BULLSEYE!

The other day I was reading about the origin of the word "bullseye." Centuries ago the English longbow yeomen would often congregate after church in the hamlet and have target practice. The target was said to be the white skull of a bull. If you could hit the center of the "bulls eye" then you were considered to have the greatest skill as a marksman. 

 THE CROSSHAIRS

Do you know what it feels like to have a bullseye on your back? I have been the unwilling target of an adversary so deadly that it had managed to turn,topple and twist my life into every possible direction. The name of this worthy adversary is..

STRESS

(BLOWING YOUR TOP)

Have you ever heard the expression "too blessed to be stressed?" I'm sure the originator of this thoughtful saying meant well. In the real world this simply isn't true. The human race is unbelievably blessed with more than we could imagine. In the same breath I would also say that the world is filled with those who are stressed beyond description. I have blown my top and crippled my cranium with a gnawing negativity and biting sarcasm that was aimed at myself for the inability to handle my own stress. I had so much in my head and didn't know how to deal with it. I will admit that I fall into the head crammer category and I'm not alone. The world is filled with "crammers." We cram when we eat and we cram things in the closet. We even cram food in our mouths. Inhabiting our brain is an unhealthy build-up of negative things that begins to grow and force its way into daily existence. The result is useless white noise and a static filled ball of stress.

"It's not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it."

                                                                           Hans Selye

DESSERTS

How do we handle stress? I can name a few ways we cope. We get negative, we get depressed or we eat. You do know that S-T-R-E-S-S-E-D spelled backwards is DESSERTS. I know what you're thinking. This is the sweet answer that you've been looking for. If it were that easy I would keep my fridge stocked with sugary delights that would pop my palate and leave me with delusional sensations of glorious grandeur. If we can't eat our way out of our stress, let's try the timeless tactic of running away from our problems. This was how I tried to tame the tide when it came to dealing with life. Stress for me as a kid was wretched. I would cut and run for the hills when there were any signs of trouble. I was overcome with so much fear as a youngster that even when I tried to run I couldn't get very far. Stress had weighed me down to the point of feeling helpless. What was the answer for me?

NO TIME TO BE TIMID!!!

Run for your life. Really? Where are we going when we're faced with a stressful situation and our feet start stepping with a frenzied, petrified pace. I can only tell you how I survived in my own outrageous arena of life. The first part of my life was spent staying on the sideline and being swept up by stressful conditions at home,church and school. Finally, at the swashbuckling age of twenty-two I began to come out of hiding and was determined to venture head long into whatever would come my way regardless of how much it hurt. I had to join the fight for the life I wanted. I was charged and my faith had been activated. To my surprise I started to feel even more stress showering down on me. It felt like heavy raindrops filled with knives that cut to the quick every shred of confidence that I desperately hung on to.

Fifteen years after my summons to the battlefield of life I am glad I answered the call.  I am no longer a matador in mourning but a determined fighter who knows that troubled times are on the rise. The heavy winds are sure to blow and when they do, it only moves me atop a launching point called hope. So when tomorrow gets tough, you can get tough too. Whenever stress makes you the unwilling target, do what I did and hit that charging bull right between the eyes. Take your best shot at life.


note: feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think of the question I posed in Bathtub Theology section.