Don’t Worry ‘Bout a Thing
How many of you woke up this morning worried: worried about the day ahead, the week ahead, the problems you might face, the difficulties you may have to go through? Show of hands? Anyone?
*Hand raised* I know I woke up this way. In addition to the stack of obligations in front of me for the day, I am also carrying around the weight of big life decisions: Do G and I move? Do we not move? If we move, where do we go? If we don’t move, how do we stay (and thrive)? Up and down I went last night on this seesaw, and this morning I woke up as stable as that teeter-totter.
However, sitting outside an hour later, sipping my morning cup of tea, it came to me:
“Don’t worry ’bout a thing,
‘Cause every little thing gonna be alright.”
Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” came flitting into my mind, fluttering away some of the tortuous thoughts. “Don’t worry about a thing” the little birds chirped. Hmmm. That’s much simpler advice to follow than, “Sit here and try to solve all of the week’s problems, both real and imaginary, before you get out of your pajamas.”
“Every little thing gonna be alright.” Is it? Really? How do you know? How do I know?
Well, I don’t. But neither do I know that all of these future scenarios that I’m torturing myself with are going to play out either. Last time I checked, I am still not psychic. Not even close. All of these thoughts I’m having aren’t even about real problems yet. Only imaginary ones. So if I can fret that everything could turn out for the worse, maybe I can turn it around and use the same amount of energy to be confident that everything can turn out for the better. And maybe you can too.
Did you know what worry really means? It literally means to wrangle and strangle something to death in the same manner that a wild animal rips into its prey. Any ideas, then, about what’s happening when we’re worrying?
We think we’re wrangling and strangling a problem to death but, truth be told, it’s the other way around. We’re the ones being vexed and tortured. We’re the ones suffering the ripping and shredding of worry’s teeth. And the worst thing of all about it is we’re the ones doing this to ourselves!
I am not going to sit here today and try to give you advice on how not to worry. That is another post for another day, a day when I perhaps am feeling more sage in my own not-worrying abilities.
What I will tell you is this: Each day has enough cares of its own. And, as far as I know, we cannot yet project ourselves into the future and deal with its cares first, which means that we can only take care of the needs of today, in the order that they arise.
I challenge you, as I challenge myself today, to try to stay as present in your present as you can. Take today as it comes. Deal with each need only as that need arises. Let your focus be in the here and now. And when your thoughts do stray to the future, remind yourself that “Every little thing’s gonna be alright.”
I have the sneaking suspicion that if we do so, you and I both will find ourselves at the end of today far more peaceful than we may have been otherwise. And far more confident that tomorrow is within our grasp, as well.
As James Russell Lowell says:
Let us be of good cheer, remembering that the misfortunes hardest to bear are those which will never happen.
What about you?
How do you approach your worries when you have them?
What calms you when you feel stressed about the future?
I look forward to hearing from you.
Peace be with you today.
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Great post! When I feel worried I try to focus on living in the moment. This can be hard to do when something’s really weighing on your mind, but if you take every single moment as it comes, worry is a lot less likely to take over your mind.
Hi, PP. I’m glad you enjoyed the post today. It has definitely been one of those take-each-moment-as-it-comes days for me. I’m knackered, but I’m peaceful.
I love that James Russell Lowell quote, and that actually leads into what calms me when I’m in “futurizing” mode. I’ve been on this planet a lot of years now, and I can look back and see for sure that less than one percent of anything I ever worried about actually happened. Instead, things worked out just fine. In essence, the only bad thing that truly ever happened was that I wasted precious hours of my life by worrying!
Jean Sarauer´s last blog ..The True Story Behind Virgin Blogger Note’s New Look
Jean, I was so happy to see you here again today (and, by the way, I TOTALLY love the new look of your custom header! Fantastic!). I love how you point out the obvious thing that we often forget: less than one percent of anything I ever worried about actually happened. This is the truth of it, isn’t it? We spend our precious minutes dreading things that either won’t happen … or will happen whether we worry about them or not. Hope all is well with you today, lady.
Okay – I loved this and I needed to read it!! I needed to read it today!!
This morning, first thing on my plate was contacting a certain governmental agency about a certain something that appears to have sent but not received… sigh… and I need to receive it post haste!! That said, I might feel like I need it now but it will arrive when it is needed. I can try to worry it into my mailbox and yet, worrying isn’t going to do any good and will only give me head aches etc. It will all unfold as it is meant to – it will be as it is whether I worry about it or whether I sing and laugh and forget about it trusting that it will work and arrive etc. It is about how I want to spend the hours of the day? Do I want the headaches and the worry or do I want to relish in whatever else happens my way!
I am choosing not to worry – I filed, I did all that I can do, and now I will let it go and focus on getting the mud off my sandals from the mud pit I stumbled into on my way to work… it has been one of those days!!
“Don’t worry… bout a thing…. Every little ting’s gonna be all right.!”
Peace to you on this beautiful day.
The Exception´s last blog ..There is so much more…
It will be as it is whether I worry about it or whether I sing and laugh and forget about it trusting that it will work and arrive. I could not have said it better myself. In fact, I didn’t say it: you did. I really need to be drinking your water.
Your comment is a wonderful continuation of this post with its focus on the fact that worry is something we choose (or don’t choose). When we look at it this way, there’s only one obvious option.
Hope everything goes well for you today and that keep your mind free of those worrisome thoughts. Wishing you an abundance of peace, as well.
Hi Carla,
Okay…first off, know that I’m thinking of you guys…and I also know that all will be well….
Worry is a funny thing. All too often, I have worried, only to see it never come to be. And – all the energy spent worrying…for nothing. Now, that’s not to say that some of this “stuff” doesn’t happen – because it does. Still, does worry help the cause at all? No! (I’ve been there and done that) And I’m sure I’ll be there again. Still, I hope that I’m also getting better at just living in the moment – and in that – letting worry play a lesser role.
Much peace and big hugs to you,
Lance
Lance´s last blog ..Sunday Thought For The Day
Thank you for the peace and hugs. I feel them!
Like you, I like to think that as I get older (and wiser?) I am learning to worry less and be in the moment more. As you said, whether that stuff happens or not, us worrying about it isn’t going to help the cause at all. An excellent reminder.
Now, that was just a lovely and peaceful read. You have a real way with flowing words and ideas together in a style that speaks to the calm you’re talking about. Letting go is so much a part of moving forward. Thanks for a great post.
Katie´s last blog ..7-Week Life Cleanse: Creating Time & Space in Week 1
Hi, Katie lady. I was delighted to see you again today. Haven’t made it yet to my reader to see what goodies you have in store, but I will be there soon.
I’m so glad you liked the read; I had no idea it was peaceful! But I’m glad that’s how it affected you, as it was very much on my mind to (1) calm myself down and (2) calm any of my readers down who might need it, too.
Thank you for leaving your comment. It definitely made my day.
Hi, Carla. …and a big fat hug, too! Worrying…ah. I think I used to be an expert. Although I still do it (shame on me!), I’m rusty. Thank goodness! My epiphany was much like yours: I’m only hurting myself and all my beautiful moments, and it’s a big fat waste of time, to boot. Things will happen—or not. Decisions will be made—or not (which is a decision). Good will be—or not (in which case, it’ll just get better next time, next step, next whatever).
I’ve learned that to just acknowledge possibilities and then let them rest in the back of my mind brings about greater understanding and better solutions than if I try to push things. I remember when we wrestled with whether it’d be better to sell our home or rent it; someone recommended making a list of pros/cons for/against both scenarios. On paper, one decision seemed right, and we went with it, trying to cover all our bases, so to speak. Our emotions told us something entirely different, though, and years later we admitted we wished we’d listened to them rather than logic. Things would have been harder in some respects and much easier in others. There’s no surefire way to make “perfect” decisions, but there is a way to quell the worries: offer them to Spirit, Source, God… Solutions come.
Julie´s last blog ..Nature Speaks
Thank you for the big fat hug! I got it! I’m glad you shared that story about you and your husband and the decision over to sell or rent, as it showed that even if we don’t make the “perfect” decision, the Universe/God usually still has a way of working things out in the long run. I know in my past, I used to get quite stressed out when making a decision about the idea of “but which one is Plan A? what if I choose wrong?” And that’s just no way to live. Like you said, we can offer our worries to Spirit, God, and trust. Solutions come. So does insight. But, best of all … PEACE.
It was good to see you today.
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Great advice. Worry is a losing proposition. That which we resists persists and that which we give energy to grows. Therefore by worrying about something we tend to create more of what we are worried about.
I once heard don’t worry about that which you cannot control, it is pointless because you can’t control it anyway and don’t worry about that which you can control because you are in control and you can make the changes you need to make to resolve the issue.
Mark´s last blog ..Hooking-Up on MySpace, Facebook and Other Social Media Sites
Mark, I really liked the last part of your comment (I liked the whole comment, too, but you know what I mean
). It’s absolutely the truth. If we can’t control it, there’s no point worrying about it. And if we can control it, then why are we worrying? Get out there and do something about it! Great reminder. Thank you!
“We’re the ones suffering the ripping and shredding of worry’s teeth. And the worst thing of all about it is we’re the ones doing this to ourselves!” Isn’t that the truth??? Worry is such an emotional vampire at times. The one thing that has worked for me is to schedule my worry time so it doesn’t seep into the rest of my day. What helps the stress is focusing on what I can do about a situation and not staying stuck in the can’t do side of it all. Great stuff here…love the song!
I love that you schedule worry time, such a wise idea and a wonderful way to give yourself permission to worry … but within boundaries. It’s really about just giving yourself room to voice your fears so they don’t build up inside, isn’t it? And isn’t it often the case that, when we voice these fears, we realize how imaginary and implausible some of them can be, which actually helps alleviate them.
I appreciate your comment today, CC. Am loving your comments and the wisdom of your own blog.
WOW, so very true and I need to remind myself of this, “We think we’re wrangling and strangling a problem to death but, truth be told, it’s the other way around. We’re the ones being vexed and tortured.” I do have a nasty habit of worrying and scaring myself as if it’s a twisted motivation, but when lead by fear and worry I tend to not make the best choices.
When I catch myself stressing over the future (which happens rather frequently) I try to catch it, and remind myself that I won’t know what to do until I KNOW. When I don’t know, I certainly won’t make myself know, but if I surrender a bit, find my quiet space and sit in – the answer will come and I will know.
I send you the energy of serenity so that you can always hear and feel your inner guidance strongly, without question.
Aileen´s last blog ..Quote for today…the law of flotation
@Aileen: Thank you for the energy of serenity and the wishes for me to hear and feel my inner guidance. Much-needed today. Thank you.
Carla,
So sorry to be late commenting on your post – I’ve been on overload w/work and preparing my house to put on the market – which brings me to your post….
It is scary to contemplate big changes in our lives and I can assure you even being a psychic like me – doesn’t always help. It’s very hard to think clearly and get the right answers about ourselves when we’re all worked up emotionally. The best advice is to do just what you’re doing – put one foot in front of the other and take it one day at a time….the right answer will come to you.
I just went through what you and G are going through and finally arrived at the decision that selling my house and downsizing is the right decision, so I totally understand where you’re coming from. It would be nice if someone could just us tell what the right decision is but we need to decide for ourselves, since that’s why we’re here in this earthly suit – to learn how to make tough decisions and deal with the ups and downs of life. When we shed this body and move on we’ll be glad we learned “how to deal” here first.
And, no one is immune from worry. Once you go through something like what you and G are facing and survive and then later thrive; which I have no doubt you’ll do, you gain even more inner strength, wisdom and faith in yourselves and life. So, next time when you’re facing another deep dark chasm you’ll be less fearful and have even stronger faith that you are always supported. LIfe/Universal Source will always support life.
You have already said it so beautifully: Take today as it comes. Deal with each need only as that need arises. Let your focus be in the here and now. And when your thoughts do stray to the future, remind yourself that “Every little thing’s gonna be alright.”
I too feel that “Every little thing’s gonna be alright.”
Angela Artemis´s last blog ..Intuition: You Don’t Have to Scare The **** Out of Yourself!
Angela, your comment was so incredibly thoughtful and full of wisdom and words that spoke to where I am in this moment. First, let me say Bravo to you for the move you are making to downsize your life, to minimalize, and in doing so to refocus your energies on what you love most. That takes strength, courage, and wisdom, and you are displaying those in abundance. Second, thank you for reminding me, through your words, that I have done this before: I have uprooted a life and made a big change and, even though it was hard, God/Spirit was there with me through every step of it. I gained wisdom, faith, strength, and character … and I learned how to persevere. God has helped us thrive here, even despite the obstacles. The same will be true in this next step in the journey, too. This was a wonderful reminder: I REALLY NEEDED TO HEAR IT. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.
Much love,
C