THE WEIGHT OF THE GLASS (A wisdom story)

A psychology professor walked around on a stage while teaching stress management principles to an auditorium filled with students. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the typical “glass half empty or glass half full” question. Instead, with a smile on her face, the professor asked, “How heavy is this glass of water I’m holding?”

Students shouted out answers ranging from 8 ounces to 2 pounds.

She replied, “From my perspective, the absolute weight of this glass doesn’t matter. It all depends on how long I hold it.

“If I hold it for a minute or two, it’s fairly light. If I hold it for an hour straight, its weight might make my arm ache a little. If I hold it for a day straight, my arm will likely cramp up and feel completely numb and paralysed, forcing me to drop the glass to the floor.

“In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it feels to me.”

As the class nodded in agreement, she continued, “Your stresses and worries in life are very much like this glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and you begin to ache a little.

“Think about them all day long, and you will feel completely numb and paralysed – incapable of doing anything else until you drop them.”

(Moral of the story: Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles. It empties today of its strength. If you still feel the weight of yesterday’s stress, it’s a strong sign that it’s time to put the glass down. “A day of worry is more exhausting than a week of work.” ~ John Lubbock)