THE FORREST GUMP APPROACH

While watching TV this weekend, flipping past channels with reruns I had seen several times, I happened upon the ‘Forrest Gump’ scene where he is running across America to get over Jenny leaving him. You know the scene. Many people begin to follow him until finally in the middle of the desert he stops, turns and tells them he’s tired and going home to Alabama. And, in spite of the quaint absurdity of this situation it plays out a very good lesson on stress reduction.

I’ve noticed in my life when things get tough, when I’m angry, upset or just plain bored or depressed, physical activity of any kind-even work-can help get me through the day.

In my back yard I have a garden plot fenced off to keep the dog’s out. Every year around the end of February I go out and dig it up for spring planting. After I get it dug up I begin planting as early as I can. This usually means I have to go out and cover the plants to prevent late frosts from killing them. By the time frosts are over I begin to loose interest in the garden and the weeds begin to take over. Its also the time of year when it is sunny and warm and I can get out of the house more to do other things. Yes, I do harvest some vegetables, but that’s not the point. So, why do I bother with a garden if I don’t keep up with it all the time? By the end of February I’m suffering from a serious disease called “Cabin Fever”. Getting out of the house and moving around seems to be the best cure for it. The limited amount of produce I obtain from my strenuous gardening efforts is only a secondary purpose of planting the garden.

So now I’ll get to the point. Physical effort is a good cure for when things are not going right. It will get your mind off your problems and help you gain a better attitude. If you don’t believe me ask my wife. She hates housework. So, when she begins furiously cleaning or scrubbing things, I know she’s angry-usually about something I did-and I stay out of her way until she cools down and stops cleaning. So, don’t let problems or stress get you down. Get up and get busy with anything. Mow the lawn, clean the house, build a bookcase or a model airplane.

Finally, doing work that is of service and help to other people doubles your reward even if the work is difficult and tiring. Try it. You will be glad you did.

(Spencer) had occasional days when he felt physically exhausted. Of such days he wrote: "I started out very miserable and found myself wondering if I could get through the day, but . . . I seemed to become intoxicated with my work and forgot myself and it was a good day."
(Edward L. Kimball and Andrew E. Kimball, Jr., Spencer W. Kimball (1977), 376.

“Nuff Said”