Many moons ago, when I was growing up I learned about the superstitious approach of conducting my own, so called, “fortune telling” by plucking the petals of a flower and alternately uttering the words "love me" followed by "love me not" and relying on the last plucked petal to predict which of these will seal my fortune!
As I grew older and came to terms with the fact that this was only a game of chance and hope, I, nevertheless, continued to model other life alternatives in a similar gamely fashion, knowing that, although they are just games, this process does have merits in allowing me to review the different facets associated with any challenging situation.
In light of the above, I am sure you will agree that stress plays a prominent role in our lives and is therefore worthy of consideration and thus prompts me to address the title of this note "Stress Me Not!"
This phrase, unlike my childhood flower petal plucking game, signifies several connotations, and I list below the ones that readily come to mind:
Prayer: Lord, I beseech You to make my life comfortable and I beg You to Stress Me Not!
Threat: Challenged by circumstances that are imposed by social, business or financial factors, using that phrase followed by "or else" carries the threat implication that it is intended for!
Plea: When the going gets tough in relationships and when arguments become difficult to resolve, one may resort to saying Please, Stress Me Not because I am at the end of my tether!
Question: How many times have I told you to Stress Me Not?
Command: I order you to Stress Me Not!
Reflecting on the above, and, in as far as stress is concerned, I pray that, in the adult equivalent of the petal plucking game, the “Stress Me” option never presents itself in any of its varied connotations to any of you!
Hani Badawi
April 14, 2016
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