Hippo Rage - a humorous look at stress and anger today
(text of a ... speech by David ... The Happy ... brought down the house in ... Quebec, April 21, 2002)Has anybody here ever been stuck in traffic for a ... long t (text of a mini-keynote speech by David Leonhardt, The Happy Guy,which brought down the house in Gatineau, Quebec, April 21, 2002)Has anybody here ever been stuck in traffic for a frustratingly long time? Put up your hand if you have.Oooh! Dont you just hate that? And some people dont mind showing us how much they hate it. We call it road rage.Has anybody ever waited in a ticket lineup or a checkout lineup for a frustratingly long time? Let me see those hands.Believe it or not, some people dont like that either. We call it lineup rage.Has anybody ever been stuck waiting in a doctors office for a frustratingly long time? Let me see those hands.And then you see somebody suddenly jump up and tear his hair out and scream, Let me out. Ive been here three hours. Three days. Three months! Well, I really should appologize. I didnt mean to scare your kids. I was just demonstrating waiting room rage. Let me tell you a story about the Lwungwa River Valley thats in Africa, you know. The dry season there gets very dry. My throat is getting dry just thinking about it. The Lwangwa River stops rushing. It slows to a trickle. Finally, it stops flowing. And all that are left are pools of water, here and there.One by one, the animals head to higher ground. To forest cover. To other water holes. Anywhere they can find food or drink. Just like we will all do late. Did I say all the animals? Not all. Not the hippos.The hippos stay in their river at it slows to a stream. They stay in the stream as it turns into pools. They stay in the pools as they shrink into puddles. As the puddles shrink, the hippos get more crowded. As the hippos get more crowded, they get surly. Cranky. Grumpy. They gnash their teeth. They poke at each other. They pick fights. Its river rage! Has anyone ever come face to face with a raging hippopotamus? Dont be shy. Go ahead, put up your hands. Sure, when were young Im sure you all remember this as I do were taught that theyre slow, cute, and cuddly. They might even be pink or purple and do those dances in tutus like in Fabntasia. But in the real world they have teeth the size of your head. They can run faster than anyone in this room. And they weight upwards of 5,000 pounds. I mean, they are BIG! If youre ever at a cocktail party and a hippopotamus starts, you know, flirting with you, whatever you do, do not let him sit on your lap.Rage is all the rage these days. Road rage. Lineup rage. Waiting-room rage. Even river rage. You may also have heard of parking lot rage, elevator rage and airplane rage. What gives? Is the world getting angrier or just more crowded?Both. Its a fact that as our space and time grow increasingly crowded, our stress levels rise. When it comes to space, we are cramming more people into more crowded cities, elevators, airplanes, stores. Our patience diminishes. Our good will diminishes. Our tolerance diminishes. Has anyone noticed they place the chairs at conferences you noticed! -- so close together that even skinny people get to know each other well. My theory is that the hotels are trying to develop their own niche rage market: conference seating rage.Lets look at our schedules. What are we trying to do? Were trying to see how many items we can squeeze onto our to do list, and how many activities we can cram into a day. And the stress, where does it go? Right up there, exactly.I want to share this one little thought with you. We are in the process of moving, so we actually have two homes. Stress that builds in my stacked concrete box apartment they call a condo, I cant get rid of. It sticks. I cant shake it off. It wont go. It sticks. When Im at my farm house just a few miles south of here, surrounded by grass and trees, its amazing how quickly I can just excommunicate the stress. Can I say that? Excommunicate? Why not?OK. What have we learned today? Three lessons, so please take note. Number one, dont let your space get too crowded. Number two, dont let your schedule get too crowded.Number three, and this is the most important of all, dont ever, ever let a hippopotamus sit on your lap. Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com .
Top blog stories
A review of Idmobile.com
Idmobile.com offers both pay-as-you-go and contract plans. Pay-as-you-go plans are ideal for customers who don't want to be tied down to a long-term contract, and they can purchase bundles of data, minutes, and texts as and when they need them.
Idmobile.com offers both pay-as-you-go and contract plans. Pay-as-you-go plans are ideal for customers who don't want to be tied down to a long-term contract, and they can purchase bundles of data, minutes, and texts as and when they need them.
AO.co is a trusted expert in TVs, washing machines, clothes dryers and other household appliances. AO.com is one of the largest retailers in the UK and it specializes in electronics, clothes and home furniture.
At Three, we believe phones are good. They just make life better. Easier. And more fun. But
we all need to find a balance that works for us. Our mission is to help our customers use
their phones to live their best lives.
We make your life easier
Since 1992, we’ve been helping customers get the best deal on their dream phone. We firmly believe in giving you the highest quality, for the lowest price. That’s why we work with three of the UK’s leading networks to do all the haggling for you,...
At Halfords, we're all about the journey. With more than 700 stores with over 10,000 colleagues, we're the UK's leading retailer of automotive and cycling products. We are also the leading operator in MOT, tyres, car servicing and car repairs - pleasing more than 750,000 customers every year.
It's important to us that everyone gets great customer service and can enjoy our products, no matter their level of sight. So, if you're blind, partially sighted or struggle to see or read the screen, we’ve a range of features to help you get the most from our products and...
Look iconic, without the hassle— using Nasty Gal discount codes, you can shop your favorite pieces for way less by simply entering one of our promotional codes (of your choice) at the checkout. From delivery offers, to promo deals, we keep ‘em coming, so you always have the offer you...
The Covid-19 has caused the school and universities to shut down around the world creating a major issue in Learning and Education. As this virus spreads through the interaction and if social distanci... The Covid-19 has caused the school and universities to shut down around the world creating a major...
Why its Important to Manage Your Holiday Calendars?
A printable calendar 2021 is a prominent online platform where you download printable calendars of your choice. These calendars can be customized as per our client requirement with photo, text, logo, or any other image. If you are thinking of planning a dream vacation tour with family and kids but...
Because of the Chihuahua's little size, these little canines require taking care of more frequently than a lot bigger canines. The tiny Chihuahua requires taking care of consistently and regularly, while the bigger ones don't need to take care of as frequently. When choosing the size of a Chihuahua it...
You don't need to be told that there have been major health and medicine advancements in the past few decades. What used to be a death sentence or at least a lifelong condition can now be managed, dea... You don't need to be told that there have been major health...
Dog food is specially formulated and made for ingestion by canines and other similar dogs. Dogs are generally considered to be carnivores with an omnivorous tendency. Since the diets of dogs are not human foods, it requires a specific nutritional supplement that is specially formulated for feeding canines. These types...
The nutritional value of dog food lies in the ingredients, containing a mix of vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients that make up the necessary diet. If a dog does not receive the proper nutrients from its food, it could develop various diseases that may become fatal. Dog food is...
Buying a puppy is an exciting time, but it’s important to be responsible in your research to make sure you purchase a healthy dog that has been raised ethically and supports good practices. A person can have plenty of choices when he or she decides to buy a puppy for...
Are you looking for English Bridles and Western Bridles? You can get here many types of Types of English & Western Bridles. The styles and purposes of horse tack vary slightly between disciplines, but only in terminology and decorations. The simplest type of bridle, the snaffle bridle, holds a single...
Every smallest dog breed has some common behavior problems that are often misunderstood or mishandled by dog owners. If you are a dog owner then, you show know about these problems and think about the... Every smallest dog breed has some common behavior problems that are often misunderstood or mishandled...
A very important question that is asked by many people who are about to get a new pet is how dog walking helps the dog to stay healthy. Dogs can be very healthy animals if they get regular exercise but most of the time, dogs just end up getting overweight...
We keep a wide range of equine laser therapy machines for sale which are well-suited to treat almost all kinds of ailments in horses. We also provide training to personnel so that they can become proficient in laser therapy for horses. Contact us to examine our equine lasers for sale...
EasyCare's EasyBoot Cloud is a prime example of the very best in therapeutic horse boots. Continue reading to learn how your horse can benefit from the EasyBoot Cloud. Does My Horse Need Horse Boots?... Can your horse benefit from the use of a therapeutic horse boot? If your horse experiences...
Search topic
The EasyBoot Cloud: The Best Therapeutic Horse Boot
EasyCare's EasyBoot Cloud is a prime example of the very best in therapeutic horse boots. Continue reading to learn how your horse can benefit from the EasyBoot Cloud. Does My Horse Need Horse Boots?... Can your horse benefit from the use of a therapeutic horse boot? If your horse experiences...