a post of relief, updated

 

Photo by Polina Kovaleva from Pexels

Without going into TMI (that's Too Much Information, as the kids these days say), I'm feeling relieved. People close to me are aware of my hypochondriac tendencies (an exaggeration, hah) and the advent of the interwebs and smart phones exacerbated that. Suffice to say that we are in the ballpark of 40% real and 60% speculation when it comes to overall health. By health, I'm referring to the World Health Organization's definition of “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” 

I am certainly not an insufferable, grumpy, the-end-is-nigh creature nor empathy gone overboard. However, when too much external stimuli is coupled by stress that has built up from pinpricks to full blown sledgehammers--you know what I mean. The distinction between all of us people is how we deal with those kinds of situations. I was recently informed that although I'm proactive (that increased my ego a bit), I tend to use avoidance as a coping approach (dart arrow hits the bullseye). 

As I write this with renewed motivation and before I start wrapping some Christmas presents (yes, that early...avoid the rush at all costs), I'd like to quote a passage from Daily Meditation (regnumchristi.org) about today's Gospel about The End. 

"Fear stalks us daily. The world in which we live can undermine our trust in God. It is easy to become attached to things of this world, even though they give us only a fleeting pleasure or a temporary security before they pass away, disappear, or vanish. Since our heart is made for God, for the infinite, when we become attached to something not of God, the result is fear. This is a fear of the future and a fear of the unknown. But with God, we know the ending, and we know what awaits us. Listen to those words: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” All that we see and enjoy around us will pass away, but not Christ’s promises, namely the promises of eternal life—of paradise. Be not afraid to hope in God."

On the topic of religion, specifically in terms of the open declaration of one's Catholicism, if people choose to gauge the amount of respect that they will give someone based on what they believe in, how they look, what they do for a living, their material possessions, or their level of education, the onus is on the superficial judge and their bias-filled criteria. When I say I'm Roman Catholic and my person is immediately placed inside a box of stereotypes--well, that's certainly none of my business, isn't it? No need for me to spend some spare adenosine triphosphate in order to convince them to like me. And no, nobody judged me recently for being a Catholic---just a hypothetical scenario in which you can replace the subject of being Catholic as something else that is part of your identity. When applicable. *curtsy* 

/* Update */

I was on break and I thought of reading "Desiderata" again and there it is: "Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself." To Max Ehrmann, many thanks. Kind regards.