hidden agenda
One of the prices we must pay as American workers, students, whatever is stress. There’s always a catch in fueling our esuvees and stripping the rainforest for our condos in the Rockies, and it comes in the form of twitching, agitated stress symptoms. Regardless of the source, or curse perhaps, each person naturally finds a way to deal with her/his stress, whether it be constructive or destructive recovery methods. There’s even an industry devoted solely to ‘instant’ stress-relief products.
Anyways, through years of employed toiling during the summers and, now, during off-semesters, I’ve formulated my own stress-relieving practices. In general, they are concentrated around reading; working out; sitting down for a latte and a conversation; and the very occasional frivolous expenditure.
Yesterday, I was sitting down to a mocha I hand-crafted with care, when someone reminded me of how great Wheat is. I make it a habit to listen to their album with some amount of frequency (because it is just that fabulous), but I hadn’t even considered them of late when quickly scrolling through the iPod’s artist menu. So I made one of those mental notes: “Listen to Wheat, stupid”. How could I forget a mental note like that? Yeah, not likely. I’m a thinker.
So today, after work, after a very intense day of work, I took a run with portentious clouds lining my view. I decided Wheat would be a good band to help along each impact of my heels, so off I went - running to Wheat. Upon returning and allowing the sweat to bead down my neck and arms and such, I slowed my walk to the door and stood still, looking directly to the sky, neck arched back. At that just moment, it started to rain. Drops of supernally cooled water collided with a still-weary-of-work head. It was a serene moment.
Also, at that exact moment that the rain began to flow from the sky, these lines began to play from my iPod’s earbuds:
“I was talking with some friends / When the heavens fell around me / So I had to stop and catch a drink / … / It began to rain / You let your guard down slighty”
Wheat, raindrops, and perfect coincidence relieved my storehouse of stress. In one instantaneous flash, brilliant yet unseen, removing an invisible burden. It sounds so foolish, just too simple to make a difference when worries and cares are surmounting; but it did the trick.
Even if “Life Still Applies”, tonight was a very good night.