May 3, 2009:

Ponderings of a Pilgrim PASTOR

“Dealing With Life’s Burdens”

            “The Pulse” is Chattanooga’s alternative newspaper.  In the past, Pilgrim has advertized there.  I liked this good advice from psychiatric counselor Dr. Rich.

            “I want to take this opportunity to share some lighthearted (but no less wise) ways of dealing with life’s burdens.  These were sent to me by my friend, Owen.  You may have heard some before.  Some will be new, and some are groaners.  But what the heck. . . at least a few will make you chuckle.  They arrived via the Internet so no author is credited, but I think you’ll find some pearls amid these twelve humorous suggestions:

1.    Accept that some days you’re the pigeon, and some days you’re the statue.

2.    Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

3.    Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.

4.    If you can’t be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

5.    If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

6.    Nobody cares if you can’t dance well.  Just get up and dance.

7.    The second mouse gets the cheese.

8.    When everything’s coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.

9.    Birthdays are good for you.  The more you have, the longer you live.

10.  You may be only one person in the world, but you may be the world to one       person.

11.  They say that happiness is always having a “plan B.”  So a truly happy person is the one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

12.  We could learn a lot from crayons . . . Some are sharp, some dull, some pretty.  Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

            We each have our burdens, our grief, and our struggles. Set them down for a moment, and breathe. Pick them up again after you’ve rested a while, after you’ve turned your face to the sun, given some thought to what you are grateful for, and rubbed the dog’s belly for at least five minutes.  There’s a reason your mother always told you to “sleep on it, and things will look brighter in the morning.”

            Until next time, from Dr. Martin Luther King:  “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

            Dr. Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D., is a psychotherapist, minister, and educator, in private practice in Chattanooga, and is the author of “Empowering the Tribe” and “The Power of a Partner.” Visit his website at www.DrRPH.com.

Love, Pastor Dave