​IMPORTANT WORDS ARE WHISPERED NOT SHOUTED by Pennie Hunt

It happened in the buffet line. I heard a whisper from behind me say,
“You must think you are pretty darn special, to control everything.”

I dropped the spoon back into the bowl of Caesar Salad and spun around to see a woman from the group I was with. I knew her, but not well. We had never had a one-on-one conversation. I am sure the expression on my face and the speed at which I turned was surprising to her, but she didn’t show it. She looked at me with an emotionless expression and softly repeated,  
“You must think you are pretty darn special to control everything.”

I couldn’t respond. My brain was quickly trying to process what she meant and what to say in return. I wasn’t fast enough. Before I could speak, she went on with,
“No one has the kind of power you think you have - to control everything. You are not responsible for everything. And you cannot control other people. Stop believing you have that much power.”

With that, she stepped around me in line and continued to fill her plate.
I froze looking around to see if anyone else heard the lesson I had just received. Stepping out of line I took my plate with one small spoonful of salad and sat down at a table.

We were at a three-day meeting with a group we met with once a month. That morning we had broken into small group sessions. During my session, I shared what was happening in my personal life. I teetered on a downpour of tears as I told how I felt like a failure because I couldn’t control the situation and felt like it was my fault that my loved one was struggling. Moments after I told my story we broke for the buffet line.

Staring at my plate I felt the hot tears building again. Yes, I blamed myself for the life circumstance my loved one was in. Yes, I felt like a failure that I couldn’t turn it around and create a happy-ever-after ending to the situation. Yes, I felt like I should have the power to fix it.

In that brief moment, everything changed. With a soft whisper, the words I needed to hear gently flowed into my mind and made their way down seeing into my heart. In a buffet line, I received a message that changed my beliefs, my outlook, and the way I was living my life. I changed.

Life-changing words don’t need to be shouted to be heard. It was in the soft whisper of truth that I received the message I needed. I realized there was only one life I could control and that was mine. I could guide and support others, but not control them, their path, or the outcome of their choices. I was not responsible for the decisions they made.

As much as I thought I was a superwoman with a magic cape and all the answers to give - I could not ‘fix’ anything. I didn’t have a magic wand or special glitter to sprinkle that would turn a pumpkin into a white coach or someone’s mess into a perfect life— my vision of a perfect life.

It was as if in that moment I was filled with understanding. I was able to accept the reality of the situation and release control of the outcome. It was in a buffet line moment that the weight lifted from my heart, and I understood that we all walk our own paths in life. No one else can walk it for us and no one else can control the direction we go or navigate our journey. No one has that much power- not even me.
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                                                    Pennie’s Life Lesson:
                  Life-changing words don’t need to be shouted to be heard.
​    It is in the soft whispers of truth that messages are sent, and lives are changed. 
                                            ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  

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#CornerofSpiritandBrave #loveyourlifenomatterwhat #journeythrough #PennieHunt #YouAreGoodEnough
YOUR TURN...        
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