On Worry

Like most people, thoughts hit me randomly here and there throughout the day. Sometimes it's a funny memory, and I laugh out loud, causing whoever might be around me at the time to look at me strangely. Sometimes it's a reminder of something I have to do or something I forgot, and hopefully I have a paper and pen handy to make a note.

Sometimes, however, it's a scary thought---a "what if?" moment that causes me to pause, and I find myself imagining a darker world where my greatest fears actually come to pass. Oftentimes these "what if?" thoughts are completely ridiculous. They're things like, What if, when I get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, a snake that I didn't know was living under my bed comes to life and strikes me on my heel? Ridiculously unlikely, obviously. Or, What if my life isn't real, and I'm actually living inside the Truman Show? Uh huh. Right.

As you can see, my thoughts can go in strange directions.

But sometimes I freak myself out with what ifs; even if only for a moment, I let myself dwell on thoughts of death and destruction of those closest to me, and I get scared. Then I realize that if I did this all the time, I wouldn't enjoy life at all because I'd be too worried about the possibility of something going wrong that I wouldn't try anything or go anywhere. Or, for that matter, let anyone I love go anywhere either.

With that in mind, today I read an article sent to me by a friend. It was written by a reverend who wrote down twelve things he wish he'd put into practice more when he was younger. Among the list were the usual notions about being yourself and not sweating the small stuff.

And number seven was this:

"Don't worry too much about the worst that can happen. Even if it happens, God is with you, and you can handle it. Really."

That's quite a statement. It's for sure something I will try to put into practice in 2011. Even if the worst happens, I will be okay because God is with me. Really.

I say amen to that.