Contributed by Master Manager Leia Ryan

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 ranged from 8 ounces to 20 ounces.

The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter very much if you are holding it out in front of you. What matters is 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. And that," he continued, "is 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 it down for a while and rest before holding it again. 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.

"Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can. Relax. If they are important burdens, you can pick them up later after you've rested.

"Life is short. Enjoy it!"

And then he shared some ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

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

*  Try to keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

*  Read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it. [This is like: "Wear clean underwear in case you have a wreck."]

*  Drive with peace. It will be easier on you and easier on the people who have to drive on the same roads!

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

*  If you lend someone $200 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 then you won't have a leg to stand on.

*  When everything's coming your way, it may mean you're in the wrong lane.

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

*  You are only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

*  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 one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

HAVE AN AWESOME DAY... AND KNOW THAT SOMEONE THOUGHT ABOUT YOU TODAY... FEEL FREE TO CUT AND PASTE THIS AND SEND IT TO A FRIEND YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT.