Lightweight Straw
In general, straw is a material that can be whisked away with a good breeze. It floats up and sails on the wind and finds a new place to live. It is used as a shallow protector to beds of flowers, a soft place for animals to sleep and bound into bales to ensure that there is something to eat when the summer grasses stop growing. But anything can be bulky in enough density, even straw.
Straw Brains
There is a famous man of straw who had more substance than his colleagues. Even his brain was supposedly made of straw. His lighter weight made him agile on his feet but left him in danger near fire. Being a “lightweight” convinced this man that his job as a protector wasn’t much of a calling and he didn’t have the smarts to do much else well. The feeling of failure kept him from trying to use his assets in a new way. It is easy to stay in victim mentality when things continuously don’t work. We often think that strength means big. In truth, brains don’t really weigh very much. Otherwise, we would be clasping our heads to keep them upright.
The Camel is Broken
We repeat the idiom about the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back as a way to describe how the most innocuous stuff can do a lot more damage than anticipated. The fact that it only takes the smallest event to change our feelings should be good evidence of how vulnerable we are. Camels appear to be very strong animals and are known for having the capacity to travel through deserts without batting those long eyelashes of theirs. But for humans, even a minor or routine action can result in an unpredictably large and sudden reaction. You may have noticed this in yourself when you felt irritated quickly after putting up with many annoyances that didn’t upset you. The question is where the line in the sand was drawn. Sand has a way of drifting, and everyone has a different threshold.
Strong Straw
It takes living a little to recognize where we excel. Everyone can’t be a bodybuilder with bulging muscles; it depends on your physical makeup. But it is possible to tone up enough to recognize the feelings that occur when there is a dangerous amount of straw swirling around. Preventive avoidance is one way to keep everyone from breaking. Once we know what we are made of, we can adapt to use our gifts and take care to avoid sensitive situations. After all, straw has another characteristic that can be handy – it bends.
What does it take to make you react in a manner that surprises you? Do you have a method of keeping extra straw away from the camels in your life? What can you do to strengthen your ability to be proactive in the face of overwhelm?
