Tuesday of the Most Stressful Day of My Life

Into every life, some stress must fall. It just sort of goes with the territory, right? I mean, life moves along at the speed of light. The obligations and duties are countless. Family... Career... Friends... Keeping a house... Running errands... Doing the laundry... Preparing meals... Seems there isn't a lot of time left over for simply "being." In a world that literally spins through space, how do we carve out some space for ourselves?

My mother likes to tell me that everything happens for a reason. I think she honestly believes that. Perhaps it's an expression of her faith in some power beyond our world that acts in mysterious ways. I'm sure Mom would call that power God. While I do believe in God, I'm finding that my belief is a bit more far reaching and has a broader scope now than it once had. I do not subscribe to my mother's philosophy. I think that many things that happen to us and around us are truly random. Those things may happen as a result of our own poor choices or as a result of our interaction with someone who happened upon our paths. Whatever their cause, I am hard-pressed to believe that some God is playing a cosmic game of chess with our lives. I do believe, however, that each moment of our lives is an opportunity to learn a lesson.

This week I'm learning about shrugging off stress and keeping my eyes focused on what truly matters in life. I have to take a certification exam for work on Friday. I've been studying for months, and even so, I'm feeling some anxiety. I'm down to the last few dollars in my checking account and pay day is a few days away. I've got a writing deadline for some freelance work looming overhead. To top it all off, I lost my wallet tonight.

I should be freaking out and incensed at the inconvenience of having to cancel credit cards, order a new gym ID card, and stand on line at the DMV to get a new drivers license. Instead, I'm realizing that a little bit of hassle can truly make one stop, look, and listen. I will have to make adjustments in my life for a few weeks. But, I am capable of making those adjustments. I am savvy enough to solve these problems. In the grand scheme of things--especially in these times of economic hardship-- I'm pretty lucky.