From the working and business class of people,
even students and stay-at-home moms who interface with their
working spouses -- there is a lot of talk in the land these days
about the "rat race." And not far behind that -- "burnout."
I know -- I have been there and done that something close to
30 years ago. I had a great job. I was assistant editor of
a weekly newspaper...and for a neophyte in the newspaper
business, I was pulling down some big bucks. I was so proud,
so driven to excel, so absorbed in my work -- that I neglected
my spouse, my spiritual life, even failed to get enough rest.
Back then, the experts said the rate of folks who fell into
mental illness was one in ten. I was clueless about that at
the time -- but in a few sort years, I learned more than I
ever wanted to know. (Nowadays, the latest rate of mental imbalance
in the America population is rated at one in four -- according
to the latest figures I recall seeing).
At the time of this fine job I had, I was married (to my
first wife), had the only new car I have ever owned, was
living in the only house I have ever tried to buy, and had
lots of other luxuries -- even a green and red phone, two
separate lines to accommodate my work! I did the right thing
and joined a church and participated in whatever I could that
gave me a good civic image. We even hosted a dinner for
each of the mayors and their spouses in the county as part
of my effort to write a short bio/photo piece on each one.
But, I only kept the job a short time. I began having
chest pains from stress. I even "blacked out" one night after
a stressful meeting and ended up driving on the wrong road,
into the wrong county. I was so scared and totally lost
when I came to, still behind the wheel of my car..and somehow
had avoided accidents by just following the white line. That
experience shocked me so...that I called a state trooper to
come take me home -- 40 miles off course!
Some better informed people steered me to some medical care,
and before long I was in a state hospital -- a total wreck
on the trash heap of life. I stayed something close to
nine months -- and during that time, almost in one fell swoop,
my wife left me, I lost my car, my house, my job and a lot of
my self-respect.
I finally got out -- and had a chance to regroup -- but it took
a couple of more crashes like that before I finally got on
track -- almost ten years later, and well into a third marriage
which is now in its 26th year.
That experience and all the misery that surrounded it, is the
number one reason I am so passionate about how people
live their lives as opposed to who they are or
what they are doing. It is also the barometer by
which I can study a person, sight unseen, through their very
words and notice someone who is a bit out of line from where
it would seem that they want to go. It is also the barometer
by which I can instantly detect someone who is truly happy,
truly healthy, and truly on the road to success. It does not
take weeks of playing psycho-therapist for me to be able to
see straight into a person's soul -- because that is the
gift God has given me out of all this.
Nobody wears a name-tag that says "I am lost," or "I am found."
And even if they do -- believe me: "It is by their fruit ye
shall know them."
If you have been logging in too long to the rat race of life,
maybe you need to download some heaven into your heart. It
would be the best present you could
ever have! -- The HartKeeper
The HartKeeper 
