The Wisdom of Yesterday – Lost or just forgotten?

January 5, 2015 / Penny L Howe / 28 Comments

“Yesterday is many things, a memory, a part of our journey, a learned lesson.

But the one thing it should never be … forgotten!” ~ Penny

The technology of today is exciting, and no doubt it will be even more exciting tomorrow.

But today I’d like to briefly mention the very transitory period of time in which we (you and I) will be here. So to what purpose do we allow inundation of newness? It is one thing to improve communication and other technological marvels, quite another to become so immersed within it, that the focus of reality is pitched into virtuality and the next “new thing”.

And I might add at considerable expense in terms of quality of life in our “real world” (you know the one removed from artificial things – if that’s even possible). Health, relationships, values, ecology, life on this planet – all these and more are taking a beating here.

The future looks good only if we do pay attention to the wisdom of yesterday. Lots of beautiful quotes out there in multimedia land, wise words from the past, but again to what purpose if they’re just pretty words reflected upon in the moment.

Turn off your electronic devices for a portion of each day. Focus on things happening in your immediate vicinity.

See … really see … your today, unfettered by online influences. Decide how you can change your life and others for the better.

Your today will soon be yesterday, and we don’t want it to be forgotten!

With much affection to you,

~ Penny

Haibun Thinking – City Life and Nature’s Heartbeat!

December 4, 2014December 4, 2014 / Penny L Howe / 8 Comments

Photo prompt:

photograph © Arthur Browne

My entry:

This is the city. I’ve lived in the heart of a metropolis. I enjoyed being there. Something unique in the nature of city life. A day time hustle and bustle not found in rural life. Although to a large degree that has changed with the intrusion of malls and “everything you need at one place” mega stores.

But at night, cities still hold sway to that uniqueness I mentioned. There’s a grittiness that comes out in between the city lights, neon signs and mostly empty sidewalks. The sounds and smells are intriguing. I won’t deny that I loved my stay in the city. And I won’t deny that I miss a certain aspect of it. A “making things happen” kind of feeling. A hustle and bustle reminding one of living, moving forward and yet …

I don’t regret leaving. I missed the countryside. I missed the early morning mist and dewy greenness of nature. A different pace in the natural world. One I’m more suited for and one I was out of step with for a period of time in my life. The balance was missing, reclaimed when I returned to my roots.

a balanced life

at the very heart of the matter

is nature’s heartbeat

Haibun Thinking is a weekly writers challenge. If you wish to enter click here. Big thanks to Alastair for hosting this haibun challenge and giving writers an opportunity to improve their writing skills.

~ Hope you enjoyed, thanks for stopping by,

Penny

Transport of Choice – My Imagination

October 7, 2014 / Penny L Howe / 12 Comments

This piece also published in “The Haven of Haibun” today.

Transport of Choice

It is said that to travel is to learn, to grow inside through experience. While admitting to the truth in this, it does appear my travels have lead me far afield from where I’d originally meant to go. Funny that.

The various turns in the road, chosen by my own volition, seemed the right ones to take at the time, in retrospect I’m doubtful of this. Therefore, there have been those lessons learned in my travels which have been painful. This having been said, I will now say that my favorite mode of transportation is and always has been – my mind.

Fueled by the wonderful power of imagination, I have traveled to any place and every place wished for – to visit. Imagination, my vehicle of choice and while some may laugh at this mode of transport, I find this particular vehicle ready to depart at a moments notice to the far reaches of my desires, and I … I am most content with this.

imagination

*“to infinity and beyond”

yes, he has it right

Just simply had to throw in one of Disney’s beloved characters in my haiku. I adore *Buzz Lightyear and his wonderful outlook on life, cartoon character though he may be. I hope you enjoyed my Haibun.

It is a pleasure to see Haibun Thinking Writing Challenge up and active once again. Welcome back. The challenge this week is “Film Week”. Write Haibun style using the following quote or a photo as a prompt. As you can see, I chose the quote:

“You came here in that thing?
You’re braver than I thought.”
~ Carrie Fisher (Star Wars)

I encourage everyone who enjoys writing to enter this challenge. Just click on the Haibun Thinking up above. To read other entries click on the blue “links in collection!”

Have a wonderful day, filled with joy and love,

~ Penny

Harmony

September 23, 2014 / Penny L Howe / 12 Comments

“The perfect balance between thought

and action!” ~ Penny L Howe

~.~

I hope everyone’s week is going well for them, in a most harmonious and happy way.

~ Penny

The Miracle of Life vs Man’s Misappropriated Melange!

September 17, 2014September 17, 2014 / Penny L Howe / 7 Comments

Life offers each of us so many components to consider and blend together within the human acts of our daily existence. Life can be a burden to bear, an experience to rejoice in, and it can also be an education where we, hopefully, acquire wisdom and illumination.

I like to regard life as a little bit of each, presenting alternately, choices and challenges, where we determine the mixture. Unfortunately our melange has hardly been what it should and can be.

We fall short in so many ways through greed, avarice, hate and cowardice. Yet, I still remain hopeful that humanity can survive itself, but there is one thing I do know for sure and try never to forget …

“…Life is the most astonishing miracle

of which we are only a tiny piece of its many recipients

and as such life should never – ever – be taken for granted or misused.”

Penny L Howe, 2014

Clueless when “Opportunity” knocks – Friday Fictioneers!

September 25, 2013 / Penny L Howe / 67 Comments

Flash Fiction (100 words)

The Door to Opportunity

“Sam, what are you doing?”

“Huh,” he replied, busily opening and closing each door in sight.

“I asked what you’re doing,” Irving said.

“Oh, I’m looking for opportunity,” Sam answered while continuing to open and close each door.

“I think, the metaphor means having to actually go through the door when opportunity knocks. Opening and closing doors isn’t going to achieve anything!”

“What’s a metaphor?” Sam paused to stare at Irving.

“Just a figure of speech, referring to something else to make a point – that you’re not getting.”

“Okay,” Sam replied and began to open and close doors again.

There’s a lot more effort required when opportunity knocks. It’s just giving you a heads-up. You’re still the one who needs to pursue the advantage being presented!

Be sure to check out Friday Fictioneers’ other excellent offerings. Do you write? Want to give this flash fiction a try? Click here for details! Join an excellently talented group of international writers, have fun connecting with others, like yourself. The talented hostess Rochelle is there to help.

I hope your weekend is going well for you, thanks for stopping by,

~ Penny

The Rest of the Story – Earth for lunch!

September 2, 2013September 2, 2013 / Penny L Howe / 28 Comments

We do so many things today where we don’t really think about the ‘why’ of it. We think about the ‘what for’ and ‘how come’, not so much the why or …

… the rest of the story.

Here’s an example: Why do so many people frequent fast food restaurants every day? They didn’t used to. Before life became so hectic and busy (at home) they’d eat almost all their meals there, including preparing lunches to take to school or work. It was just the way it was. Connecting with the family and helping out with the meal preparation. So you’re thinking to yourself, “Oh so that’s the reason why. We’ve gotten too busy. Picking up fast food is convenient.” Well yes and no. That’s just the first part of the story.

The rest of the story has to do with how we initially felt when we stopped in at a fast food restaurant. It was fun. No work involved. yummy fat laden richness wrapped up in a treat like environment. These sensations hitting all of our “feel good” places. It was affordable, quick and pleasurable. At some point these same feelings were passed on to the next generation. Simply stated it became addictive. An easy enjoyable treat … and ‘in our minds eye” a solution to a meal.

Now it has become a part of many millions of people’s life styles. They will tell you and themselves that it is because its convenient, cheap, fast and fun but truthfully, It’s because it’s easier and it definitely (the moment it hits our addictive “feel good” center) has become a way of life, starting as soon as we’re old enough to “get it”.

The sad part is, the food is heavily processed, so as a constant diet, a very bad idea. but even more importantly we need to grow or purchase, in a market, fresh food items (to reconnect ourselves, more closely, to our interactions with the natural part of the planet we live on). Our awareness and involvement of the ecosystems (of which we are a part) is increasingly missing. And we need this connection for our health and the planet’s health as well.

We may live longer, but I don’t think most of us are happier. Many (at a young age) suffer from a variety of health complaints that didn’t exist 50 years ago. Stress not withstanding, (as it is certainly the main “killer” in our over processed life), the food we eat, where it comes from, the processing of it and our own lack of personal hands on involvement is the continuing results of the “fast food” mentality …

*… and that’s the rest of the story.

(*if these words sound familiar to any of you it’s because a very famous American radio talk show host from the 1950’s to the `90’s Paul Harvey” used these lines … as a part of his commentary. They served him well, so I’m borrowing them now. They do help to make a point!)

Have an excellent labor day today if you live in the U.S.A and a great week ahead for my friends who’ve already started their new week in our global community,

Good Day!

~ Penny

Will Our Lives Be Lost In Time ~ like tears in the rain?

August 9, 2013August 9, 2013 / Penny L Howe / 29 Comments

“Life … A Masterpiece from the Palette of the Universe”

Life …

…We are the recipients!

And…we need reminded of this!

I saw a movie once, a favorite – “Blade Runner”, (a Science fiction thriller, dark and forboding) – the future. There is a scene at the end of the movie where one of the characters says words that are so piercingly moving and true that I’ve never forgotten them.

“Life lost in time – is like tears in the rain”

The video below “reminds” us of life – it’s beauty and it’s value. You can hear the words (from the movie’s scene) in the background. Please, please watch (just a few minutes) listen to the words, see the beauty and

… be reminded!

Music from Vangelis – “Tears in the Rain” and spoken words both from the movie “Blade Runner”. This gorgeous video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pql82_hMBxY was created by Antoss1, he was inspired after watching the same scene of which I spoke.

WE are life’s recipients …

WE hold the future in our hands …

WE need to remind and be reminded … Again and again until we (all of us) understand!

All the tomorrow’s that will ever be are being created even as I write this.

We are the ones deciding what life will be in our futures. Our choices … the choices … have never been more important than they are today.

*

Consider this as you go about your day’s routine today. What is really important to you in life? What really matters? These are things to ponder and weigh in your heart of hearts.

We hold the future in our hands…”We hold the future in our hands“!

We, The Recipients of Life

We hold the future “their futures” … in our hands!

Thank you for stopping by, may your day be blessed with happiness and positive thoughts for the future my friends,

Penny

I wish you could touch me now …

July 27, 2013 / Penny L Howe / 52 Comments

I am vulnerable because of loving so pure and deeply, my walls of protection cannot keep my desire for you at bay.

and so … I wish you could touch me now. Not my heart, you’ve touched me there too deeply, it’s still bruised and bleeding. But my body still hungers for you.

I need your touch …

I desire the warmth of your caress, the closeness of your body, the physical contact of … you!

I wish you could touch me now …

… even as I understand morning light will illuminate the true reality of our relationship. I know for all your tender caring words, you would be gone and my loving soul will still be bruised … for all your promises said in the moonlight hours of sensual need and gratification. I know all this.

But the longing remains so …

I still wish you could touch me now.

I’ll always have our memories of the night time to sustain me, in daylight hours spent alone, reflecting on why you said one thing and did another. Belittling my efforts instead of supporting them, and yet still I love you. And wish you to be happy.

I am pleased to hear you are where you’ve wanted to be for so long. I am happy for you. Resigned, accepting and aware of some of the hard learned lessons of life, when one exposes one’s soul during love.

But now in these evening hours I dream of you touching me again, filling my sensual needs. Even, as reality has come full circle and comprehension of the cruelty of those who love and those who take in the guise of love, is complete.

Touch me … but let it be only the physical, my bruised soul cannot bear the mockery of a pretense at true love (yours were personal and emotional needs for yourself. I don’t believe you really thought of my needs – perhaps as an afterthought), but my body does respond to your loving body. So in that, there is truth.

I wish you could touch me. I’m prepared now for tomorrow … it hurts, but I understand. With all the love in my heart that I give so freely, I was so sure someone might love me the way I loved them in return … it seems I was mistaken!

Most definitely an unrequited love piece here. Not to worry, my next fictional piece is part two of adventure and excitement. Dry your tears and stay tuned for fun! Our fictional young lady in the piece above (p.s.- she’s the one trapped in the tunnel https://thewhyaboutthis.com/2013/07/22/alastairs-photo-fiction-the-tunnel-and-survival/ , although brokenhearted, she’s about to kick some serious a..!) More to come!

~ Penny

penny

What do you believe in – And does your body believe you?

July 24, 2013 / Penny L Howe / 39 Comments

I truly believe there is a reason, I don’t have Crohn’s disease anymore. (and haven’t for 20+ years, and I was told “like cancer”, it is always there in the cells somewhere, or the capability of it reoccurring after my first surgery) I struggled with this disease for 20 years (awful problems, hospitalized more times than I care to recall – seemingly never ending) until I woke up one morning and just said … “No!”

Now I understand – that on that day, all four areas of the parts of my brain were in alignment (communication with each other) in that moment. So my “No” came equally from my emotion center, my cognitive center, my spiritual (belief system – whatever that may be for each of us) center, and my subconscious bodily activity center.

In other words, the chemical instructions via our neural pathways to the brain from each of those areas of activity sent the strongest message ever to my body that it could heal itself. And it did.

This could be perhaps, a possible explanation for those who survive the trauma of illness or life experiences. Not mystical voodoo, just all parts of ‘your being’ decided it can “fix” what needs to be fixed (remember we ‘mostly’ only use a small fraction of our brains total capability.

These are only my own personal thoughts being shared here, based on the history of my health but I’ve come to call this occurrence “The Alignment of our Being”. Usually we (Our conscious self) are at odds with one or more of these interactive mental activities going on each day.

Memories, thoughts and actions center around those 4 centers of our being. If I look and

feel 20 years younger, it’s because I sincerely feel 20 years younger and believe it, so my body does too, and acts on that belief. And of course it’s a no brainer that healthy living, lifestyle, and reducing the stress of the day just makes things even better.