I Used to Worry About Everything - Now I Choose What Matters
I worry about the future, and have since I was too young to remember not worrying about the future. I would worry about getting things done, about getting things done right, about being accepted, about wearing the right clothes, about serving the right food, about being prepared for any possible disaster – no matter how remote.
Actually, that isn’t as true as it used to be. I still worry about the future, the difference being that it is no longer front of mind, all day and every day.
What changed? Probably getting older, and collecting experiences on how I handle situations when things really do go wrong. But mostly, my values have changed: I plan better so that I have a lot less on my plate, focusing only on things there really matter to me. I’m OK if things aren’t exactly “right”, questioning what that term means to me. I honor my body for it getting me to my current age, and treat it with respect, so that the clothes I now wear need to align with what my body needs above all else. I serve what I genuinely like to eat.
I still prepare a great deal – probably over the top – but not for any and all possible disasters.
My focus has shifted, from trying to control my world to working with what ends up happening after I’ve done what I reasonably could to prepare.
Was it Yoda who said “it’s not the what, but the how”? Maybe not, but it does sound wise enough for Yoda to say.
What happens, as long as we are prepared, is really out of anyone’s control. How we handle it is what counts.
Quote of the Week
Worrying is carrying tomorrow's load with today's strength- carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.
― Corry Ten Boom