STRESS, RELIEF

Simple pleasures help reduce stress.

No matter how good life gets, stress has a way of making its presence felt.

It's the arrival of both credit card bills on the same day.

It's the sticky spot on the kitchen floor from some type of spill that you forgot to wipe up, only to be reminded when you walk over the spot in your socks.

It's the never-ended battle against the dishes in the sink, which seem to multiply even though nobody has been home to make more of them dirty.

It's stuffing the Christmas cards, only to realize you still have to add addresses, return address labels and stamps.

It's thinking you can finally sit down and relax, only to realize the Little One still needs bottles made for the next day.

On their own, none of these are big deals. But damn it if each one doesn't have the potential to make you snap.

Yesterday was a long one for both the Wife and I. For no particular reason, we were both exhausted. She had some tough moments at work, and I know at my job, it was a battle just to keep my eyes open.

On days like that, any little item from the list above could have set either of us off. Instead, we found just as many reasons to stay on an even keel. For every crappy thing, there is something just as small that can make you remember to enjoy life.

It's the surprise visit from the office intern who spent the semester studying abroad in Germany. Oh, and she brought German chocolate!

It's the thoughtful gesture of the Wife, who brought a damp sponge to me so I wouldn't have to lick all the Christmas card envelopes.

It's the glass of chocolate milk that the Wife made for me after I stupidly licked the first couple envelopes before the damp sponge arrived. Yes, I am 34 and I love chocolate milk.

It's realizing that simple pleasures are a fun topic, which meant taking a picture of a glass of chocolate milk would be appropriate for this blog entry. Of course, this meant making a second glass of chocolate milk, since I already drank the first one. 

It's realizing that it is after 10 p.m., and dinner just wasn't in the cards for the night. But you don't mind, because a bowl of cereal sounds pretty darn good.

It's realizing that if this is what counts as a bad day in your life, you really have nothing to complain about.

Stress exists, and it rears its ugly head from time to time if you let it. Sometimes, though, it just isn't worth stressing over.