As I was reading my e-mails I came across one sent to me by my sister-in law concerning stress. It caught my eye, touched my heart and then made me laugh- a rarity when dealing with STRESS. But the pearls of wisdom contained in this amusing little story were too important to delete. Have you had your giggle today? Read on ….
A young lady confidently walked around
the room while leading and explaining stress management to an audience with a
raised glass of water. 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 oz.
To 20 oz.
She replied , "The absolute
weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it.
If I hold it for a minute, that's not
a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm.
If I hold it for a day, you'll have to
call an ambulance. In each case it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it,
the heavier it becomes." She continued, "and that's 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 again. When we're
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. Don't carry them through the evening and into
the night... Pick them up tomorrow.
1 * Accept the fact that some days
you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue!
2 * Always keep your words soft and
sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
3 * Always read stuff that will make
you look good if you die in the middle of it.
4 * Drive carefully... It's not only
cars that can be recalled by their Maker.
5 * If you can't be kind, at least
have the decency to be vague.
6 * If you lend someone $20 and never
see that person again, it was probably worth it.
7 * It may be that your sole purpose
in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.
8 * Never buy a car you can't push.
9 * Never put both feet in your mouth
at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.
10 * Nobody cares if you can't dance
well. Just get up and dance.
11 * Since it's the early worm that
gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.
12 * The second mouse gets the cheese.
13 * When everything's coming your
way, you're in the wrong lane.
14 * Birthdays are good for you. The
more you have, the longer you live.
16 * Some mistakes are too much fun to
make only once.
17 * We could learn a lot from
crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird
names and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.
18 * A truly happy person is one who
can enjoy the scenery on a detour.
19 * Have an awesome day and know that
someone has thought about you today.
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY
20 *Save the earth..... It's the only
planet with chocolate!*
When I finished reading this email
and laughing from it, I realized how profound those pearls of wisdom contained within it were
to successfully living a stress reduced
life. If carying around a small, half full glass of water over an extended period
of time can have the physical ramifictions described above, just imagine what carring
the weight of the world on your shoulders for your lifetime will do to you. Put
it down and drink the water. You’ll be happier and so will the world. The
choice is always ours.
About the author- Kathleen
O’Keefe-Kanavos is a three- time breast cancer survivor who penned SURVIVING
CANCERLAND. www.survivingcancerland.com , BTRadio Host of Living Well Talk
Radio’s Your Life Revealed, Doctor’s Inn: TLC Wellness; Patheos & Om Times
Blogger, CapeWomenOnlineMagazine Cancer Columnist, Contributing author to
WakeUpWomen.com and Kelly Sullivan Walden’s book It’s All in Your Dreams. She
is represented by & Steve Allen PR Media. Download her free workbook- 7
Steps to Access Awaken and Activate Your Inner Guide @ AccessYourInnerGuide.com