A Time for Reflection
In a frenetic atmosphere we live today, we are bound to have a heart attack unless we change our ways. Everywhere you look, everyone is rushing. Everyone is stressed out. Few years ago, I was one of those people whose life was in a constant whirlpool of activities until I moved south. While I was an accountant in the 90s, I worked 70 hours a week at the office and more at home because I took work home. On top of that, I still had to worry about housework – dinner on the table every night and cleaning the house. I also maintained a big garden to keep my sanity intact and some volunteer work I loved to be involved in. By the end of winter, my body could not take it any longer. After the holidays, I don’t feel well having a chest pain and then hives. It is like a ritual that I always went to the doctor in winter because I thought I was having a heart attack. The doctor could not find anything wrong with me. All tests showed everything was normal. I was just stressed out.
We bought a place in South Carolina facing a lake and found our place quite calming. I planted a small garden with five roses. Five years later, I have about 50 roses. I now have time to smell the roses. It was then that I realized that my life had been so stressful. We don’t realize how stressful our lives are until we stop doing what we are doing. Life on the fast lane is not worth a thing if it jeopardized your health. There are other alternatives. A friend of mine used to live in a rural area and was offered a job in a big city. After weighing the pros and cons, she opted to remain in a rural area because she believed that the way of life in a big city was not worth it.
We don’t realize how stressful we are until illness hit us. Our body is telling us something. We think everything is doing quite well as long as we are making a lot of money which in essence is blood money. As long as you are able to buy all the material things you we want, we think everything is fine and dandy. On the surface, we think we are happy but it is not true. All the material things we have do not necessary make us happy. It is all for show trying to keep up with the Joneses. Our inner peace is what will make us happy and will make us live longer.
Until Next time. Stop and Smell the Roses
Stop and Smell the Roses - Stay Healthy and Stress Free 