Relax, Take A Load Off.

"My head is in a spin, my feet don't touch the ground" Anyone remember that line ? Well, while you're trying to delve into the archives of your mind, I'll move it along. Don't stress it, I'll let you know later, for now, relax, take a load off.

Now, before we go any further, let me give you some context in regard to this post. Today I was

contemplating a post, pretty much had it mapped out, then I went to the blog template and noticed there were 47 'drafts'. "That's obscene". You're right, it is.Though in my defense, not all of them have any substance. Some are just titles with maybe a couple of lines of notes. Plenty of them are unrecognisable to me, as in, I have no idea what they're meant to be about. Anyway, I need to reduce the list.

So, here we have the digitally remastered version of a post I started and then stopped mid sentence, who does that ? Anyway, let's get on shall we ?

I don't do 'stress'. There, I've said it. I am not what would be classed as a 'stress head'. More of a 'laid back' type of person. That doesn't mean I don't have some intense moments but generally, I'm a 'happy go lucky' kinda guy. 😉

Thinking back to Joe's post about decisions and choices, I would say that it was a choice for

me. I'm not sure if it was a gradual change or if I woke up one morning and decided that enough was enough.

I was going to start the post with a picture from the Cadbury's advert with the 'Caramel Bunny' in it but I couldn't find an image I could use, oh well. If you recall the ad, it was all about 'relaxing' and enjoying the smooth taste of Cadbury's caramel.(I am not an affiliate of Cadbury's, talk about eating your profits.)

Back to the post, caramel used to be my favourite chocolate bar, back when I actually ate chocolate. Those days are sadly gone. Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away.... That sounds familiar.

Sorry, back on track. I had a moment yesterday when I needed to write a list, I was fast forgetting what I was meant to remember. You're in the kitchen and think 'Ooo, I must do that' and by the time you get to the lounge, it's gone. I was doing plenty of that.

So, I did a quick list to take the thoughts out of my head. Ten items appeared but there was one missing. I had no idea what it was but I knew it was missing. This morning whilst I was dispatching one of the offspring, it came to me. In case you're interested, it was a 'two-pin plug adapter' Added to the list when I returned home.

That happens a lot. That's what made me think about stress or lack of it. You see, I was fairly chilled this morning, even driving through rush hour traffic. I see loads of furrowed brows when I'm driving. I would imagine they have white knuckles as well, as they drive 'seething'. That's no way to be.

As I'm writing, I'm trying to see if there's a tagline I use, for those moments, that under normal circumstances, would have you ranting or brings you out in a cold sweat. Nothing comes to mind. I do try to think about why the other person is so obviously stressed, that helps. I don't know what sort of day they're having. They might have just been fired. They might have money worries or are concerned by the choices one of their family of friends is making. Who knows ? Not me, that's for sure. Here's a quote that works well here, surprisingly, as it's one of mine:

"We see, we judge but we don't know what lies behind, or what has gone before in anyone's life."

Most of the time, it's not 'life and death' it's just 'stuff'. Getting stressed about any situation, doesn't normally help. What ? I don't know what you're up against ? You're right, I don't. Let me ask you then, is being stressed out going to help your situation ? Maybe you think better, is that it ? I think that you're much more resilient than you give yourself credit for.

Some of the issues we have, for the most part, are trivial. Our 'pet peeves', little annoyances

like someone leaves the cap off the toothpaste or the toilet seat up. Maybe the other driver not acknowledging you when you let them into the traffic.

Other ones could be more serious. Financial worries, health issues etc. Yes they do deserve your attention but not in the state you're getting yourself into, you're no good to anyone like that. Being calm and relaxed afford you a better perspective.

A friend of mine, who owns his own garage, has quite a few jobs that come in where the car has been damaged in a crash. Most times, no one has been hurt, just a shunt or nudge. As you can imagine, the owners are sometimes upset about the condition of their car, when can they get back on the road ? How much is it going to cost ? His favourite goto phrase during these times ? "Don't worry, we'll get it sorted, it's just plastic and tin at the end of the day."

Can we transfer that outlook into other areas ? Probably. When things aren't going right with our websites, maybe. You don't seem to be able to get that image lined up or find just the right keyword.

Then you become fixated. Sometimes that works and you get the result you want, in a relatively short space of time. Other times it can take much longer and a whopping rise in blood pressure levels. Would it have been better to walk away ? Come back to it later on with a fresh head on ? I think so, then again, I'm not you.

Last week was 'Wicked Wednesday' wasn't it ? Maybe 'worthwhile' then.

Have a worthwhile Wednesday.

Twack Romero.