Adventures of a creative: Tea In Paradise #2

Tea In Paradise - by Mr Jackson

To read part 1 please click here, this next bit follows on from that bit, but it's up to you, you can read it or not read it however you choose, free will and all that. Anyway...

Chalk stone patterns we made while sitting on the beach (n.b - can't be seen from space)

Part 2 - Take It Easier

The single biggest killer in the Western world (by which I mean the developed West, not some alternative universe in which everyone lives in the Wild Wild West with giant robot spiders) is stress. Now 'Stress' isn't some kind of slathering monster that picks people off while they are busy rummaging around for loose change, oh no, it is more sinister then that, it slowly builds up in people like a virus or a plague or a love of Japanese Pop music, it creeps in through the unguarded holes on the body and eventually it will turn a person into a flaming Godzilla capable of moaning and collapsing in a dead type motion. Scrap that, it didn't make any sense.

When we stress about things, let them build up and force us to hunch shoulder, we block off paradise. We lock the door on our desires and wishes because we are being made to focus on something that isn't leading to inner harmony (a la The Beach Boys). These stresses become like anchors weighing us down and forcing us to drag them around as we go about our business. The extra baggage that stress brings is what causes the drag and eventual 'straw' that brakes the camels humpage.

The lake is always taking it easy, it's got it good.

From my own personal experience, I have been run to stress, I have been tea-bagged right next to paradise by stress, I have choked on the sacks of depression (okay, stop there, this metaphor is getting out of hand and there are children present, mind yourself Mr Jackson)- Sorry. Well, when down in the metaphorical dumps it is always something of a struggle to even see that there is a way out, let alone be working towards getting yourself out of it. The upward struggle seems like an unfair challenge heaped upon you, you even start wishing that you were someone else so that you wouldn't have to deal with it. It gets better, it really does. The first step to any climb is to breath. Breathing is great, I don't know about you, but I am a total addict! I Breath every single day, it's the first thing I do in the morning (even before the toilet run), I even do it while I'm sleeping. It's become a reflex of sorts, I don't even realise I'm doing it most of the time, brilliant!

Breath, take a deep breath. Fill your lungs with air, not just the top little bit that you always fill while casually out breathing with your friends, take the deepest breath you have ever taken. Keep sucking that air in till every last capilory of your lungs is ready to burst at the seems (I know nothing about Biology so please excuse my grossly un scientific writing).

There you go, full of air now.

The first step to finding paradise for me was to take it easier. So here I present to you 'Take It Easier' by me (Mr Jackson), the video was shot by Abi Pellatt and some by me. It's bubbletastic.

'What's easily said, is never easily done' - very well put old proverb that (which I appropriated for this little song here). It's easy to say something, hell, it's easy to write something down as well. It is however, always much harder to do something. For instance, I had originally intended to put this part of the Tea In Paradise blog thing out back at the beginning of the week, however, I found many reasons not to do it (mainly Sun + Beach related reasons), I procrastinated the whole week away, and it was great. I enjoyed every last minute of avoiding doing this silly little self imposed blog. I got it done in the end (you wouldn't be reading it otherwise). It was super easy for me to say I was going to do it, but it took a lot longer then I had said.

I was taking it easier, just like I had told myself to do in the song that went with this section of TiP. I strongly advise you do the same, no point in burning out early, there is plenty of time to do everything you ever wanted to do, now have a cup of tea (or don't) and give the video another watch above. Go on, it's good for you.