Worry

I'm a list maker and a worrier. In these troubled times, I almost need to make a list of all the things I should be worrying about to make sure I don't short change anything. The economy is tanking, the polls in the presidential race are all over the place, we keep sending our young people to war for causes that seem remote ( but mostly senseless) at best, retirement seems a faraway fantasy, and on and on. At some point last summer, I decided to adopt a philosophy of life that got me through raising two children who were only 19 months apart: take it one day at a time. I try not to borrow trouble. I do what I can each day. I try to keep our family finances in order. I voted early in person. I go to work and try to do the very best I can by my students and staff every hour that I'm there. I clean a little each weekend at home and try to stay ahead of the laundry mountain in the evenings. I'm also reading much, much more than usual and besides just the enjoyment factor, I know why. I can truly lose myself in a book. Outside worries do not intrude on my mind when I'm reading. Besides improving my mind, I'm also protecting it from the ravages of worry. Good stuff all around. This weekend, I must get back in the studio and begin work on Christmas gifts, but that, too, affords a measure of respite from anxiety. Idle hands are the devil's playground and in my life, that devil is anxiety. You won't see me empty-handed these days.