STRESS MANAGEMENT

A Lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water?" Answers called out ranging from 20g to 500g. The Lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to 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." He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management. 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. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden. So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow.
Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

Accept that dome days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them:)

Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.

Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.

If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.

Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because you won't have a leg to stand on.

Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

The second mouse gets the cheese.

When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.

Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

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.

A truly happy person, is the one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

Have an awesome day and know that someone has thought about you today....

I did!:)

MEMORIES OF HOME

There is a café in the building I work in and of course, fom the time it opens, until it closes each day, the aromas waft through the entire building….all 5 floors, although I'm sure keeping their doors open, is done just for that purpose.:) I don’t each much during the day, as a rule. I tend to work better when I’m hungry, which I know may seem strange to some people. It’s just that for me, eating a normal meal, just makes me sleepy and I can’t get motivated at all, which is not a good thing. Today though, I found my mouth watering over the aroma; more than usual and whatever it was they were cooking, seemed to give me a “ “Mom” moment and I began thinking of some of the meals my Mom would make and how I missed them. We had our share of hamburg, steak and chicken and my Mom could rival the best Italian Restaurants with her homemade spaghetti sauce. She made the best! and I am happy to say that I have her recipe and have passed it down to my girls. She made a few meals that I especially loved, that were extremely simple. Being an adult now and looking back, I realize these meals were made, primarily because they were economical. I didn’t realize it then, and do I care now? Of course not, because those meals bring me back to the warmth of my family. We were not wealthy with having material things.. We were far richer, because of the love that we shared. One dish I recall was made with “bow tie” egg noodles. She would cook them up and then mix cream cheese through the hot noodles. Sometimes we would sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top. Don’t knock it until you try itJ It is so deeeeelicious and wonderful on a summer evening....especially with fresh fruit for dessert.

I was raised a little North of the City of Boston and used to take the subway to work. When I first began working…and I won’t tell you how many years ago that was, not only was there a pastry shop, but they actually had a Deli and this Deli made the best Rotisserie chickens. I was so proud of having a job and appreciated My Mom and Dad so much….that every Friday, which was pay day…..I would pick my Mom up a bouquet of carnations(they sold flowers in the subway too:) and a barbecue chicken with all the trimmings for our Friday night meal. I was so proud of the fact that I was able to do this.

To be sure……the first items I list when I go shopping this week, will be for the "bow tie" dish. I’m going to get comfortable, have a sizeable portion..:) and remember “when”:)

Regardless of your age, you are your parents’ child. I miss my parents very much and what I wouldn’t give……to be hugged by then, just one more time. Memories……sighhhh, It does a heart good!

I have 2 favorite sayings. One is: "This Too Shall Pass" and the other is: "Tomorrow Is the First Day Of the rest of my Life." Believe me when I say, those two phrases have helped me through many an obstacle, so as one day passes and another begins.....I would like to share this writing with you. I hope it will inspire you.

The promise Creator gives to us,
Comes with every new day.
The gift of breath, the fift of life,
Opportunites in a vast array.

How do we count our blessings,
Through the choices life can bring?
Is it through Joyful lessons,
Or the fears to which we cling?

Are we learning to show gratitude,
For the victories over human pain?
By honoring the feeling choices,
We grasp the will, that we've regained.

Can we change our focus,
With no need to defend,
Acknowledging joy and sorrow,
Without judging foe or friend?

Tomorrow promises the fullness,
Of every human way to know;
How we master each challenge,
Determines our balance-
Reflecting how we grow.
Jamie Sams - Tomorrow

MY STAR

When I receive E-mails, from visitors to my web site, they are usually very positive and supportive....thankfully:) Sometimes in in the quiet of the evening, I re-read some of the E-mails I have received. They have helped me during those times, when I may have felt a little down or needed a bit of positive reinforcement.

There is a fellow Writer who visited my site ….shortly after I first began creating…in 1998. He wrote a very complimentary piece of E-mail. I was interested in his style of writing and asked if he ever cared to share, I would love to read a few. I did not have any idea what I was in for. I was about to be floored with this man’s ability….the kind of ability I could only dream of possessing. Whether it be in poetry form, or as a story, you are captured by his words. There is one particular writing he sent to me that rendered me speechless. After reading it, you will know why. I would like to share this with you and please know that this writing is copyrighted.

My star lies at an unimaginable distance from here...so far away in the vastness of space it lives. So distant is it, that there is not an abode of life anywhere in what can be conceived of, in our imaginations. My star is small by the standards of celestial bodies, but burns so hot, that it is pure white. Dwarfed by the red giants that burn fiery and violently about it, but nonetheless, holds the ground in intensity. It was born like all stars of humble beginnings......simple energy, matter that has been around since creation itself existed. It may be small and insignificant to the casual observer but it is powerful and great in its own right. What significance does this small star have among its giant neighbors? What makes itdistinguish itself in the cold blackness of space, that is so unforgiving? It survived despite incredible odds. Though it is unknown to so much of the universe, it shines eternally anyway...possessing infinite patience and not knowing or caring of its discovery. It holds to the vigil so far away, without question....holding its value as a member of the universe and living its own life, no matter what the future holds and not caring of its final pass, or its inevitable death. It is the sentinel of peace and life.

So very far away, insurmountable to be measured in miles....a man watches the starry sky. Alone on a mountain top, he comes here to gaze at the clusters so bright and shimmering. Here, far away from the life of this planet, he sees the stars in their natural habitat....cold, black ink darkness. As he scans the skies, the brightness of some, hold him for a moment and then he moves on. Then, a singular star catches his eye. It is small, but its pinpoint of light sparkles with an unusual intensity. Its crystalline appearance almost shimmering, in the rythmn of a tune unheard. He scans the skies once to see brighter, more pronounced objects that not only shine, but move among the heavens, but he returns to this star once again. He is drawn to it. It speaks to him and he wonders what tales it would tell if he could understand or communicate with it somehow. He wonders of its origin and how it came to be, amidst so much splendor in the night. He sees its rare beauty, that is evident....even on a crystal clear night with so much light raining down. He wonders how he ever missed it before, how beautiful it really is and why he has been denied its appearance for so long,. This star Inspires him. It comforts him in times of sorrow and pain. He returns to it night after night.to see it and reminds him that we are so insignificant in the universe....that all we consider so sacred and wonderful in our lives could shatter and just disappear and this star will shine on. He studies it with the limited tools at his disposal, knowing that the light that he sees now, left the star long before there was life on earth and if it were destroyed one second after that, it would live on in its brilliance for ages unimagined.....from the mere distance it has attained to his world. He wonders of its story and how much of it will always be a mystery, despite everything he imagines about it. The inspiration he receives from it, staggers him. He is able to create such beautiful work and it remains unabated. He longs for the star to kill the sun each night for its return, knowing full well that even in daylight it is there, but remains invisible. He doesn't always have to see it, as it remains with him, its lustrous beam forever in his mind. But he also knows, he will only be allowed to be so close to it..... that for his lifetime, he may have to settle for admiring its incadescence from afar. Knowing this, will not deter from its allure. So much, from something so far. This is my star now.
I think I'll call it Shayna