As a writer, quite often I wish I could live forever in a world of imagination and storytelling! But that cannot be and we writers may have our heads up there in the clouds of a novel, play or article, but our feet have to be on the ground.

Very often, that’s not good for the writer, as sometimes realities on the earth below, like delayed payments, broken promises, and injustices bother us more than someone who spends his or her time in a practical down to earth job.

How do I handle such problems without it affecting my writing, is something I have always had to deal with, especially as both the pressing problem and my creative juices use the same brain.

A story, that’s helped me very often is the one I’m going to reproduce below:

A professor began his class by holding up a glass with some water in it. He held it up for all to see and asked the students, 'How much do you think this glass weighs?'

'50 grams!’ said one student.

'100!’ said another.

'125 grams!’ shouted a loud voice.

'I really don't know unless I weigh it,' said the professor, 'but, my question is: What would happen if I held it up like this for a few minutes?'

'Nothing' the students said.

'Ok! What would happen if I held it up like this for an hour?' the professor asked.

'Your arm would begin to ache', said one of the students.

'You are right, now what would happen if I held it for a day?'

'Your arm could go numb; you might have severe muscle stress and paralysis and have to go to hospital for sure!' ventured another student; and all the students agreed.

'Very good. But during all this, did the weight of the glass change?' asked the professor.

'No'

'Then what caused the arm ache and the muscle stress?'

The students pondered over this, 'Not putting the glass down!' said one of the students.

'Exactly!' said the professor. Life's problems are something like this. Hold it for a few minutes in your head and they seem okay. Think of them for a long time and they begin to ache. Hold it even longer and they begin to paralyze you. You will not be able to do anything'.

That was the professor’s solution, and I realized many years ago, to keep the problem I had to sort out for as little a time as possible in my mind.

“So do you throw it out?” I hear you asking.

“No, I throw it up!”

“What!” I hear you exclaim.

And I smile, as I open a portion of the holy scriptures which says oh so clearly and emphatically, “Cast all your care upon Him; for he cares for you.”

That’s the way I put down my glass down; I throw the water up..!

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