STRESS

This guy lives in my backyard and has for years.  I named him King when I bought him from a side-of-the-highway shop years ago.  My brother was battling brain cancer at the time, so we were on the road a lot.  Husband and I stopped at the shop, wanting to delay our destination a bit, I think.  King called to me!!  Husband said I think we should get him.  We got him.

I look at him almost every night and he represents a lot of things to me.  Right now he represents stress to me.  But he also represents perseverance, and a "dig-your-heels-in" sort of dignity.  I like that.

I have a job that knows what stress is.  I have a LIFE that knows what stress is, big time.

I have never met a person that said their life was completely stress-free.

To me, just getting up in the morning means there is going to be some sort of stress in life.

Deciding which car should go first at a four-way stop means there is stress in day-to-day life.

Being asked by a 16 year old if you have your "own bags" or if you need "store bags" is stress.

Being asked by a clerk in the alcohol section of the grocery store if you need help is stress.  No.

An email that says URGENT in the subject line is beyond stress.  To me, that's what the delete key was put there for.  Just NEVER need to read that one.

Lately my work friends (and ME) have been under enormous stress.  The end of a school year brings out the BEAST in anyone who works in a school environment.  Students, parents, field trips, grades, dances, concerts, videos, movies, tests, hormones, due dates, cleavage or lack thereof, buses, dress code, emails, facebook, boys wearing bras, etc., etc., etc.

Overwhelming.

Here's the definition of stress from DICTIONARY.COM:

1.  a specific response by the body to a stimulus, as fear or pain, that disturbs or interferes with the normal physiological equilibrium of an organism (make sure you read that last word correctly!).
OR
2.  physical, mental, or emotional strain or tension

AND, here's the definition of stress from URBAN DICTIONARY (www.urbandictionary.com):

1.  An unpleasant by-product of life in modern society
OR
2.  The confusion caused when ones mind overrides the body's natural desire to choke the living shit out of some asshole that desperately needs it.

There it is.  You pick which one you like.  I know which one I choose!

Whatever.  Stress sucks.