Time To Take My Own Advice: Stop Worrying!

Time to Take My Own Advice

"When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened."
-- Winston Churchill

As I sit waiting for my husband to get out of surgery, I thought, this might be a great time to write about worrying. So I think I’ll stop now, that is worrying about him. He’s in great hands.

Worrying stresses our bodies. Drips cortisol and adrenalin throughout our systems wreaking havoc on our organs, muscles and tissues. Not such a good idea to do to ourselves.

Preparation and taking care of what we need to do is about all we can do. There is a certain amount of luck and chance in our lives. We’re all going to experience great ups and not so great downs. Getting used to that notion may help us accept what arrives, riding the waves of this wonderful human experience. When we worry, we miss the great stuff.

When we face a challenge, let’s face it. The pillows are in the car. The matzo ball soup is waiting for Davey when he gets home. So are croissants for tomorrow. I’ve cleared my schedule to be available for him all week. Even got him a friend sitter to be there so I could go to a Graham Nash concert we’d be scheduled to go to for seven months. He will heal and I’ll do the best I can to help him do that.

As a third grader said a few years ago, “I was walking home from school and worrying. Then I realized I was worrying and I remembered about mindfulness. I stopped, took a few deep breaths, and then had a great walk home.”

Worrying is a choice. The kids are smarter than we are. That is certain. I’m going to take this third grader’s advice. Take a few breaths, enjoy the quiet of working in a hospital and then meet my hubby in the recovery room with a smile on my face.