We’ve all had those days when you feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders. As single parents I think we have them even more often. I once got an email addressing this very issue. A woman walked around a room holding a glass of water as the audience waited for what they assumed would be the age old question, “Is the glass half empty or half full?” Instead she asked a different question, “How heavy do you think this glass is?” The audience caught a little off-guard began throwing out answers, “8 oz!” “20 oz!”
She replied saying that the actual weight of the glass didn’t really matter; it was the length of time she held the glass. If she were to hold it a minute or two that wouldn’t be much of a problem. If she were to hold it there for an hour, she’d likely have an ache in her arm. A whole day and she’d definitely be in some trouble. Stress works in much the same way. The longer we hold on to it the heavier it seems to become.
It is crucial that we take the time to put the stress down and rest our arms for a moment before we pick it back up again. As single parents we are carrying some heavy burdens on our shoulders, but before long the weight becomes too much to bear and we start to crumble. It is important for us to keep things in perspective. Ask yourself, “Will this matter five years from now?” Every once in a while the answer is yes, but more often than not we are spending our time worrying about seemingly little things in our lives that have very little importance. As much as we’d like to, we can’t take on the whole world in one night, so why stress about it? Do what you can do today and let the rest wait until tomorrow. Put your glass down for the night, you can always pick it back up again in the morning.