Stressors and 2020
2020 - A year full of stressors
I bought 10 Harlequin Rasbora fish last Saturday to add to my aquarium. These small tropical fish have a black marking on their side, in the shape of a lamb chop (see above) making them look quite distinctive. When I arrived home to place them in the tank (to acclimatise them), their distinctive markings had all but disappeared! So much so that my wife and I thought we'd been given the wrong fish!
On returning to the aquatics store I was informed that they were "temporarily stressed" and their colour would return after 24 hours. Being transported and jostled had caused them anxiety and they'd temporarily lost their colour. Yes, a few hours settling in and true enough, their colour was indeed restored.
Stress can make us all lose our colour.
Life in 2020 certainly has been stressful for so many of us.
Job losses, social distancing, the isolation felt from lockdown are just a few of the added stressors we have all been living through.
Not only have we had Covid-19 lockdown restrictions of varying hues, but in our house we're still washing groceries and wiping surfaces with antibacterial wipes! I've even renamed my Covid averse fastidious wife Mrs AntiBac!
A major stressor for us happened in February past. During the Murcia marathon our son collapsed from heat exhaustion. It was then we witnessed our eldest son on a life support machine in hospital in ICU for three days. Thank God he is now well.
Like my fish, these days have certainly been days when the colour has drained some from our faces.
In the middle of this stranger than normal Christmas season may you and your family be free from stress and anxiety. I pray that you encounter "the prince of peace, "our mighty Saviour, Jesus - the reason for the season.
Let there be peace, Let it start in me (song) - Listen to the encouraging lyrics
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