Stress is not RED, but we sure get cranky sometimes

So when I say that I've been on a lyrics kick - I think I've been lying to you. This "kick" will just never end. At least not any time soon. So, I apologize for lying to you. Welcome to me. Haha!

"Ma ma mama don't you see?
'Cause it's just one of them lonely days,
When we say how we fear that the last fence has fallen."
-State Radio

Ain't it grand? Yeah, I know. I get to see them (for the 5th time) the first weekend in October with my big brother. Remember when I ventured into downtown? Yeah, that was for the purpose of getting tickets for their show. I have also recruited my friend Corinna and her friend Barbara to go with us! Anyone else wanna go??

In other news, I had my second GIF tonight and we talked about the idea of balance. Mom, you would have loved it. The part that I enjoyed the most was the discussion about the different kinds of balance. The avenues of balance, if you will. I can easily think in the vein of the social vs personal time. Or the study/play. Or activity/rest. The newer ideas to my ways of thinking were urban/nature, planned/spontaneity, thinking/feeling (Myers Brigg), and external/internal. So, I quite enjoyed seeing which of those things were more balanced and which needed "a little" work. Fascinating.

So after discussing what was out of kilter (sp?) in our lives, we discussed our own personal tricks to alleviate some of that undue stress. Carolyn had my favorite: remember that even in our own body, processes are working constantly. Take a breath. Think about that air going into the lungs and the oxygen going out into the body into cells. The physicality of how we are living and breathing - fascinating!

Of course we talked about taking a walk, stretching, calling a friend, writing, or the other more classic stress relievers. Other ideas mentioned: affirming the areas of our lives that are going well or are in balance (at least more so than the area we are stressed about), putting it into perspective that though we have mountains of books to read... we HAVE mountains of books to read (!!!!), or remembering that even the son of God wept and asked his father to take away the task at hand if it wasn't entirely necessary. Love it...

So I'll leave you with that. I am going to read a bit and as usual, study some Greek. Oh, one last thing, we sang this song at chapel yesterday and I feel completely in love with it. It is the Canticle of Turning. Check out a blog here for the lyrics... and here for a youtube of a congregation singing the song (the only version I could find that sounds right). It is BEAUTIFUL and moving. Apparently an Irish tune. *Sigh*

Edit: Found out the lyrics are newer while the tune is older. Classic. Check out this quirky little folk song called, Star of the Country Down. (I LOVE that it has star in the title...)