We all have those days when even the smallest thing irritates the heck out of us.. Where we feel like we'll burst at the seems if even the smallest thing is out of order.
Stress is a natural thing that builds up in our lives, and is influenced by a variety of things. Social aspects, school, work, kids, bills.... The list goes on and on. Sometimes it seems like life is just out to get us, and that there is no end in sight.
What's important, however, is that we can appropriately deal with the stress factors in our lives and not let it damage our relationships with those closest to us.
I want you to think about a swimming pool... specifically the edges of it. When you have a large swimming pool, there is something called "coping" on the edges of it. That's the strong, smooth edge along the borders. The rest of the pool may be tiled or otherwise lined, but there is always the smooth edge of the coping there at the top.
So what is the purpose of this pool coping? Well, for starters, it's made of super strong material that can hold a lot of weight. It's also very smooth, as to protect from injury as you get in and out of the pool.
Every family is different and has a unique dynamic that can also change on a regular basis. I want to compare that to the water within a pool. It has shallow, peaceful areas, and it has deeper areas of higher stress. But surrounding that pool is a strong, smooth coping layer that can help us in our times of stress. We can grab on to it, we can pull ourselves up, or we can even just look to it and feel a little more centered in our lives.
I think that it's incredible that the word "cope" can be used when thinking about stress, (To be able to cope with our stress.) And it is also the word that is used to describe the edge of the pool.
We all have hard times in our lives, but as we communicate, work with those around us, and forgive others, I think that the stresses of life are a little more manageable than the rest.
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