Worried
Today I am grateful for safe travels and a return home for my husband Darcy and for a good night's sleep after a very full week.
Worried seems like a fitting feeling today as so many wait, wonder, and worry about the impact of Hurricane Irma. Irma has already left behind huge devastation and taken numerous lives. Recovery from Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath continue. Wildfires burn in several areas in the western United States.
Worrying about fires and hurricanes is legitimate worry. It's necessary worry. If people weren't worried, they wouldn't get themselves and loved ones out of harm's way. They wouldn't pitch in and help others more directly affected.
The people who are living out these very real situations and circumstances are in my thoughts and prayers as I sit on my patio on a pleasant morning with a gentle breeze. The power of nature and the lack of power of humans is a humbling reminder of our frailty, but also our resilience.
There's another kind of worried that is less productive though. It is a feeling I seem to know too well.
Worried about loved ones and health concerns. Worried about the future. Worried about being good enough. Worried about what others think of me.
Worry can stall me out and take energy away from endeavors that are helpful and hopeful. If I spin a pile of worry around in my mind long enough, I stop contributing and start contaminating. I have no energy left to help. I have begun to hinder.
Worry is natural and normal. It has a place at our table of emotions, but like any emotion, it shouldn't be served up as the main course day after day, meal after meal.
Pray, surrender, reach out, donate, and find some gratitude. These each help the worry subside enough so that I can get up and be productive.
Worried seems like a fitting feeling today as so many wait, wonder, and worry about the impact of Hurricane Irma. Irma has already left behind huge devastation and taken numerous lives. Recovery from Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath continue. Wildfires burn in several areas in the western United States.
Worrying about fires and hurricanes is legitimate worry. It's necessary worry. If people weren't worried, they wouldn't get themselves and loved ones out of harm's way. They wouldn't pitch in and help others more directly affected.
The people who are living out these very real situations and circumstances are in my thoughts and prayers as I sit on my patio on a pleasant morning with a gentle breeze. The power of nature and the lack of power of humans is a humbling reminder of our frailty, but also our resilience.
There's another kind of worried that is less productive though. It is a feeling I seem to know too well.
Worried about loved ones and health concerns. Worried about the future. Worried about being good enough. Worried about what others think of me.
Worry can stall me out and take energy away from endeavors that are helpful and hopeful. If I spin a pile of worry around in my mind long enough, I stop contributing and start contaminating. I have no energy left to help. I have begun to hinder.
Worry is natural and normal. It has a place at our table of emotions, but like any emotion, it shouldn't be served up as the main course day after day, meal after meal.
Pray, surrender, reach out, donate, and find some gratitude. These each help the worry subside enough so that I can get up and be productive.
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