By Dave Collison

There is little doubt that many people are under great amounts of stress today.

 Unfortunately much of our stress is self-inflicted. We try to fit too much into our already busy schedules.

 Work, after school activities with the kids, social events, household chores, the list goes on and on as to what we try to fit in to 24 hours.  

One of the biggest culprits in creating stress is chasing after the dollar. $100,000 per year income seems to be the ‘magic’ number that everyone wants to make. People say it all the time. “If I made $100,000 a year I would be set!”

Reality check. National statistics show that less than 10% of the American work force actually makes $100,000 per year. I am not saying everyone should quit trying to make a better way for themselves and their family.

I am not saying that at all. We all need to work to care for our families. But the trap many fall in to is confusing the ‘necessities’ with the ‘wants’. Necessities are the things that we absolutely need. Food, housing, transportation. The ‘wants’ are pretty much everything else. Do I ‘need’ that 50 inch HD TV or do I ‘want’ it?

Ernie, an old friend of mine, was born, raised, and will probably die on a dairy farm. Ernie’s day would start at 5:00 am as he headed out to the barn to milk his 150 plus head of cows. After milking, it was off to work in the fields. At 6:00 pm it was back to the barn to milk the cows once again. After milking it was back to the fields riding the tractor late into the night. Ernie kept up this pace 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

I once asked Ernie why he worked so hard.  Two reasons he said. The first was that he really enjoyed farming. The second was that he made a good living at it and ‘wanted’ to provide the good things for his family. And he did! The kid’s had all the nice things. The nice house, their own cars, a swimming pool, and the latest gadgets. What they often didn’t have was their father with them at the ball games, picnics, and other family activities. He was always working. Despite his love of farming, farming did not reciprocate. It was hard on my old friend. By the time he was 70 his body was clearly giving out after so many years of hard labor.

Several years had passed since I had last seen my old friend but one day I was walking down the sidewalk and I came up behind an older gentleman and his wife. They were clearly in their 80’s. They took their time as they supported each other walking down the sidewalk. They wobbled from side to side as they went along and I, being in a hurry to get to an appointment,  tried to time my passing of them so as not to have to excuse myself as I went by nor be a hindrance to their progress.  I noticed that the old man moved as though he was in great pain. He walked with his back all hunched over and I could see that his hands were twisted from arthritis. As I got closer the couple stopped right in the middle of the sidewalk blocking my way. What are they doing, I have to get by!?!  

As I got closer two things happened. One, I noticed they were taking the time to enjoy the aroma that came from the beautiful flowers that were growing next to the sidewalk. Second, I smiled as I realized it was my old friend Ernie.

He looked up at me as I approached and with a smile said, “David, it’s taken me 85 years to learn how to do that. Don’t you take so long.”

Ernie was right. We sometimes fall into that trap of chasing the dollar, the ‘wants’, when all we really need are the ‘necessities’. These are the things that can bring us happiness and contentment.

I agree with Ernie. Take the time to smell the roses!