Worry, worry, worry...

Worry is a strange beast, isn't it? It's something a lot of us can spend oodles of energy on, but in the end, we usually gain no benefit from the energy expended. It was Patsy Cline who sang "Worry. Why do I let myself worry?" You're singing along, aren't you? That line comes from the song "Crazy" and that seems so fitting, doesn't it? Worry can make a person feel crazy. It can change your reality into a gloomy world of illusion and fear. How can one see clearly when the mind's eye is clouded with worry?

Most of us worry about real-life things and, the way I see it, there are a couple of types. There's worrying about things you can control (at least to some degree) and worrying about things you can not control. Worry can be productive sometimes, when it's warranted. It can cause you to take action and try to prevent whatever outcome you're worrying about in a given situation. Worrying about an upcoming performance review at work may cause you to be more conscious of your how well you are doing your job. It may motivate you to kick it up a notch and then, not only do you reap the rewards, but so does your employer. Everybody wins! When we worry about things over which we have no control, that's when we start to get into trouble. This is where the 'what ifs' start to come into play. What if the plane crashes? What if the landlord doubles my rent? What if the economy stays in the toilet indefinitely? These are things that could happen, yes, but how much energy should be spent worrying about them when we have no control? There are some people who worry about these kinds of things constantly. Phew, she says wiping her brow; glad that's not me.

What about the worry we create for ourselves through make-believe? That's when you think about something and you imagine the worst possible thing that could happen, and then you watch it unfold in your head. Ummmm...I'll give an example. Meteoroids fall out of the sky all the time. What if one of them lands on my house or my car??? Will it be covered by insurance? What will happen to me if I'm home at the time? Will I be reduced to a pile of ashes with the rest of my worldly belongings? This is an extreme example, but I think you get my point. I also wonder if we spend a lot of energy on these make-believe scenarios, will be cause them to manifest in our lives? Not that I think a meteoroid is going to hit my house...uh-oh...crap!! No, wait! I have to pull myself back from that thought. It not worth the worry. Anyway, this concept of causing things to manifest in reality by putting those thoughts out to the universe, I think is certainly possible. I don't want to be the test subject for that theory. Any volunteers?

Sometimes when I catch myself in a serene, worry-free state, I worry about whether there's something I should be worrying about. Did I forget about something worthy of worry? What's going to happen if I don't remember what I was supposed to be worrying about? I am also guilty of making things up in my head and dwelling on them, especially if I am already in a negative mindset. This, my friends, is not good. This is me stating the obvious. At least I am aware now when I'm making things up and I can STOP it.

Worry is for the birds. I wonder if birds worry. Do they worry about where they are going to nest? Do they worry their young will fall from the nest when they are out gathering food? Do they worry they might shit on the head of an unsuspecting passerby, or is it just us who worry about that?