By Andrew Hawes —Master
As I’ve written before in my monthly articles for June, June is one of my favorite months of the year. My wife and I first went on a date together in June, got married in June, and are going on a cruise out of Venice for 2024! Unfortunately, it means that I will not be present at the June Stated Meeting, but I leave you in very capable hands with your trusty Senior Warden Lyman at the helm.
June is the final month of school, and parent of school-age children often dread it for that reason, but I never found it to be a burden to have my children around more. They were more carefree and happier during the summer months, without the stress of school to worry them – and I enjoy being with people who are stress and worry-free!
We all stress about things in life, and often that stress comes out in unpleasant ways – our health declines, our attitude is poor, and we take out that stress on the others around us at times, even though we know they are not to blame.
I urge you to find a way to cope with stress in as healthy a way as possible. “Don’t worry, be happy” is an easy adage to ponder – and also a catchy tune! – but it isn’t always easy to make ourselves adhere to that mantra.
There are a number of techniques one can use to reduce stress, and I’m not going to try and list them here – but there’s one that I will – talk to a friend about your troubles. Air your grievances about work, about your boss, your spouse, that obnoxious driver who cut you off, the price of… well, everything, the promotion you didn’t get, your bunions – whatever is stressing you out.
We are brothers, and promise to keep each other’s secrets, so as long as you’re not going to share stories about murder or treason, you can let go of all those stressful things that you’ve been keeping bottled up inside that you sometimes feel you cannot share because they are about other people you live with, work with, or even go to lodge with.
Sit in private with a brother, and under the square, spill it all out. Better yet, if you are NOT feeling stressed out, and you see a brother who seems like they might be – be the attentive ear into which they can pour their troubles. No, you may not want to hear them, they’re stressful – but just as shared work is made lighter, so is the heavy heart made so, by having a faithful breast in which to confide, unburden, and just vent.
We should always be there for one another, and listening to a brother talk about his sorrows and stressful things in his life is such a simple thing to do, but can make such a difference in their life.
Comments