This Little Piggy Stayed Home
About a year ago, a couple of friends of mine decided to become part-time pig farmers. They purchased ten pigs; five males and five females. They recently decided to retire and make pig farming a full-time job. The construction started and after more pens were built, the breeding process began.
As it was, only two of the males were able to participate in this desired duty. All five of the females became pregnant at the same time, and about four months later gave birth to 27 baby pigs. This now gave them a grand total of 37 pigs.
One particular adult male stuck out as being extra special to everyone, especially to one of the owners who grew to love this pig as her pet. The pig was named “Jimmy the Pig.” Jimmy weighed in at 400 pounds and had a special way of reaching everyone’s heart as he had a very laid-back spirit about him.
This gentle giant would follow people around as if he was a dog, and he also loved playing in the water. He even had his own personal pool in which he regularly took a dip, as well as sharing it with the others. All the other pigs loved playing with Jimmy as he would lay flat on the ground and let them all wallow on him. The owners said he would even let people get on his back for a short ride. All these pigs were pretty smart, but again, Jimmy was the favorite.
Last week it was time to load one up and take it to the market….sadly, it was Jimmy’s turn. Since he was so laid back, the owners knew it would be pretty easy to load him up. Hesitantly, they placed the feed on the back of the trailer as Jimmy followed behind. The five-foot high metal gate was closed behind Jimmy, the overhead trailer door was shut, and the journey to the market began.
As the owner got about 150 feet down the road, he began to hear a strange noise coming from the trailer. He looked in his rear view mirror and to his surprise he saw Jimmy jump straight up and over the five foot gate, then through the overhead trailer door. Jimmy had landed flat on his belly in the middle of the road, with all four legs spread wide open.
The owner pulled over and jumped out of the truck to get to Jimmy. He wasn’t expecting him to still be alive and wondered how in the world he would move this huge pig out of the road all by himself. Before he got to Jimmy, and in disbelief, he watched as Jimmy staggered back up on all fours and began to head back towards the house as if nothing had happened. Jimmy had made his mind up that he wasn’t going to the market, even if it meant jumping the fence and crash landing!
Needless to say, Jimmy the pig is now a permanent member of the family. Instead of this little (or maybe not so little) piggy going to the market, Jimmy the piggy decided to stay home!
The Benefits of Deep Breathing
Breathing seems like a natural and easy thing to do, which we don’t think much about. It is without a doubt a necessity to keep us all alive, but there are so many more benefits to proper breathing. Most people breathe shallow, which hinders the body from functioning properly. Below are some benefits of deep breathing:
· When you breathe out properly, 70 percent of the toxins in our bodies are released.
· Deep breathing is also a stress reliever, which we could all use more of.
· When you breathe properly and deeply, the oxygen that you inhale helps you think more clearly as well as relaxing muscles that may be tense.
· It strengthens the immune system while improving the quality of the blood, makes the heart stronger, and improves stamina.
· Deep breathing also causes the respiratory system to work better which helps fight off colds and chest congestion.
· Our looks are also improved as we breathe better. More oxygen is released into our skin which increases blood flow, increases collagen, and slows the process of aging.
Take a few moments every day to make your body happy; take a deep breath in and exhale out.
