Getting Rid of Stress

We happily volunteered to dogsit over the weekend— big dogs. We thought, sure, our cats can handle the disruption. Think again. They both remained upstairs all weekend. Our big scaredy cat spent all weekend up on top of the dryer which is stacked up on the washer in our master bathroom, neither dog went upstairs, I don’t think the cat even saw the dogs. However, nothing could coax him down from his perch. On Monday after some hours free of our house guests he still wouldn’t leave the security of our/his bedroom. Aiding him in facing his fears I picked him up and carried him downstairs to rejoin the living, and for my troubles I was rewarded with the pleasure of him releasing his anal glands all down my freaking arm.

scaredy_cat

I am thankful that when I’m stressed out my body doesn’t have that sort of response. Driving in Lithuania is my new favourite stressor- initially, on approaching a big multi-laned roundabout busy with:–wide trolley buses, taxis driven by maniacs (mostly Russian), motorists, cyclists and pedestrians–I would react like Jack Woltz in The Godfather when he wakes up and finds himself in bed with his horse’s head: aaaaaaaarrrrrrghhh, aaaaaaagghhh, aaaaaaaaaaaggghhhhh, aaaaaaaaaaaagggh. Now, just lately, I’m easing up on my tight white knuckled grip, unclenching my locked up jaw, concentrating on my inhale and exhale and saying over and over my get it together mantra that has served me well on many occasions: ‘woman, you got this, you so got this.’

While at times I do let the stress and fear of all the changes and cultural differences, and why in the hell do they do, fill in the blank, that here??, get the best of me. And sometimes I can’t see the forest for the trees because my mind is awash with panic. But thank heaven I’m not releasing any anal glands and I am able to regroup and remember to come back to that breath and fake it ’til I make it- ’cause: ‘woman please, you SO got this!’

[Img.Src: Scaredy Cat, 1872]

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