The Cooling Stream

Some of us upon reaching the office, will sit down and be glued to the chair like a crouch potato until the office hour is over. We only care to stand up and walk around when we have something urgent.

Some of us enjoy walking around, communicating with friends and colleagues. Many times this will help to improve our workloads through mutual sharing, understanding, encouraging, and reprimanding. Friends are a great thing to have in good times and bad times.

Some of us walk aimlessly all around, admiring the flowers, the plants, the trees and the beautiful landscape. It can be very satisfying. Walking into a garden and taking in deep and long breaths can bring wonders to our day. Hearing carefully the chirping of the birds in the air and on the trees can really be a stress buster. Yeah! We are not alone at all; the surrounding nature is breathtaking, bursting with energy and life.

Sometimes, walking around and hearing our own footsteps can be fun. Sometimes, stopping for a moment and listening to our heartbeats and breathings can bring smiles to our face. Ever wonder if God decides to take our heartbeat and our breathing away? It humbles us to know the power of God and His mercy and grace in allowing us to live so healthily for so much years despite the fact that we are breaking His rules and regulations every day. The Almighty God is indeed long-suffering toward us and not wanting us to perish; He has given us ample opportunities to set right our course and move straight on the narrow path of life.

As it is, let's walk around once in a while. But if your mind is troubled with unsettled thoughts and difficult decisions, then it will be nice to sit in an open and a quiet place, to ponder, to reason and to pray.

Remember, work is fun if you enjoy it by walking around. LOL

A group of farmers is getting ready to go to the farm. It is a clear and sunny morning.

As they walk along the narrow path to their farm, everyone is seen smiling, chatting, laughing out loud or humming some nice tunes. It is a refreshing morning where the morning dew can still be felt in the air. It is just wonderful when the cool breeze continue to blow through the body.

And so the group of farmers begin their new day of work.

The harvest is plentiful. It is a wide stretch of yellow ripen paddy farm. There is so much to do.

The farmers put down their loads and rest for a moment. Sipping some well-brew coffee or tea and puffing a stick of cigarette. Then start another round of talking and laughing.

The farmers get ready to harvest the paddy. They start to look serious, planning and doing their respective tasks. There they are, very organized, doing what they are called to do and what they are good in doing. Everyone is contemplating how to do the works well. Silence rules, though here and there, you can hear some traffic noise, the chirping of the birds, and the flowing of the stream.

The weather is fine and cool. The farmers are cheerful and of high spirit. And they accomplish much in just a short time.

The farmers then has a short break, and you can see that they really relax. Another round of coffee or tea, another stick of cigarette, and another round of talking and laughing.

The work continues until noon. The farmers are working hard without a hint of complaint or frustration.

Then they rest for their lunch time. And they eat heartily and are satisfied. Feeling exhausted, some of them take a nap. Some go ahead sharing some topics of interest. Nonetheless, they really rest from their work.

After lunch, another round of work. This time takes longer still, under the blazing hot sun. Big drops of sweats all over their sun-tanned bodies. But there is no time to spare, the harvest must be done fast. No one grumbles and no one talk unnecessarily. It is another round of hard and tedious work.

The cool evening wind has arrived. The sunset just beyond comprehension. The farmers are ready to go home. It is a fulfilling and meaningful day. They have work their hearts out. Everyone is bring home a broad and beautiful smile, ready to have dinner together.

This is work. This is life. And the farmers are enjoying every single bit of it. LOL.

• They celebrate with food when they are happy. They feel loved. They eat and laugh and jeer. Eating has become a means to have fun.
  
• They eat like a glutton when they are depressed or worrisome. They do not feel loved. They eat and cry and mourn. Eating has become a means to pour out all their complaints.

Some people eat whenever they have physical needs:

• They eat because they are hungry.
• They eat to stay alive.
• They eat to get that extra energy to do work.
• They eat because they are fatigue.
  

Some people eat whenever they have social needs:

• They eat merrily whenever they are together with family, friends and colleagues. They have so much to share and to learn about. Eating has become a means to fellowship.
  
• They eat like a wild man whenever they are alone and bored. They have so much to scream and shout. Eating has become an outlet to release all their grievances.

Some people eat whenever they have personal needs:

• Some eat to gain weight.
• Some eat to lose weight.
• Some eat because they simply love food.
• Some just love to eat certain food items.
  

Some people eat because that is what normal people will do:

• They eat because the clock says that it is lunch time or dinner time.
• They eat because the food is there. And they just can't help themselves.
• They eat because the company is celebrating a happy occasion, or mourning for a sad loss.

Whatever is your reason, eat slowly and chew your food properly. Eat heartily. Relax and smile. Shout and jeer if you must.

Enjoy your food, enjoy your work, and enjoy your life.

Some people work hurriedly through life. They do things simply and don't seem to care. They do what they are told or taught to do and that's it. They always take a quicker and an easier route to complete all their tasks, making sure that they have enough time to do what they really enjoy. To them, life is too short to worry about others.

Some people work aimlessly through life. They waste much time, resources and money, and don't seem to mind. Their works are never organized. And they don't prioritize. They are busy talking than getting their works done. And they have a bad habit of putting blames on others for any shortcoming or failure.

Some people work reluctantly through life. They work very slowly and carelessly, and they don't seem to worry. To them, life is so boring that they do not even know how to pass the day! They have nothing to talk about their work and they can't wait for the day to die.

But there are people who work with purpose and passion throughout their lives. They pay much attention to what and how they do, and they take responsibilities seriously. At the end of the day, they accomplish their tasks with a broad smile on their face, fully satisfied.

I think we will enjoy life more if we put our hearts into our works and give our life in service to men. And I believe we must always take a second look in everything we do.

Works are getting more stressful in today's hectic lifestyle. Many are looking for ways to get rid of stress effectively after a hard day's work. And many are looking for extra energy to uplift, to boost and to energize them and to fill them up with extra power to go through yet another busy day.

Some go for indoor and outdoor exercises to help improve their body's metabolism. They enjoy outdoor exercises like walking, slow jogging, cycling, or mountain hiking. And they enjoy indoor exercises like stationary bicycle, rowing machine, treadmill, stair climbing and home aerobic activities.

Some look for indoor and outdoor games. They play billiards, chess, carom or bridge. They enjoy outdoor games like playing catch with the ball, baseball, or basketball.

Some just love to sit somewhere, sipping a cup of coffee or tea, and relishing plate of snacks while discussing ideas with friends. Others prefer to spend time relaxing with their family somewhere.

There are some who prefer to be alone and unwind in private. They do meditation and yoga to reduce stress, and to attain mental peace and physical well being. They listen to music and sing along to their favorite songs. They watch movie or video to entertain themselves and to stretch their imagination. They read cool books to relax or relieve stress, or as a form of escapism, or as a chance to use their imagination. Some enjoy surfing the web.

There are others who enjoy bars and restaurants. There are also those who enjoy dance clubs and night clubs. And there are some who enjoy all sorts of shopping, including food, clothing, and handbags.

And... there are some who lounge around and doing nothing.LOL

Whatever you do... enjoy your hard-earned leisure and your recreational time.

Sitting on a rocking chair, staring at the distance hill, admiring the beauty of the surrounding housing estates and landscape, drawing longer breaths of fresh and cool air, and beholding busy people chasing after hectic lifestyles can really bring peace and joy incomprehensible. All of a sudden, everything seems to calm down and life seems to have come to a standstill.

Sometimes, getting away from our normal pace of life for a time of rest and relaxation can really do great wonders to both our body and our soul. All of us know and recognize that, but only few who are really striving to create times to enjoy that little moment of rest and leisure.

Modern life is too fast-paced. More and more people are feeling increasingly stressed and impatient. We all need to calm down a little to recover ourselves and to once again enjoy our life. After all, the chief end of man is to worship and to enjoy God forever.

I enjoy my 10 minutes break rocking a chair. Sometimes it drags on for another few minutes. Sometimes I eventually doze off in the afternoon breeze and start to snore. Whatever it is, I feel refreshed and ready for another round of activities.

I never intent to have an afternoon nap in the first place. I just want to rock my chair, relax my mind and enjoy my moment of peace, my moment of rest and my moment of inactivity. I rock my chair back and forth, I swing my hands, and let my foot and my leg kind of jiggle lifelessly. Should I go into a nap, I do it unintentionally...... It just happens naturally.

So I sleep... so I snore... so I am relieved, refreshed, and renewed for new challenges...Come what may... I'm ready...LOL.

Enjoy your life.

When we are stressful, we feel very tired. Our moods change all the time. And we cannot concentrate on our works.

When we are stressful, some of us will cry or laugh for no reason. Others just can't sleep. And some may have serious headaches and heartaches all the time.

When we are stressful, some of us become fearful of our surroundings. Others have nightmares every single night. And some may have sweaty palms all the time.

When we are stressful, some of us always feel hungry and thirsty. Others easily provoked and wanting a fight or a quarrel. And some may prefer to indulge in sinful living.

Some stress really hurts and spoils our life all the time.....

Nonetheless, we must manage our stress well.

Let's...

• Avoid all negative thinking.
  
• Avoid jumping to conclusions too fast.
  
• Avoid over-exaggerating the real situations.
  
• Avoid being too sensitive about what others think and say.

Let's...

• Face our stress positively.
• Take a time off if necessary.
  
• Pursue a new hobby or sport if we must.
• Just cry. Crying can relieve anxiety.
• Look for a hiding place to calm down. Read my article concerning the River Of Life.
  

Remember

• Good stress management can spur us to greater success in life.
• In life, there is no easy way out; no pain no gain.
  

Enjoy your life by managing your stress. Do you agree with me?