Thumbs Up Thursday...

We are just one day away from Ladies Array at our church. My handouts are all done, my slides prepped, and my notes organized and labeled. Even my door prizes are ready to be given out...

Is there any way the teacher can win one? I super like these and hope the other ladies will, too.

For the past few weeks I've been sharing bits and pieces from just one of the two classes I will be teaching. Ironically, both classes deal with how to correctly handle stress and the cares of life. Is this a theme?

In fact when I told my husband the title of my second class, which is "My Anchor Holds: Reduce Stress & Simplify Life"; he almost snorted the coke he was drinking out of his nose!

You are the most stressed out person I know! He exclaimed, to my chagrin.

Yes, and what better person to teach about stress than one who is constantly surrounded by it and deals with it every day!

For. Real!

Just to clarify: I am NOT an expert on reducing stress; but I do desire a more simplified life, and am constantly trying to weed out little meaningless things that can cause frustration and yes, more stress. Who needs it anyway?

Take a look at these facts from the author Richard Swenson in his book Margin:

●      30 million men in America describe themselves as stressed out. (Um....Wow!)

●      On average we spend eight months of our lives opening junk mail. (Eight MONTHS?)

●      We spend two years of our lives trying to call people who are not in or whose lines are busy.

●      We spend one year searching for misplaced objects, when the average misplace object has been moved only 10 inches from its original place. 

●      In 1850 average person slept 9 ½ hours. Now thanks to electricity, the figure is seven hours and declining. In fact, 70 million people suffer from sleep disorders. (I would LOVE 9 hours of sleep a night!)

I don't know about you but after reading those facts, I get a little stressed out. I don't want to spend eight months of my life opening junk mail, and I certainly don't want to be one in 70 million who suffers from a sleep disorder. Lord willing I'll be sharing three simple (imagine that) ways to "Reduce Stress and Simplify Life."

Simply Simplifying,