Teeth grinding, heart palpitations, head aches, wheel gripping in traffic, sleeplessness, short tempers, and eczema. You name it! All manner of stress related symptoms have been experienced at our house this spring. Injuries, sickness, poor grades, major events, overfull schedules, mean people and fear have all contributed to the mental pressure.

What’s a mom to do in the midst of these busy and trying times?

Get finished with school and find a lake in a remote part of the state! Go there and stay until you’re bored, if you can. A healthy dose of sunshine, nature and unstructured days must be the cure.

Here, the only traffic I’ve seen is a family of Canada geese making their way to the grassy shoreline. The overfull schedules have given way to star-gazing and corn hole. Fishermen with tall cans of Bud and girthy tackle boxes have replaced the mean people.

This prescription seems to be working. My people are sleeping in, smiles have returned and the stress is melting away like an ice cream cone in the hand of a two year old on a hot May afternoon.

Up here, the lake, the fish, and the sun have been the cure for what ails us.