Does your camel have R.S.I.?

A couple of times this week I have heard the phrase "the straw that broke the camel's back", referring to a build up of pressures that finally end in disaster, often culminating with something inconsequential in itself (the "straw").

This pattern is evident in so many aspects of life, in our relationships, our work and our health, to name a few.

We have a good, although not half as poetic, modern-day example of this - "repetitive strain injury", or "R.S.I.".

The antidote to this is actually very simple - take a break, before you break. Regular "time-outs" are a healthy option. Which reminds me of a poem:

What is this life if full of care
We have no time to stand and stare?
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep, or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this, if full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

William Henry Davies 1871 - 1940