Jack’s Winning Words 2/5/14
“Good morning…Let the stress begin!"  (Office Sign)  Recently I saw that sign on an office wall.  Yes, it’s only Wednesday, but are you longing for TGIF?  I saw an article: “4 Ways To Handle Stress.”  #1—Give yourself a positive pep-talk.  #2—Take a few deep breaths, or walk away for a minute or two.  #3—List some things you’d rather be doing.  #4—Change your position or something in the room.  What helps you?    ;-)  Jack

 FROM LP IN PLYMOUTH:  How does thinking about what you'd rather be doing lessen stress? Maybe it depends on the cause of the stress. I guess for me #1 or #2 sort of help but I've not (consciously) tried #4. Always good to get a new trick for the bag ====JACK:  Getting an e-mail from a friend is a good stress reliever for me.  It gives the mind a new direction.====LP:  I'll have to make a note to read your blog for the day and see if others post their best bets. Btw does #2 include prayer?====JACK:  I kept these letters on the edge of my desk facing my chair...D.F.T.P.  Don't Forget To Pray.  I got the idea from a successful businessman who said that he would pray before making important decisions.  I now have those initials posted by my computer.

 FROM TL IN HOUSTON:  Your daily inspiration!====JACK:  For me, it's the responses I get...from people like you.

 FROM TARMART REV:  A bag of popcorn at Target, looking for and visiting with a good friend like yourself, Jack!!====JACK:  Do you keep a separate bag for those who stop by, or do you let them dig into yours?  BTW, Who has the best popcorn, Target or Walmart?====REV:  ...they dig into mine, often taking a hand full...Target makes it a policy of freshly popping theirs every 20 minutes or so...smell of hot popped corn draws folks over to it...they win my vote for the best.====JACK:  Do you keep a hand sanitizer bottle on the table?

 FROM TS IN INDIANA:  Blow My Top!====JACK:  You seem like such a calm and peaceful individual.  It guess Mount St. Helens seemed calm and peaceful, too, before it blew its top in 1980.

 FROM RI IN BOSTON:  The humor borne in that office sign should be enough to deflate a lot of the stress.====JACK:  Architectural offices that I've visited often seemed like peaceful places, but I'm sure that there were times when that was not so.====RI:  In the normal course of the work the office was quite calm and high-spirited.  Deadlines for putting documents out for bidding created the most stress.  At Y's office it was pandemonium when he would come into the drafting room a day or two before the due date and say, "I want to change..." and no one was about to object.  Computer drafting today makes it easier to deal with changes like that.

 FROM MICHIZONA RAY:  Stress is part of our natural alert system that warns us in circumstances that may be dangerous to the preferable state of our physical existence (walking in the street and hearing a car horn. Stress motivates a behavior that serves to eliminate the stress). Distress is a result of our personal responses to situations (wishing it were Friday while knowing it is not, or wishing another was different than (s)he actually is, etc.). In other words, distress is when we wish things might be different then they actually are; yet we choose this fantasy, which isn't true. This contrast distinguishes "reality" from "truth". Acceptance of our circumstances first, is the best way to relieve distress...and this ain't easy! If one thinks just a little deeper about acceptance (peace) versus non-acceptance (distress), one can see how the latter parallels self-idolatry, self-importance, selfishness, and the like -- it is no wonder that the fruit of such things is distressful! ====JACK:  A tee-shirt reads:  2 BLESSED 2 B STRESSED.

 FROM WATERFORD JAN:  If rational action can't solve or get rid of the stress, I try to cope with the stress as decently as possible.  When I remember that there's help I should have sought before I tried to deal with the stress,  I ask God to help me and then keep on keepin' on. ====JACK:  I saw a cartoon showing someone praying: "God, don't put me on hold, again."  Like a good parent, God doesn't always give us what we want right away.

  FROM DAIRYLAND DONNA:  Spring!====JACK:  Probably my favorite season.  New life!

 FROM BLAZING OAKS:  Ha! I bought that sign for daughter Sarah when she was assoc. Dir. of American Hospital Association in Chicago. It's a good one. Even that sense of humor would help to dispel some stress! A recent email intoned "No amount of guilt can change the Past, and no amount of worrying can change the Future". So that just leaves the Present to deal with, and with prayer and  peaceful assurance, we soldier on....a sense of humor often helps save the day!====JACK:  Soldier on!  Now, there's an expression that I haven't heard in a long, long time.  Some pastors do not use "soldier" hymns, because they want to promote peace.  "Onward, Christian Soldiers," for example.  You probably know of others.

 FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  quiet time.====JACK:  We used to have a guy in the office where I once worked who was a whistler.  He was pretty good and tried to imitate Elmo Tanner.  You can listen to Elmo do "Heartaches" on Youtube.

 FROM CK IN THE AIR:  Sometimes just your words in the morning ! Thanks for taking the time Jack ! Have a great day!====JACK:  Are you permitted to hang any signs in "your office?"

 FROM BBC IN ILLINOIS:  Stuck (next to a very very large person with luggage who was sleeping on the el this morning) but thankful for a seat at all…I began reading digital Sports Illustrated.  In any case, I read the pairs figure skating article about ice dancing and discovered that Bloomfield Michigan is the epicenter of the sport and has been so for quite some time.  I had no idea.  Wonder if you’ve ever seen a practice?  ====JACK:  Yes, Meryl Davis, the ice dancer, lives in the same community, West Bloomfield, where I live.  And Charlie White lives close by, too.  Several gold medal figure skaters have trained in the area.  I've seen some practices, but not fesaturing "stars" of the sport.

 FROM MOLINER JT:  It's difficult to handle stress with 6.2 more inches of snow last night. I can only watch as Max shovels. She loves it. Anyway that's what she tells me.====JACK:  You probably shoveled your share when you lived on the farm, or did you use the John Deere?

 FROM JE IN MICHIGAN:  What I do is do the task/assignment that I least want to do. Then the stress dissipates because I’ve gotten over the big issue. I’m working on one right now. Not only is this one hard to tackle, it’s vague and involves LOTS of people. I’m trying not to cause work for others and just handle it. When it’s done, I’ll take the deep breaths.====JACK:  Sometimes it's good to let something simmer... unless simmering is used as an excuse to put the stress-producing task off, hoping that it will go away..

 FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  There are two things I do when stress hits:  give it to God, and clean. ====JACK:  You're a combination of Martha and Mary.

 FROM IKE AT THE MIC:  Avoiding "stressed & depressed people" & mingling with OPTIMISTIC  ones..====JACK:  If you ever want to help effect change in this world, you have to mingle with all kinds.  But, you're right...mingling with the stressed can be stressful.