Cruise Control

Stress subtracts years from an individual's life. I have no scientific evidence to support this, but this is a theory I've heard repeatedly over the years. My thoughtful nature leads me to believe that this is a plausible notion. On the other hand, however, I feel like stress plays an integral part in our lives. A life without challenges would be pretty dull in my estimation. There are days where I feel like overcoming stress is our reason for being.

Consider the story of Jesus Christ, for example. His claim to fame is a thorough beatdown that culminated in a stressful public execution. After being subjected to this painful series of events, he "rose again on the third day" and ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father. For me, Jesus' story is about the human spirit and the internal mechanism we have to overcome some of the darkest situations we encounter in life. Jesus would still be amazing to us today given all the stories about the miracles he performed, but he probably wouldn't have been immortalized the same way had he not been equipped to overcome His darkest hours. 

Bubblees, on the other hand, don't believe in overcoming challenges. People like Lanky are firmly of the mindset that stress subtracts years from your life. As such, he avoids stress at all costs. He's 20 years old and has no children. Lanky doesn't have a car either. He lives with his mother and is not expected to contribute to rent or utilities. His grade point average, despite his idle time and taking three remedial classes for the second straight semester, is hovering around a 2.0.

Me: Have you ever had a job?
Lanky: Yes
Me: where?
Lanky: I worked with my uncle over the summer doing work as a carpenter.
Me: This was just a summer job, though.
Lanky: Yeh.
Me: What's the longest you've held any other job for?
Lanky: 4 months
Me: Where?
Lanky: TJ Maxx
Me: You're gonna need to work a job for more than 4 months to build your resume.
Lanky: Yeh. I know. I don't need all that stress, though.
Me: What stress?
Lanky: Come on now. How do you expect me to go to school, play ball, and work?