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Barbara Walking in the Valley
A weekly column for those who live and walk in Silicon Valley

by Barbara Dahlgren
Keep On Trucking
Column for the week of June 2-8, 2002

Earthquakes occur all over the world everyday. Officially "an earthquake is the sudden release of energy from below the surface of the earth. Stress in the earth's outer layer causes a pushing effect. This releases energy in waves that we feel during an earthquake." Which leads to the question of just where were you when the earth shook a few Tuesdays ago about 10:30 at night? I was at my computer when I first felt it. My first thought was that my son was clomping around upstairs. It took a split second before I remembered, "Hey wait a minute! No one is home except me!" Then I just settled in for the ride. We Silicon Valleyites take our earthquakes in stride. As long as it's not the BIG ONE, we just hang on and keep on trucking.

Too bad we can't take the same approach to the stress points or "earthquakes" that occur in our lives. Just like real earthquakes, they happen everyday. But sometimes we can't judge which are the stresses we should blow our top over or the little "quakes" that we should take in stride and keep on trucking. Let's get some perspective.

Little quake: Someone says, "You make me sick!"

Big quake: Someone says, "You make me sick," and throws up all over you.

Little quake: You have a bad hair day.

Big quake: You lose all your hair.

Little quake: You are stuck in traffic and late for an appointment because of an accident up ahead.

Big quake: You are in the accident up ahead and everyone is stuck in traffic because of you.

Little quake: You find out it is your son who is in the accident up ahead. He totaled your car trying to get an onion off his hamburger while driving. Son and hamburger survive without a scratch.

Big quake: You son was driving drunk, totals your car up ahead, and you have no insurance.

Little quake: You order a 7 layer nachos from Taco Bell with beef to go. When you get home you discover they charged you extra for the beef but didn't put it on the nachos. Where's the BEEF?

Big quake: You are homeless and have nothing to eat.

You see, it's all in your perspective. Richard Carlson's book, Don't Sweat the Small Stuff…and it's all small stuff, is devoted to helping people change perspective to cope with the "little quakes" in life. Ask yourself, "Will this matter a year from now?" Learn to control your stress, instead of it controlling you. Develop compassion, patience, and joy. (Galatians 5:22,23) Choose your battles wisely. Resist the urge to criticize. Be grateful. Become a less aggressive driver. Lighten up. Go with the flow. These are all great Biblical principles.

Just be grateful it's not the BIG ONE. And if it's not the BIG ONE, take it in stride and keep on trucking.



©June 2002

Be sure to visit this page every week to read the next edition of Walking in the Valley. You can write to the author at bydahlgren@aol.com.

 

 
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