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As I age, I am determined to wring as much joy as possible out of every day for the rest of my life. That includes refusing to get stressed out by things over which I have absolutely no control. I will live my life taking reasonable precautions, eating sensibly, doing what’s best in the areas where I do have control. I will be aware of all the rest, but I won’t let it intrude. Is it a more dangerous world today? In some ways, yes. We have overused antibiotics and so have opened the door to super-bugs against which we have few defenses. Technology has enriched our lives but opened us to interference from malicious jerks. There are people who have easy access to all manner of weapons and no respect for human life or the rights of others. Our legislative branch is dysfunctional. As society has become less insular and more global, problems originating far from our shores are landing, with increasing frequency, at our front doors. We have mucked up our planet, perhaps irrevocably. The media have certainly not helped, with their too-common bias and their overblowing of every story for the sake of ratings. I want them to continue to provide information – as much as possible – but I resent the shrieking and the unbalanced way in which they present nearly every story. I find myself relying more and more on other sources, like BBC and the Spanish language channels, for a more balanced view. But, to quote Alfred E. Neuman, “what, me worry”? I will stay informed and do what I can to right the ship and to keep myself healthy and strong. Worrying will just sap my finite pool of energy and get in the way of doing what I have to do. |
What, Me Worry? by Barb Cohan-Saavedra
November 1, 2014 by ElderChicks
I have reacted to all of this fear-mongering in a Chicken Little way. I find myself fearing less and less as the media ratchet up their dire warnings.7 Responses
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an inspiring message about worry. (And not to worry)
Thank you, Barb. Sensible, realistic…worry is not action; it solves no problems and uses up valuable, limited time.
Bravo, Barb! I wish I was in that place, but I can’t help but wonder (and worry) what kind of a world my now seven great grandkids will inherit!!
I guess I think like this elder chick does.
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Barb, not only is this a voice of sanity, thank you very much, but the desserts at Paloma, in Philadelphia, go a long way to soothe nervous citizens. The ones you make even render concerns about calories meaningless.
Hahaha, Thelma, thanks for your kind words. Baking is just one of the tools I use to de-stress. How can you worry when your house smells of roasting nuts and chocolate?
Actually, my philosophy of not stressing over things I can’t change was born of adversity. I am 63 years old. When I was in my early 20s, I worked as a psychiatric social worker at an outpatient facility in Philadelphia. There, I acquired a 6’5″ psychotic stalker who became obsessed with me. I cannot begin to describe the terror I lived with daily. He was arrested repeatedly over the years, but I was never safe. A dear friend took me by the shoulders one day and asked if I could control my stalker’s actions. I replied that I could not. He asked if I could control the guy’s thoughts and delusions. Again, I said no, I could not. My friend asked if I was therefore powerless in the face of this stalking that, by then, had gone on for several years. Before I could answer, he said “no, you are NOT powerless. You may not be able to control his conduct, his thoughts or his delusions, but you CAN control your reaction to them and how they affect you.” It was the greatest gift anyone has ever given me.
Fast forward 40 years. My stalker is still there, still obsessed. He is, fortunately, under the watchful eye (and thumb) of the courts. I take reasonable precautions, but I no longer allow him, or the fear he inspires, to ruin my life. The philosophy my friend shared that day has served me well in all things, not just those involving my stalker.
I have read what our senior women are writing, and I am impressed with how smart they ALL are! The young need to heed their elders FOR THEIR OWN SAKES!