A woman named Kate posted a story of how her son chose silence instead of defending her when his wife insulted her.
Namely, Kate loved to cook, but since her husband’s passing things changed and she somehow lost hold of that part of her. However, whenever a holiday was around the corner she would prepare the most delicious dishes to her son John, especially for Christmas when he would always come for his annual roast dinner.
This year, however, was a bit different since John’s wife, Liz, attended the family dinner for the first time. The two dated for quite some time, but over the course of a couple of years, she would always spend Christmas at her parents’ house.
Kate woke up early because she knew she needed time to prepare the main course, which was a chicken with gravy on the side, all the side dishes and desserts that her son loved.
As she was preparing the food, Liz entered the kitchen with her phone in her hand and started looking around. At that moment, she made a face as though she smelled something terrible, but Kate, already sweating away, decided to ignore her and didn’t say a word.
Sadly, things turned for the worse when Liz suddenly exclaimed, “Hey, Kate, maybe we should order food. Not everyone wants what you’ve cooked. I don’t know if everyone enjoys your cooking, either. Every aspect of Christmas is supposed to be enjoyed by everyone. They should enjoy the food, too!”
As expected, Kate was shocked by her daughter-in-law’s harsh words.
“I saw John leaning against the archway, nibbling on a carrot. He altogether avoided my gaze, looking over me and out the window across the room. I held back my tears and bit my lip,” she wrote in her post.
As most of the guests arrived and sat on the table, it seemed like they all enjoyed the food Kate prepared for the night.
At one moment, John asked, “The food’s great, right? Everyone’s enjoying it?”
John’s uncle helped himself to another serving of roasted potatoes and asked, “Why wouldn’t we enjoy my sister’s food?”
“Because Liz said that the dinner might be ruined by Mom’s dishes. She wanted us to order in,” John explained.
“Nonsense!” Kate’s brother said as he dipped his potatoes into the gravy.
Hearing this, John looked at his mom and smiled. Kate then realized that her son didn’t react before because he was waiting for the right moment to teach his wife a lesson.
Liz turned red as everyone starred at her and Kate admitted that she even felt bad for her because it was her first Christmas with the family.
Later on, while packing the dishwasher and emptying dishes of food, Liz approached Kate.
“Kate, I’m sorry,” she said. “I was so wrong to do what I did. I am sorry, please understand.”
“Understand what?” Kate asked her.
“I only said that because John loves your food. He always talks about how you make all these special things for him. I can’t make a basic mac and cheese without him saying yours is better. I looked at the food, smelt all the delicious smells from this kitchen, and panicked.”
“Liz, you should know that a boy and his mother’s food is a relationship in and of itself,” Kate said with a laughter as she tried to diffuse the tension. “I can teach you how to cook just like me. My mother taught me everything I know.”
“Really?” Liz asked. “Even after I’ve been so horrible?”
“Yes,” Kate replied.
Thankfully, Kate understood that Liz’s intention wasn’t a nasty one, she simply felt threatened by her mother-in-law, but she soon learned it was for no reason.
Kate then took Liz to the Christmas tree and handed her the present she bough for her.
Military sleep method which works for 96% of people can send you to sleep in two minutes
The actual question is, will you be among the 96% of those who can use this military technique to fall asleep in two minutes?
All of us have experienced it, or at least, those of us who experience high levels of anxiety have. As we lay in bed, exhausted beyond belief, our minds raced, making it impossible for us to go asleep. We reached for the sinister blue lights on our phones, thinking to ourselves, “If only there was a way to fall asleep instantly?”
It turns out that there is, albeit given who I am, I’ll probably be in the unfortunate four percent for which it doesn’t work. Nevertheless, perhaps there is still hope for you.
Though science hasn’t yet developed a “on-off” switch for our brains, there is a military sleep technique that may be the next best thing.
Fitness instructor Justin Agustin used his platform to spread the word about this technique, which he claims works for an astounding 96 percent of individuals and can even put you to sleep in under two minutes.
How then does it operate?
The US Army, it seems, created the method primarily for “fighter pilots who need 100% of their reflexes” and for combatants who must be able to nod off in noisy, demanding environments.
You will go to sleep in a matter of minutes if you settle in and pay attention to your breathing.
Once you’ve mastered that area, you may begin to’shut it down’ by gradually relaxing your entire body, beginning with your forehead and facial features.
Make every effort to ensure that nothing is tight and that your arms are relaxed by your sides.
Feel the warmth rising from your head to your fingertips. Then, relax your chest by taking a deep breath; then, relax your thigh, stomach, legs, and feet.
You must visualize the warm feeling traveling from your heart to your toes.
Finally, the difficult portion.
Ideally, you should be free of any tension in order to aid in your own sleep.
Picture yourself in a cozy spot, such as curled up in a velvet hammock or relaxing on a heated boat on a serene lake.
For 10 seconds, tell yourself to “don’t think” if you are experiencing intrusive thoughts about the time you told a waiter to enjoy your dinner and you feel like you’re thinking about something else.
Hopefully, you will be able to fall asleep after this.
Though Agustin’s video may seem too wonderful to be true, comments on it show that there is some validity to the approach.
“I’m a military brat and was taught this,” one commenter said. This was also taught by a seasoned psychology professor I had in college. It is undoubtedly effective.”
Another said: “Pretty sure this is closer to what is called Progressive Muscle Relaxation which was developed by an American physician in 1908.”
And that’s it – pleasant dreams!
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