Think of our first moments on the planet, freshly out of the womb, that birthing thing is quite the stressor, for mother and baby. And then, well, it's a wild ride from then on.
I had to check in with National Institute of Mental Health: What is Stress?
Right. So our job, if we have one, is not necessarily to avoid stress, but how to manage it!
It's easy to be a happy Swami on the Mountaintop, contemplating your navel, but how about finding the calm center in the middle of the Tsunami of our Lives?
The stress vanishes into thin air. Suddenly that very stressful activity pays off in silver dollars of love and inspiration.
I have found I have a few favorite stress-reducers: a walk on the lakefront, a bicycle ride, playing my guitar, listening to, and playing music with other folks, meditation, drum circle, a good meal, a great conversation, a good movie or book, going to an art show, chores like washing dishes or the kitchen floor, kicking down the cobblestones. Filling my life up with life-affirming shit. That's the good life.