STRESSES. V V continued from page 3 [Husband's Note: “ You can say that again! Our localJohn Deere dealer had been trying to gelJartel to buy a new lraclorfor six years. Heï¬nally succeeded two years ago But ifir hadn't been for an electrical short which burned the old tractor up he'd still be work- ing on a new sales pitch."] Before the start of the new year the cash flow is ï¬nished, all capital expenses are in eluded and the bottom line shows a profit. If the projection is in the red, then it’s back to the drawing board to make any cuts neces» sary. As long as the projections are monitored month-by-rnonth and adjustments made as the year goes on I have nothing to worry about and all my debts will be paid There are no surprises. I can’t fathom farm» ing by the ‘seat of my pants’ with no idea of year end results. Talk about stress! By the way, my ’92-93 cash flow is ï¬nished. Things are tightening up. My MSQ quota was reduced by 15% because of the skim off and quota cuts. This is deï¬nitely having an effect on year end results! The offsetting turn of events is the drastic drop in interest rates. Coping It's one thing to avert stress, but at my stress seminar we also talked about how each par- ticipant relaxed when stressed. The methods were as numerous as the participants 7 shop- ping, reading, going for a walk, taking a bath, exercising, visiting, and so on. For me it was ‘time alone,’ as the instructor termed it. I hadn't even realized it. But it was obvious when I thought about it. Unconsciously, I remove myselffrom the group for a period of time and that’s how Icope. Stress Is Good Late this summer the boys and I went on a holiday to Cooperstown, New York, to visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame. One quote at the Museum struck me. When asked if it was difficult being a professional baseball player, the response was “No, not if you’re a professional baseball player.†This applies to farming as well. Ifyou'rc a profes- sional, then you're comfortable with the associated stresses of that business. If you're not, you may be in the wrong line of work. My husband likes to plan his week and have it play out as planned. In farming, ifyou plan to work in the field it will rain and ifyou plan to go away a. cow will start to calve or the Organization Profile: feeder will break. I'm flexible so I‘m the farmer. John‘s not flexible. so he's the acâ€" countam. [Husband's Note Again: “Janet has her stresses and I have mine, Would any afyou really prefer to deal with those quaint little phone calls which go: ’Hello, this is Revenue Canada calling. We'dlike to audityoun.’ "] Summing Up One last thought... Stress from things that you want to do and stress from things you think you should do or are expected to do to satisfy someone else’s expectations are very different. In the former instance, it is a very positive thing and you learn to deal with the stress in a positive manner in order to achich your goal. In the latter case, the stress can be very self-defeating and extremely difï¬cult to control. Your stresses may be very different from mine, but the solution may be the same. List your priorities, then break the stresses down into manageable chunks and deal with them, one at a time. Jane! Parsons is a dairy farmer near Cache Bay, Ontario, and is a member of the Veuvc River Women's Institute. THE RECYCLING COUNCIL OF ONTARIO The Recycling Council ol Ontario (R00) is a non-proï¬t organization founded in 1978‘ They believe that society must minimize its impact on the environment by eliminating waste through reduction, reuse. recycling and composting. How the H00 works: Information: - source of information for the public. business and govema ment province-wide. toll-free Waste Reduction Information Service (WRIS) at 1 $00263» 2849 the largest 3H5 reference library in Ontario with over 1.300 documents and 80 in- ternational periodicals Action: - to meet Ontario‘s goal of50% waste reduction by the year 2000. new solutions must be analyzed, discussed and promoted; the R00 plays a critical role in this process provide well researched and balanced position papers on 10 Home a Country. Winter 1992 maior waste management is sues, including government proposals for legislation and regulation participate in multi-stake- holder negotiations both in front and behind the scenes already addressed the issues of refillable beverage con- tainers,junk mail,degradable plastics, bio-medical waste and the economics of recyâ€" cling track in detail the quantiï¬es of recyclable material that municipalities divert from landï¬lls Publications: Ontario Recycllng Update - covers provincial, national and international waste management issues examines markets, technol- ogy. success stories, municipal and corporate programs and government initiatives Renews - maintains communication and contact with members of the R00 by informing them of member news, what's hap- pening within the R00 and upcoming events Compastars’ Journal - addresses specific issues of composting featuring articles on small scale. on site, back- yard and worm compostan Events: - all R00 events aim at furtherv ing province-wide waste reduction through education, dialogue and idea exchange Ann ual Conference - Canada's largest on waste reduction imponant forum for advanc- ing waste minimization offers informative seminars, debates and product exhibits Waste Minimization Awards - annualeventsporlighting sigâ€" nificant waste reduction innovations and contributions - recognizes individuals. busiv ness and government Waste Reduction Weak - province-wide annual event - focuses social awareness on waste management emphasizes community- based efforts In dus try Breakfast - informal information sharing and networking event for businesses Composting Programs - workshops, demonstrations, audio/visual presentations and volunteer training Outreach Programs - aimed at business, com- munity groups and schools Speakers‘ Bureau, Waste Reduction Advisory Service, puppet shows to youngters. and booth displays at trade shows and community fairs For more information contact the Recycling Council of Ontario, 489 College Street, Suite 504. Toronto, Ontario, MEG 1A5, Tel: (416)960 1025.