Posted on: 15th October 2024

A young lady confidently walked around the room while leading and explaining stress management to an audience with a raised glass of water.

Everyone knew she was going to ask the ultimate question, ‘half empty or half full’.

She fooled them all by saying ‘How heavy is this glass of water?’  she enquired with a smile.

Answers called out raged from 8oz. to 20 oz.

She replied ’The absolute weight does not matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold for an hour, I will have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you will have to call an ambulance. In each case it is the same weight, but the longer I hold it the heavier it becomes’.

She continued, ‘and that is the way with stress. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won’t be able to carry on’

As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we are refreshed, we can carry on with the burden - holding stress longer and better each time practiced.

So as early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Do not carry them through the evening and into the night….pick them up tomorrow.

Rev. Dr. Joseph D Cortis, Leeds Cathedral