"life is getting more intense"

I went to the chiropractor the other day, and a boy, probably fourteen or fifteen, walked out right before I went in. My doctor told me he really enjoyed seeing him again and that he had known the boy since he was - and he made the gesture of him being as tall as his knee.

The boy's dad was sitting in the waiting room and had also been adjusted before his son. So I asked my doctor, "Did he used to come in with his dad when he was that little?" And my doctor said, "No I used to adjust him when he was that little." I asked how old he when he first got adjusted, and he said, "Six years old."

Six years old?!

I was astonished. What could a 6-year-old possibly need a chiropractor for?

My doctor said when he graduated from school 30 years ago you hardly ever saw kids who needed adjusting. But these days it's much more common. I asked him, "Is it because sports are getting more intense?"And he said,

"Life is getting more intense."

He said he has seen six-year-olds come in who are so tight and tense because of the pressures and intensity of life in general... the pressure to be the best in school, the best in sports, etc.

How sad is that?



We have to grow up so fast these days as it is. It's sad that there are six-year-olds experiencing the kind of stress that you shouldn't experience until you are at least twenty-six. Kids should be kids. The only thing they should be worried about is how long they can stay outside and play until they have to come in for dinner.

This made me think about my own life. While I might not be six years old, I do put unnecessary stress on myself.

These photos are from of a recent trip I took to Punta Mita, Mexico with the girls in my Bible study and their husbands where I was able to take a much-needed break from said unnecessary stress. Now if I could just relax as much mentally in LA as I did in Mexico...

What if instead of feeling stressed and overwhelmed, I just did one task at a time knowing that's all I can do? What if I woke up each day with an overwhelming feeling of gratefulness and enjoyed each thing I had to do that day. What if I looked at each thing I "had" to do that day as each thing I "get" to do that day?

Well, I would be a much happier, more relaxed person. I could probably be just as productive, just with a healthier attitude about it. And I would probably need less trips to see my chiropractor!