About a week ago I had occasion to be in Apache Junction, which some Valley residents might refer to as "dogpatch" or "the town that smells of manure and cigarette smoke." Epithets aside, AJ has its own brand of uniqueness that sets it apart from the other East Valley cities.
But enough about the town. If I'm there around the lunching hour I will stop at the Whataburger at the corner of Apache Trail and Meridian. Years ago, my job used to take me to AJ frequently so I am well familiar with the eating options. So, I decided to again nosh at this Whataburger, even though I haven't eaten there in a good four years. (Plus, Whataburger appeals to my Native Texan blood.)
The burger is just as good as I remember. What I didn't anticipate is that being in this establishment would bring back a flood of memories. I remember distinctly heading in there to eat in the summer of 2002. Geogal and I were preparing to move away from Casa Grande and set up residence in the Valley. The house sale was going well, no snags with the contract. Yet I was very stressed. We still didn't have a mover. Time was getting short. While having my lunch (a Whataburger, probably with bacon), I managed to make a call to a guy with a Valley-based mover, who was agreeable to the job. So, leave Whataburger with a little less stress.
Back to present-day. I have new stressors, big ones. Yet the moving issue has long since been resolved. Maybe there is a lesson here for me. I will always have items (internal and external) that will affect my stress level. However, these things often come and go. Very few stay for the long-term. And chances are high that I will be around to fight another day. Stress can have a positive effect. But I have to remember not to let my stress get the better of me.
And I'm wondering about eating in that same Whataburger a few years down the road. What will today's stressors be then?
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