S T R E S S

Today, I welcome the hubby to Terry's Place. When I first invited guests to my blog, I asked if he'd like to do a piece. I was surprised when he said he would, and then a bit nervous, because he got that evil glint in his eyes. He said he'd be writing about living with a writer. Not just any writer. Me. But when he turned in his blog post, it was totally different. All the recent upheavals in our lives have affected him too. And he's man enough to admit it.

Welcome, Dan.

When I agreed to do a guest blogger spot I really had no idea what I was going to write about. Well, I did, but …….

Dictionary.com defines Physiological Stress as ‘a specific response by the body to a stimulus, as fear or pain, that disturbs or interferes with the normal physiological equilibrium of an organism’.

I do like to read about physical stresses on structures like bridges and tall buildings. Have you ever seen the classic video of the Tacoma Narrows bridge in the wind?



Or, how about this paper on the strapless evening gown?

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Stress is normal and is a part of the everyday lives of animals and plants. Put yourself in the place of the mouse being chased by a cat. I’d say that’s pretty stressful – for the mouse. Fight or Flight. The carnivorous rabbit - “Run away, run away!”

Defining what ‘normal’ is can get tricky and in humans is probably specific to the individual and may change over time. However, too much stress can lead to all sort physiological dysfunctions, immune suppression and things that I am not qualified to discuss. (And look what happened to the bridge!)Have you ever come down with a cold [rhinovirus – I like the word] after a particularly stressful period of time?).

Lots of things in everyday life cause stress and these factors have changed over time. Waaaaay back in the day, our ancestors had to worry about being eaten by large carnivores. This isn’t very common these days but if you live in Alaska it could be an issue. And, there have been a number of cases where people running on trails have been attacked by mountain lions.

I ‘retired’ the first time at the end of 2001 when I was ‘downsized.’ I’m sure that it was stressful but I immediately took a position at a non-profit research institute. And the stress started building. I went from a position where I did not have to get my salary from research grants to one where I did. Short deadlines. Frantic writing to make sure the proposal format met specifications. And then waiting nearly a year to get the results. My job will end in a few weeks. I was going to retire – on my own terms – at the end of 2010 so this just moved the schedule up a bit. Perfect timing! The economy stinks. Housing market hits the bottom.

OK, bite the bullet, put the house on the market and see what happens. That means having the house painted on the outside, clean up the yard, spread 20 cubic yards of mulch, paint some of the interior, box up all the ‘clutter’ and put it in a POD, deal with contractors, deal with a wife dealing with contractors, and rush everything so that the house can be listed before Memorial Day weekend!

Well the financial market may be looking up and the local housing market may be on the upswing. If all goes well we’ll have to deal with offers from buyers. And once a deal is sealed we’ll have to deal with moving out, donating/selling everything we don’t want to move.

Then we have to find a new house, deal with real estate agents, sellers, banks and, since no house will be perfect, another round of contractors. And will there be a trout stream at the end of the rainbow? I can’t think of a better stress reliever. Oops, yes I can! ;)

And I thought I was going to blog about what it’s like to be married to a writer of romantic suspense. She hears voices ...

Ah Chooooooo!