No. 1017 A LESSON STRESS!

No. No. 1017

Jim Davidson -- NEWSPAPER COLUMN

A LESSON ON STRESS!

The other day a friend sent me a wonderful and helpful article (no author given) about stress. The article was so good that I wanted to share it with you. Every so often I have people chastise me when I use information that was written by others. Here is my attitude. If the information helps, blesses and enlightens me, the odds are pretty good that it will help and bless you too. As I have said many times over the past 20 years of writing this column, I don’t claim to be original and am never too proud to use the ideas of others. A good percentage of my columns are written as an extension of my own original thinking, but even here I am just using different words and thoughts to share ideas that have been expressed by thousands, perhaps millions of others over the years. In the Bible, Ecclesiastes 1:9 says, “There is nothing new under the sun.”
With that said, please allow me to share the following ideas about stress. They could be very helpful, especially if you get wound up tight as a guitar string from time to time and you feel like you are ready to pop. The article begins, “A young lady confidently walked around the room with a raised glass of water while leading a seminar and explaining stress management to her audience. Everyone knew she was going to ask the ultimate question, ‘Half empty or half full?’ She fooled them all. ‘How heavy is this glass of water?’ she inquired with a smile. Answers called out ranged from 8 ounces to 20 ounces.
“She replied, ‘The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long you hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that is not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, you will have to call an ambulance. It each case it’s the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.’ She continued, ‘and that is the way it is with stress. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won’t be able to carry on.
‘As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it up again. When we are refreshed, we can carry on with the burden – holding stress longer and better each time practiced. So as early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down and don’t carry them through the evening and into the night.
‘If you must, pick them up again tomorrow and remember to: No. 1 -- Accept the fact that some days you’re the pigeon, and some days you are the statue. No. 2 -- Always keep your words soft and sweet just in case you have to eat them. No. 3 -- Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it. No. 4 -- Drive carefully; it’s not only cars that can be recalled by their Maker. No. 5 -- If you can’t be kind, at least have the decency to be vague. No. 6 -- If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it. No. 7 -- It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.
No. 8 -- Never buy a car you can’t push. No. 9 -- Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time because then you won’t have a leg to stand on. No. 10 -- Since it’s the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late. No. 11 -- The second mouse gets the cheese. No. 12 -- A truly happy person is the one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour. No. 13 -- Have an awesome day and know that someone has thought of you today’.”
And this final thought from me -- it is something I have observed over the years from my experience. It is awfully hard to be stressed when you are having fun.
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(EDITOR’S NOTE: THE DEAL OF THE CENTURY – Begin your day on a positive note – 365 days for $12. This will benefit the Bookcase for Every Child project. Go to www.apositivemomentwithjim.com to subscribe.)