Thanks to Susan for sharing this one:
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 itdown for a while and rest before holding it again. When we’re refreshed, we can carry on with theburden – 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.
Whatever burdens you’re carrying now, put them down for a moment. Relax, pick them up later after you’ve rested. Life is short. Enjoy it and the now ‘supposed’ stress that you’ve conquered!”
