My name is Bonnie Penner, and I am a purpose-driven, action-oriented individual with a firm belief in the power of freedom. I hold deep convictions that community is built through connection and contribution. I endeavor to embody transparency, compassion, and empathy with those who cross my path so together we can cultivate a community that thrives on these values and guides our collective efforts.
I firmly believe the purposeful embracement of struggle creates trust, reveals Vision, and ignites passion, fueling an unstoppable drive. In other words, by choosing to embrace life's challenges head-on, one is able to cultivate trust and achieve inner peace, no matter what comes our way.
As an educator, activist and formulator, I started my business Organically Clean in 2010 at the Kelowna Farmers' Market, rebranding it to Zero Xeno in 2013.
Even though past experiences have taught me that embracing struggle is key to unlocking the doorway of trust, it hasn't been easy. It has however, created new realities in my life that once seemed impossible.
Years ago, a simple mistake taught me and my family a life lesson that helped us recognize the value of struggle and its connection with trust.
As part of a homeschool project, my kids and I decided to hatch baby chicks in a homemade incubator in our living room. The books and articles we read warned us NOT to assist the chicks as they struggled to break free from their shells, explaining that they needed to fight their way out in order to survive. However, they didn't explain WHY this was so crucial.
Each day, we carefully turned the eggs, maintained the right humidity and temperature, and candled them to observe the chicks developing inside. When hatching day arrived, we eagerly watched as the chicks began to pip. After hours of anxious waiting, we couldn't resist peeling back some of their shells. They seemed so small and helpless as they fought to emerge, and we thought a little help wouldn’t hurt.
Sadly, we learned the hard way that before hatching, the yolk sack, which later becomes the chick’s intestines, remains outside their body. The yolk sack is there to provide the last bit of energy necessary for the chicks to hatch. By not letting them struggle, we disrupted this crucial life giving step.
To our horror, after peeling away some of the eggshells, we discovered the chick's intestines hanging outside their body. In desperation, we frantically tried wrapping small cloths and tape around the chicks, hoping to retract their intestines back inside. Despite our efforts, we watched in grief as each one perished. It was a heartbreaking experience, and we realized that by failing to trust in the natural process of struggle, we had unknowingly harmed the little ones we sought to protect.
Thankfully, we learned from our mistake and later successfully hatched not only chicks but ducklings too! Having gained a deeper understanding of the importance of embracing struggle, we shared our experience with other homeschoolers, hoping they would learn from our misjudgment and believe in the value of struggle.
“Struggle causes one to look beyond the possible, so the impossible becomes possible!”
Embrace Struggle!
I firmly believe the purposeful embracement of struggle creates trust, reveals Vision, and ignites passion, fueling an unstoppable drive. In other words, by choosing to embrace life's challenges head-on, one is able to cultivate trust and achieve inner peace, no matter what comes our way.
As an educator, activist and formulator, I started my business Organically Clean in 2010 at the Kelowna Farmers' Market, rebranding it to Zero Xeno in 2013.
Even though past experiences have taught me that embracing struggle is key to unlocking the doorway of trust, it hasn't been easy. It has however, created new realities in my life that once seemed impossible.
Years ago, a simple mistake taught me and my family a life lesson that helped us recognize the value of struggle and its connection with trust.
As part of a homeschool project, my kids and I decided to hatch baby chicks in a homemade incubator in our living room. The books and articles we read warned us NOT to assist the chicks as they struggled to break free from their shells, explaining that they needed to fight their way out in order to survive. However, they didn't explain WHY this was so crucial.
Each day, we carefully turned the eggs, maintained the right humidity and temperature, and candled them to observe the chicks developing inside. When hatching day arrived, we eagerly watched as the chicks began to pip. After hours of anxious waiting, we couldn't resist peeling back some of their shells. They seemed so small and helpless as they fought to emerge, and we thought a little help wouldn’t hurt.
Sadly, we learned the hard way that before hatching, the yolk sack, which later becomes the chick’s intestines, remains outside their body. The yolk sack is there to provide the last bit of energy necessary for the chicks to hatch. By not letting them struggle, we disrupted this crucial life giving step.
To our horror, after peeling away some of the eggshells, we discovered the chick's intestines hanging outside their body. In desperation, we frantically tried wrapping small cloths and tape around the chicks, hoping to retract their intestines back inside. Despite our efforts, we watched in grief as each one perished. It was a heartbreaking experience, and we realized that by failing to trust in the natural process of struggle, we had unknowingly harmed the little ones we sought to protect.
Thankfully, we learned from our mistake and later successfully hatched not only chicks but ducklings too! Having gained a deeper understanding of the importance of embracing struggle, we shared our experience with other homeschoolers, hoping they would learn from our misjudgment and believe in the value of struggle.
“Struggle causes one to look beyond the possible, so the impossible becomes possible!”
Embrace Struggle!
by Bonnie Penner