Today is World Penguin Day.
I love penguins. I love their little waddle walk, their permanent tuxedo attire, and just about everything else about them. I have seen them in zoos, warn them on my feet (fuzzy slipper socks with penguins embroidered on them), and watched all the penguin movies.
But it was a story I heard at a Women of Faith conference a few years ago. The storyteller was Luci Swindoll and she told of the time she went to the Antarctic on a cruise with the sole objective of spotting a whale. She spent all of her time looking out into the ocean hoping to see just one whale.
But there were no whales to be seen, only penguins. On the last day when Luci came to terms with the fact that she was not going to see a whale on this trip, she tuned into what other people were seeing. There, off on a glacier were several penguins enjoying themselves sliding on the ice and playing in the water. These happy little creatures were oblivious to the positive effect they were having on their audience.
Ms. Swindoll said she learned a big lesson that day, “Do not be so consumed looking for the big, exciting things in life that you miss the little blessings along the way.”
Happy Penguin Day,
Lydia!
And Happy Penguin Day to YOU Lydia! Love the message!~Kim
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Thank you, Kim. I had forgotten it until I saw it was National Penguin Day. 🙂
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This is one of the best holidays I’ve ever heard of. Happy Penguin Day!
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Thanks! There are a whole pile of fun celebrations. A few weeks ago it was Mac and Cheese day!
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I adore penguins. And the life lesson of not always looking for the big things reminds me of Therese of Lisieux who said that we cannot all be a lily or a rose some of us are smaller flowers but just as important and just as loved by God.
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That is beautiful and very true.
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Lydia. I am so in love with this and reading this was timely. Often I am able to be present and find myself in the moment to appreciate whats right in front of me, but at times it can be easy to be distracted by this time illusion that we have to get things done, or that the next moment is better than the present. Thank you for this. I’m an instant fan of your blog.
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Thank you for your kind words and for following my blog. I look forward to checking yours out as well.
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You’re very welcome and thank you Lydia.
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