chiming phone call and every new friend request on Facebook we feel loved, needed, and wanted. We act with our heart and grab the phone! Emotional benefit is attached. Unfortunately, we do very little in life without the expectation of reciprocity. We have learned this mutual give and take expectation throughout our life. If I pick you for the volley ball team, Iexpect you will pick me next time. If I invite you to lunch, I expect you to invite me to lunch. If I FRIEND you on Facebook, I expect you to Friend me. If I tell you I love you, I expect you to tell me you love me. We expect this mutual exchange. Emotional benefit is attached. Imagine if we took the expectation out of the equation. Imagine if we friended, liked and loved just for the joy of friending, liking and loving. Imagine joyfully giving without the expectation of an obligatory comparable response. I believe the real law of reciprocity should be based on our intent. If your intent is ~ I will do this in order to receive that in return -- then you are living your life in a self-centered way. If your intent is ~ I will do this with no expectation of return -- then you are living your life in an other-centered way. You are making more deposits in the bank of emotional benefits than you expect to withdraw. Then the magic happens. By changing the expectation of reciprocity, the Emotional Benefit we give to others will increase. The conditions of the game will be removed. Your own Emotional Benefit account will begin to overflow. It will become clear that by acting with our heart in an other-centered way the search for our own Emotional Benefits will begin and end with making others feel good, happy, important and loved. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie's Life Lesson: “Unconditionally give and love for the joy of giving and loving.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to rush out there into your life and spread joy and love --expecting NOTHING in return and see what happens! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 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 © 2013-2015 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you! |
AuthorThere is a certain magic about where I live both physically and spiritually – on the crossroads of Spirit and Brave. Archives
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