If I had a hammer

Since today could easily be described as stressful with some of the encounters I’d rather forget than share, I’m including some ‘found while researching something else’ material on the subject:

It takes a million years for one gene to change in our bodies. One million years! I'm bringing this up because, physiologically, we're the same humans we were 300 years ago. But look at how things have changed in that short time. Some things make life easier now: washers and dryers, transportation, abundance of food, electricity, etc. But some things make life today more insane: cell phones, traffic, increased population, fake food, TV, busy schedules. I heard a statistic from a doctor-friend that we make more decisions in one day than people used to make in a year. No wonder we're stressed out and reaching for doughnuts or alcohol to cope.

Managing stress
One of the best ways to fight stress is to get pleasure out of life. So try to make time for the things that are really important to you. Many of us get so caught up in our work and our routine duties that we end up feeling isolated, depressed or trapped. We forget the big picture. We all need to take time out to experience the good things in life, the things that give us genuine pleasure. Here are some suggestions from the booklet, Coping with Stress, by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Mental Health Association:

Hobbies – Whether you enjoy photography, crafts, sports, or any other hobby, the key is to do it on a regular basis. Build time into your schedule to enjoy these activities and make them a priority. Consider it "nourishment for the soul."

Gardening – Whether you have a backyard or live in an apartment, consider the soothing quality of tending plants and watching them grow. The results of your work are obvious and continue day-to-day and month-to-month as you watch your flowers or vegetable patch take root.

Volunteer work – Helping others helps take attention away from yourself and this may reduce your anxieties. Find an organization whose goals you support – volunteer to do something you enjoy. Donating money to charities is very worthwhile, but you may also benefit from personal involvement.

Vacations – Taking a break, for a weekend or a few weeks, may be refreshing, but be aware that vacations can be stressful if they are poorly planned, too expensive for your budget or if you are under constant pressure to make decisions about where to travel, eat and stay. Plan ahead and don't try to pack too much into the time available.

Enjoy nature – We are lucky to live in a country with open spaces and many municipal, provincial and national parks. If you live in the city, walk in your local park, smell the flowers, enjoy the trees and the birds. If you can, try to get away from the noise of the city occasionally.

Today I headed to the district facility for an Emergency Measures Organization Health Liason meeting – yes, it was as painful as it sounds – and some paperwork for my vacationing in DR work teammate. And to think I should have been cheerfully celebrating World Kidney Day today on March 13th. Yes that was the organ being recognized today. Now not that I don’t think this is an important topic but…seriously folks what’s next? Universal Thyroid Day?

Lunch was a highlight – in part because the cafeteria had rappie pie, which I LOVE ever since a nursing school classmate introduced me to it 34 years ago. Here’s a good article, which captures the flavor if you pardon the pun by a fellow writer of the writing group I attempt to attend:
http://www.ttrn.com/dcsandraphinneyrappiepie.htm
For the initiated it is a French Acadian dish made of grated potatoes, meat etc. and baked (you know for those of you who have an oven).

One of my lunch mates said “no oven yet, you’re being too picky” to which I replied “it just has to fit in the hole in the wall” We were discussing that the ground is getting softer so I might have the option of burying a body so mister had better get his act together. One of the others said when two couples were out together and her girlfriend’s husband had been smart mouth she said “you’d better be walking towards the ditch when you say that because it’s too far to drag your body” and we all cracked up – talk about nurses macabre sense of humor. The discussion turned to bedside weapons – here in Canada we’re not big on the handgun in the night table drawer but there were suggestions of golf club, baseball bat, lead pipe (it was really homework for a welding class), cane and the ultimate….a pair of scissors!!! This by the mildest mannered of the bunch – those are the ones you have to watch – as she says, “they’d do the most damage and starts listing off the various injuries possible.

It reminded me of the story the shore captain related upon return from his fishery meetings on Tuesday. The association he is a board member for, has an Executive Director who is someone we went to high school with; she still looks much the same with slender build and blonde hair although she has two grown daughters. They were discussing a possible volatile situation where a former member of their group intentionally over fished his quota and was finally being dealt with through legal means i.e. marine lawyer and sheriff seizing assets so the situation could be dangerous. She calmly mused that she should advise the RCMP of the upcoming affair as she lives alone just a few kms down the road and this character has no common sense or self control. My husband agreed this was a good idea and she continued conversationally to say “you know I have a hammer in the desk drawer at the office and I’m not afraid to use it and I don’t mean for carpentry” My speechless husband just nodded and she concluded with “if you don't believe me, just ask my two ex-husbands” eliciting another quick nod. He hadn’t recovered from that exchange when he recounted the events to me the next day. I nodded knowingly as it's always good to keep him on his toes.

The road trip did allow me to partake of Staples sale of a 2 GB flashstick (regular $60 for $20 this week) which is now holding my presentations as a laptop backup. The videographer has had technical difficulties with her computer upgrade and printer interface so no DVD pickup today but she did manage to complete it this evening so that will be an early in the week errand now. At least I know it’s done so I go ahead with the online agent application process and the DVD will be ‘in the mail’ So another reason to look forward to the weekend as the excitement builds with each step ticked off in the process.