A penny for your thoughts.

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This phrase was first thought to be coined, no pun intended, by British Playwright John Heywood, or so it is believed.  Some of his other notable catch phrases and I will paraphrase some of them were: "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth", "It went in one ear and out the other", and "It's an ill wind that blows no good."  Not bad for a man who help set a standard for the likes of William Shakespeare.  I only provide you with this tidbit of information as I have used this phrase in the past and was just curious about its origination.  However, the origination of this catch phrase is not the main reason for using it today.  I was awakened at three this morning with the title to today's blog, and because of that I just thought it prudent to find out about it.

The main focus for today's blog is all about how does one handle, what one is handling, and do you invite other's to come along for the ride?  I am very guilty of keeping my feelings and emotions all to myself, and only when push comes to shove do I break down and share with others what might be going on in my life.  I have had to learn, sometimes the hard way, to open up and let people know what is on my mind and allow others to be there for me.  I have found that most people are closed off to others simply because they are often afraid of what others might think.  Pride and ego once again taking center stage and instead of helping it becomes a very destructive force.

ALERT, ALERT, ALERT:  broken record time again.  Life is a journey and if you decide to do it all alone then you are making a mistake of epic proportion.  This journey we call life was never intended to be done alone and if you have not learned that by now, you are eventually going to have go round Robin Hood's barn once again.  I have never known a single person who has been able to navigate every portion of his or her life without the assistance of someone else.  Now there are those who will require little help and others who will need the assistance of others almost on a daily basis.  Needing help does not diminish who you are.  It does not take away from the success you will achieve.  If anything it allows others to be blessed by virtue of their desire to help one in need.  Now I am not talking about someone who is trying to be a modern day martyr.  The person who is always there to pull some one's butt out of the fire, but they will state to others how difficult it was and why are they the ones who always have to be there to help.  These martyrs only do because it gives them something to complain about and at the same time solicit the accolades from others about their heroic actions.  Thanks , but no thanks:  I help because it is the right thing to do, not because I will glorified for it.  Enough said on that point I guess.

When I see someone in a struggle and I make the statement "a penny for your thoughts", I am genuinely concerned with what they are carrying around with them and want to assist them as best I can.  I will caution you:  if you are not prepared to hear their answer, do not ask the question.  I have done this before and once I opened the gates, there was no way for me to stop it.  The horse was already out of the barn.  The flood of this and that kept coming and I was lucky to get out of there with my own whits.  Use your intuition, follow your heart, and if you are lead to ask someone what is going on, then do it.  If you don't feel lead, then move on. Trust me, there are others out there who will be there for them.

A penny for your thoughts is truly born out of love.  Love for your neighbor, your family members, co-workers, and others.  It is not there out of some kind of "Oh I better do something because no one else will do it."  If that is your point of view, please don't waste your time.  Let someone else be there for them.  If you cannot do this out of the kindness of your own heart, you're wasting your time, and ultimately will leave the person you are attempting to help in worse shape.  If you're the one who needs to spill your guts, then spill your guts.  Keeping things bottled up will only lead to a massive explosion later on, and normally this type of eruption comes at very inappropriate times.

A penny today is not worth what it used to be worth, unless that penny is used to open up a dialogue with someone in need of a loving ear to listen, and a warm heart to feel.  There have been times when I would have given everything I owned just to have someone to talk to.  There have been times when all I wanted was a shoulder to cry on, if for no other reason then I would no longer feel all alone in this big huge world.  We have all been there and we will all be there again in the future.  When I offer someone a penny for their thoughts its because I truly desire to hear what is going on.  Never play around with this, it is like playing with fire if your motives are not honest and pure.  If you are the one who is in need of an ear to listen then simply put that request out to the universe and expect that person to come around to you.  It may not be the one you expected, but I assure you it will be the one who will be able to help you out of your situation.

It is better to be a penny wise then a pound foolish.  Don't allow pride to come in and steal what could be your escape route to a life less stressed and more fulfilling.  Allow others to offer you that penny for your thoughts and in turn, you will be offering up your own penny to others as you help them escape the troubles of life.