STRESS.......

I decided to take a slight detour today.
A friend sent this piece on stress and I felt it should be shared. There are some wonderful truths and some statements that made me smile. Who can't use a smile from time to time, right?

STRESS.....

A young lady confidently walked around the room while leading and explaining stress management to an audience; with a raised glass of water, and everyone knew she was going to ask the ultimate question, 'half empty or half full?'..... she fooled them all...

"How heavy is this glass of water?", she inquired with a smile.

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." She continued, "and that's the way it is with stress. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on."

"As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden - holding stress longer and better each time practiced. So, as early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don't carry them through the evening and into the night... pick them up tomorrow.

Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment. Relax, pick them up later after you've rested. Life is short. Enjoy it and the now 'supposed' stress that you've conquered!"

1 * Accept the fact that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue!

2 * Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

3 * Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.

4 * Drive carefully... It's not only cars that can be recalled by their Maker..

5 * If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague

6 * If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it..

7 * It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.

8 * Never buy a car you can't push.

9 * Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

10 * Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

11 * Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

12 * The second mouse gets the cheese.

13 * When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

14 * Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.

15 * You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

16 * Some mistakes are too much fun to make only once.

17 * We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

18 * A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

19 * Have an awesome day and know that someone has thought about you today.

20 * It was I, your friend!

*Save the earth..... It's the only planet with chocolate !*

LONG LUNCH JURIED PHOTOGRAPHY ART SHOW... AUGUST 20 AND 21ST

This has been a very tough week for me personally, but I have to regroup and get ready for a juried art show I've entered in Warkworth, Ontario for August 20th and 21st.

Last year at this show, I placed second and was so thrilled! It was my first win and there was a cash prize as well. That was the icing, so to speak. What meant more to me was validation that I'm on the right track doing what I love to do! The judge for this show is a photographer for MacLean's magazine. Here is the photo I won with:

As an added bonus the show committee selected this photo to be the cover for the poster and flyers and such for this year's show.

I always find it difficult to select which pieces of work to put in every time I enter a show. After a lot of thought, and many changes of mind, I finally picked three(which is the maximum you can enter). I picked a scenic shot, a nature shot, and one that I think is cool, but pretty random in category.

(MORNING FOG)

(HOLDING PATTERN)

(RELIEF)

It would be great to win or place, both for the recognition and the money, but I truly enjoy the judges critiques after they make their selections to learn for the next time....and I do try to learn something.

I have found both a website and a Facebook page called 'Photography Talk' It is fantastic and I've joined(free) and there's an amazing group of photographers willing to give input and support from all over the world. I'll post more at a later date, when I'm more comfortable with it.

This week I put new works in at the Kawartha Tourism Centre and put three framed pieces in a wonderful gift and decor shop called Bridget Anastasia's in the local area. If you live in the area, check it out. She has wonderful art, gifts and decor items that are quite different from the normal gift shops.