….can you fill in the blank? I am sure there are many possibilities, but I am going to stick to the traditional quote by Erma Bombeck..remember her? and if you know the answer from the National Lampoon movie Van Wilder, well you and I have very different movie taste, but I guess that's another way to get folks involved here. haha! Wherever you know the answer from, or if you don't know this quote at all, traditionally the beginning of the wisdom goes:
Worry is like a rocking chair...
Now, the real question is, do you know why?
The answer will be at the end of this post...but first, the reason I am bringing this up today...
Worry is like a rocking chair...
Now, the real question is, do you know why?
The answer will be at the end of this post...but first, the reason I am bringing this up today...
In taking my dog out I sometimes become frustrated that she is so incredibly discerning about the location in which to make her deposit. (work with me here...I promise the connection will be evident in short measure) My frustration is exponentially increased if the rain is falling because not only does the circumstance of the rain make it more time consuming for her to find the right spot, but she psyches me out! She will look as though we have hit the jackpot only to, by some means indiscernible to me, decide to move elsewhere. Her discernment is maddening at best, and so I find that I must hum a little ditty in my head in order to not lose my mind.
But here is the kicker...after so much time and preparation put into finding the correct the location for the deed, I don't believe she ever...EVER...gives another thought to that particular decision. She puts a tremendous amount of time into the decision, then never looks back; never second guesses her choice, never worries about it again. I don't believe that later in the day as she attempts to commence a nap she laments, "What the hell was I thinking??? two more feet to the left, that's where I should have gone!" Nope. She is hyper-focused at the moment...and only at the moment...and that focus is commendable, but her ability to move on from that decision without worry or regret is downright admirable.
Over the past weeks, how often have we been reminded that it is our 'duty' (haha! couldn't resist...I miss my middle school boys!) to make this new way of life livable. We have needed to adjust to new ways of doing just about everything in our daily lives. This type of pull-the-rug-out-from-under-you adjustment has brought with it tremendous uncertainty, stress and worry. I find that every decision I make relies on the consideration of several factors before I can come to a conclusion that I then continue to question as I move forward.
What is the right way to help my children through this, given the circumstances?
What is the right way to teach about the Middle Ages, given the circumstances?
How can I keep my sanity, given the circumstances?
What is the best way to read a novel with my class, given the circumstances?
When is the best time to go food shopping, given the circumstances?
How can I best care for my mother who lives alone, given the circumstances?
You know what I mean, because you are making similar difficult choices and living with similar considerable worry, given the circumstances. But here is the connection to my dog's discernment and lack of worry and ours. The amount of time and worry we put into each decision will not and should not continue to bring us to a point of worry and regret as we move ahead. If you know dogs, you know that their discernment out in the wild as to where to go could be a life or death decision....and yet, they are able to let go of the decision that was made after it is done and move on. When I admire the carefree life of my dog, I think that I should and will adopt more of her ability to trust her instincts enough to move on without worry.
The circumstances don't appear to be changing back to what we once knew anytime soon. Our need to make decisions based on zero past experience and move ahead to the next new way of doing things tomorrow is only going to increase. And so, we must get off that rocking chair because here's the end of the quote:
Worry is like a rocking chair...
...it will give you something to do, but it won't get you anywhere.
