STRESS ADDRESSED
Few can doubt the effect of stress of London's cab drivers. In this
series of articles, Call Sign's stress-free David Kupler (Y74) adds his
view...
In the first part of my anti stress article last month, I attempted to
share MY way of dealing with the stress we encounter in our daily lives. I
mentioned meditation and that is the theme for now.
For many, meditation conjures up visions of hippy-like beings
sitting cross- legged and chanting in mysterious ways. It CAN be like that
IF you want to, but just to sit in a quiet place and do nothing is the way
it works for me.
The essence is allowing ones mind to wander, to 'empty', and
to explore. My ideal is to sit on an upright chair with my feet planted
firmly on the ground and my arms relaxed with my hands draped over my
knees or lower thighs. Sometimes I just look at a blank space, not with a
fixed stare, but just looking. I breathe deeply for a while and then close
my eyes.
With each exhalation, the stress and tension of the working day leaves my
body. I feel the calmness of solitude replacing the 'uptightness'
accumulated during those work hours. This is after work meditation and I
allow my self enough time to unwind completely before I eat or even watch
T.V.
Fish Watching
Another form of meditation that provides stress relief is to
sit and stare at a moving object or objects. That is where the hobby of
fish keeping comes in handy!
There is something extremely relaxing about watching fish
swim. I have fish in the ponds of my garden, but even a modest aquarium
will suffice until the time comes for the first pond.
The movement of fish as they go about their business is often
so graceful and enchanting that time just flies as I become more serene
and calm with myself.
As you can see, much of the preceding deals with a way to
seeking serenity. It's really all a matter of attitude. I try to be
positive in everything I do or say. I rarely use the IF word. 'IF',
implies indecision and uncertainty and both lead to stress. Try 'when'
instead wherever appropriate and see if this positive attitude assists in
your stress relief. For example: "If I go to work early, I might earn
that extra towards my holiday." Replace if with "WHEN I go to
work early I WILL earn the extra for my holiday".
There are probably many of |
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you who will be cynical regarding my philosophy on a stress-free lifestyle! As
I said in the February issue, this works for me but may not work for you.
To believe that just meditating will remove ALL stress while not bothering to
work on ones self will cause anxiety waiting for it to happen or not happen, as
the case may be.
What Can I Do?
Look at yourself in a mirror naked and ask "...am I happy with
myself?" If the answer is no, then decide what steps must be taken to
self-improve. Some things cannot be changed and having the wisdom to know the
difference between what is possible, i.e. losing weight, is the first step to
serenity. The Taoist philosophy says that a journey of 1000 miles begins with a
single step.
Is the decor in your home helpful in achieving serenity? I have
decorated my house in 'earth colours'. No wallpaper, only off-whites and
beige's. There is no heavily patterned carpeting, just simple natural colours.
Visitors often remark how peaceful it feels in my home.
The school of minimalism, lack of clutter and neatness, all
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contribute to a stress-free existence. In the garden there are places
to just sit and relax. I have used shrubs and bushes to break up the harsh
outlines of the fences and lots of running water to give sound to the
garden. My garden is in fact an outside living room and a place to be at
one with nature. All good stress-free stuff.
Should anybody wish to comment in Call Sign or correspond
with me directly, please feel free. You can e-mail me on kupkake.jnd@cwcom.net
In the next issue, I shall deal with more accessories for a
stress-free life and the diet to assist in maintaining that stress-free
ideal.
David Kupler (Y74) |
DAC FOUNDER MEMBER MAURICE (MORRY) KIRSHNER DIES AGED 89
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Maurice - known as Morry to
his family and friends - Kirshner who died on February 3rd 2000 was
a founder member of ODRTS and one of that select group without whom
Dial-a-Cab may not have existed.
He actually passed the Knowledge in 1931 at the age of
20 but couldn't get his taxi licence as he wasn't yet 21 - the
minimum age required - and had to wait until his birthday! When he
finally got his 'bill' he went out to work on a rented Beardmore
'Paramount'.
When the war came, he immediately joined the Royal Air
Force before resuming his occupation as a taxi driver at the
cessation in 1945.
In the early 1950's, Morry joined the then-new Radio
Owner-Drivers Association circuit (RODA) along with Mountview
founder Chairman Joe Stern and for a brief time, ODRTS founder
Chairman Bonnie Martyn.
Bonnie left RODA together with several others and in
the well-documented story, met in the back of a taxi parked on the
Grosvenor Gardens rank and sowed the seeds that became ODRTS.
Several months later, Joe Stern was to sow the seeds for Mountview
in the back of a cab parked outside |
Marylebone station.
However, with many RODA drivers feeling unhappy about
the internal politics on that circuit, drivers such as Morry
Kirshner had no alternative but to go to the fledgling ODRTS or
Radiocabs based in York Way (known as Levy's).
So Morry and twenty-three others left RODA and joined
ODRTS - the first batch other than the first committee members. He
was given the call sign of Apple 7 and as the call signs were given
out in order, he was probably the seventh member to join. He stayed
on ODRTS until 1989 when we went Data and Morry thought that at the
age of 78, he was a bit long in the tooth to learn how to operate a
computer!
However, he still carried on driving for a further
eight years until finally giving up his bill at the age of 86. He
was presented with a plaque for long service by the PCO.
He leaves two daughters, Francis and Ruth. His wife Ann
died in June 1999.
Founder Chairman Bonnie Martyn told Call Sign:
"Morry was a staunch supporter of ODRTS in
those early day and also a very good cabman in addition to being a
good friend. I shall miss him." |
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