This is my prayer for you.
Stress…..It is something we all deal with, and it is a topic that constantly appears on TV, on the Internet, and in magazines. It is something in which none of us can escape, but there are things that can help us.
When I was a child I loved the smell of fluffy towels and sheets right after mother took them off the clothesline. There was always something special the night you slept in sheets that had just come off the clothesline, and I loved the feeling of being engulfed in a fluffy towel when I got out of the bathtub. I can still remember that smell as if it were yesterday.
As the years passed, like with most homes, mother gave way to a dryer which certainly made things easier for her, but it was never quite the same. I always felt my son, Bob, missed something by not experiencing this, but by the time my son was born, like most mother’s, I found using a dryer simplified my life.
As I look back there is no doubt our mother’s and grandmother’s worked much harder than we did doing the domestic chores, yet some of the things they did made a home a home, like the taste of canned fruits and vegetables. I can still see my mother and grandmother in my grandmother’s basement in Casper, Wyoming, working hours on end canning. Yes, it was work, but the gratification it brought can’t be put into words, and it was always so appreciated.
We have all missed a lot due to the instant and quick ways we now have as we go about our everyday tasks. There is little doubt we are in a hurry up world, and the tragedy of all of this is “stress.” That word has become as much apart of our lives as breathing.
I have found something that has been of help to me in times of stress, and it is my hope that it will be of help to you as well. In your mind visualize a soft fluffy towel. Let it be a wonderful big fluffy towel. A gentle breeze has taken this soft towel from the clothesline and it has fallen so gently to the grass below. It beckons you to sit on it, and to take in the beauty around you. Smell the lilac bushes, and the beautiful orange blossoms. Aren’t they wonderful? You are feeling so relaxed, so safe, and so happy, that without being aware of it your soft fluffy towel ever so gently ascends up into the sky. You have no fear as you are lifted, and all the stress, pain, and worries are left behind. You feel at peace.
Oh so gently your soft fluffy towel takes you to a beautiful bubbling brook. You listen as the brook and its sounds ease any tension you are feeling. You are completely calm. Relax, and savor what you are feeling. You need not rush to go back. Take as much time as you need, and let go of everything negative you are feeling. Be still, and let the sounds of the bubbling brook completely surround you.
When you feel you are relaxed let your fluffy towel gently take you home. Take some deep breaths, and for a few moments reflect on where you have been, the wonderful fragrances of the lilacs, and orange blossoms, and remember the sounds of the bubbling brook. Be at peace. Relax for a few more minutes. This peace is yours.
Your soft fluffy towel is always waiting for you. It is your special towel, and it is there for you during your times of stress, pain, and fear. These few moments of calm will help you face and deal with what you must in a more relaxed way. I know, because it is this little escape that helps me when nothing else will.
Stress is something we all face, but we can handle it better if only for a few minutes we take some time and let our minds drift to a place of quiet and beauty. Until next time.
God bless you all.
Love,
Your friend,
Dee Ratcliff
