Stress Relief Suggestion #49

Learn to delegate responsibility to capable others.

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Thanksgiving Challenge and Joy Dare
Today, I am thankful for:


224. The University of Texas football program.
225. Auburn University football program.
226. Ushers.
227. African safaris in which lions do not eat my friends and family.
228. The prayers of others when I am too spiritually weak to pray for myself. 
229. Evening naps.
230. Subway sandwiches.
231. Freedoms that we take for granted in this country.
232. The people who are closest to us that we take for granted.
233. The Salvation Army.
234. Wasp nests.
235. Gracious friends.





copyright 2012 by Kathy Robbins

Stress Relief Suggestion #48

I inadvertently got behind last week and failed to post a Stress Relief Suggestion or Tip or "what-have-you". For that, I apologize. So I am catching it up this week with the Stress Relief Tip on Sunday. 

Don't forget to take a lunch break. Try to get away from your desk or work area in body and mind, even if it is just for 15 or 20 minutes.

Additional commentary: If by some miracle you have forgotten to take a lunch break, it sounds as if you are in the minority of people who really enjoy your job (unless, of course, you are one of the thousands of 'peace keepers' fighting for the continuation of your very existence, in which case never mind about the lunch thing--it is way over-rated.). And if you really enjoy your job so much that you can forget to take lunch, I think that is a good thing. 

Actually, this stress relief tip is actually for people who are bored and miserable at their jobs and need something to show their bosses as further evidence that without a lunch break, a person could go crazy, not to mention dry up and blow away. Do you think I am babbling a little maybe? By the way, I like your tie!

And 15 or 20 minutes is NEVER long enough for a lunch break. It could cause indigestion . Actually, this doesn't sound like all that good of a tip, huh? Maybe that is why I forgot to add it last week. 

Well, have a great day and I will have a better tip tomorrow.

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Thanksgiving Challenge and Joy Dare:
Today, I am Thankful for :

222. The number 222. Easy to remember. 
223. Rice


copyright 2012 by Kathy Robbins

Bother You? I Think Not...

Kim told Bobby to leave after 10 years of marriage. She had experienced enough of his philandering, lies and drinking. He had to go.

After all of these days of bickering, it looked as if tonight would really be the night that it really happened. Bobby nodded his head, loaded up all of his things in a car except one suitcase that he had in his hand. He set it down and went and sat by Bobby Jr. , who was eight years old. He explained to Bobby, Jr. that he was leaving, but he wasn’t walking out of his life forever. He would still be Bobby Jr.’s father. He would continue to support him financially, and come visit him regularly. He would even find a new place to live and have Bobby Jr. to come stay and spend the weekends with him. He wanted him to know that. After a long hug and a kiss for Bobby, he picked up his suitcase with a long sigh.

Bittersweet this was; one part of him had been looking forward to it as a new beginning that he had longed for years to experience. Another part of him wanted to cry because of the finality of walking through the door. He might walk through the door again, but when he did, he would do it as a guest.  Then he heard Kim’s shrill voice shatter the silence, telling him what he had done wrong, what he should have done, what would have been better. He held his breath as he moved toward the door. Like he had done many other days, he turned the doorknob, and  opened the door, took one step and stopped suddenly.

He heard something that caught his attention. “And don’t you be calling over here bothering me all of the time,” she screamed. Her hand was on her hip. He turned around and looked her in the eye as he half sighed and half snorted.

“And don’t you get mad when I don’t,” he answered quietly, coldly.

With that, he turned, took another step and walked out of Kim’s life.

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Thanksgiving Challenge and Joy Dare

Today I am Thankful for :

216. A Brand New Bible that was a gift. And the friendship 

that accompanies it.

217. Trip to see the Dead Sea Scrolls and all of the

ramifications and blessings that accompany this.

218. My youngest son getting to play football, even if it was 

for only 2 days.

219. My same youngest son enjoying football.

220. Having this blog being nominated for and receiving a

"Reader's Choice" award.

221. Jan Urban, who nominated this blog for the award.

222. Walking ten miles.

copyright 2012 by Kathy Robbins

I Don't Dislike Anybody That Much

Kari and Neil sat side by side, engaged in a conversation at "Dumfuds", their favorite bar. This had become a habit for the two of them; well, this week, anyway.

Neil ran his hand through his hair as he listened to Kari unravel a story that unfortunately, was true.

Kari had been happily married to Stan. He was a good man and a good provider. And he was big. Not really obese, just tall and big boned. He had gained a few extra pounds for sure.

Apparently, Kari and Stan had been in the middle of sex one Friday night, when Stan suffered a massive heart attack and died instantly. Most women would have immediately called 911 to summon emergency help. But not Kari. It was, she explained to Neil, just too embarrassing. If she were to call the paramedics, they would see that he was naked and they would know that he had suffered a heart attack in the midst of sex. And that would have embarrassed her terribly. Why, Kari reasoned that if word got out about how he had died, she would never live it down. People all over town would tease her about it for the rest of her life.

As she looked upon Stan's lifeless body, she continued to think about the very predicament in which she found herself. This was proof that life was too short to be made a laughingstock. She knew that she would have to call someone. She couldn't just leave him there. And she wanted to dress him, but that would be too much weight for her to lift with her petite frame.

So, she called and awoke the only person that she could at three a.m.: her best friend, Cindy. She told Cindy what had happened and to get over to her house on the double! They had been through a lot together during their lifelong friendship. This would be just one more thing to add to the list but they had long had plenty of blackmail material on each other.

While Cindy was on the way, she thought hard. The adrenaline was rushing through her system. It seemed that it helped her to think more clearly. Pajamas. They would need to dress him in pajamas  so that when she did finally call for help and the paramedics arrived, they would find him in pajamas, and wouldn't think anything was amiss. Oh Lord! Why did these things always happen to her?

Cindy arrived looking like she had just woke up, ready to help her friend Kari with her dilemma. Together, she and Kari dressed Stan. Kari was kind of creeped out knowing that her best friend was seeing her husband naked. But really, the whole situation was creepy anyway.

Dressing Stan was no easy matter. He was big and his weight was literally dead weight now. By the time they finished dressing him, it was 430 a.m. How would Kari explain why she woke up to find her husband dead in bed with her? They needed to put him somewhere else. What if the police were called and they found something suspicious with the bed? They would need to drag him to the kitchen table.Now, if alive, he could be eating breakfast. That was it! A heart attack while eating Wheaties! That probably happened a lot.

That is what they did. Kari and Cindy drug poor Stan to the table, sat him in an upright position in a chair, fixed him a bowl of Wheaties and stuffed his face in the bowl to make it look like his heart attack occurred while he was eating breakfast.

Then, Kari called 911 to report finding her wonderful husband dead in the kitchen.

A year had passed and now Kari, tipsy...; no, not tipsy, but dog drunk, was sitting in a bar in a small town telling this terrible story to Neil. She told him not to tell anyone. She just had to get it off of her chest. All this time, no one else knew but Cindy. Now, with the help of Crown Royal, she had finally shared this sorrow with someone else.

While she had the courage worked up, she decided to confess her loneliness to Neil. Ever since Stan passed away, she had been soooo terribly lonely. She began to cry as she thought of it. Then she asked Neil if he knew anyone that he could set her up with to date and hopefully end the loneliness.

Neil looked at her petite body, and good looks. Normally by now, he would have already taken her home with him. But he thought about it for a split second and decided that he didn't want to wind up with pajamas on slumped in a chair with his face in a bowl of cereal if he had a heart attack. He decided further, that he didn't dislike anybody that much. Not enough to possibly sentence them to that fate. Nope, not even one person. He told her he couldn't think of anybody.


The End




copyright 2012 by Kathy Robbins

Stress Relief Suggestion #47

Allow yourself time every day for quiet, privacy and introspection.

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Thanksgiving Challenge and Joy Dare:
Today, I am thankful for:


206. Being at home. There really is no place like home.
207. A cloudy sky this afternoon
208. Seeing my son excited about something.
209. Nice Doctors.
210. HEB Grocery Store.
211. Finishing a sermon yesterday.
212. Lunch with friends.
213. Deep breaths.
214. Watching healthy Olympic atheletes dive into the water. I am very supportive of this sport.
215.  My keychain that fits on my beltloop. It is so handy dandy.

copyright 2012 by Kathy Robbins

Stress Relief Suggestion #46

Do one thing at a time. When you are with someone, be with that person and with no one or anything else. When you are busy with a project, concentrate on doing that project and forget about everything else you have to do. That whole multi-task thing was never a good idea.

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Thanksgiving Challenge and Joy Dare

Today, I am thankful for:

 

 

197. Having a great day.

198. My friend who lit a fire under me yesterday to motivate me to walk 6 miles.

199. Getting things done.

200. An unlikely date.

201. Sweetness

202. Quietness

203. Appropriate shoes for walking.

204. God.

205. My youngest son walking part of the way with me yesterday.

 

 

 

copyright 2012 by Kathy Robbins