Recently I have been worrying a lot, and about some very minor things. But that is not something new for me.
While I was working for a living at the telephone company, many of my co-workers dubbed me as a “worry wart,” whatever that means. Does that describe you too? Do you also have that tendency to worry about things, even minor things?
Sometimes I would worry over some very simple thing like whether or not I would meet a certain schedule or goal that I had set for myself for a future time. And sometimes I worried about things about which I didn’t know what the outcome would even possibly be.
That sounds silly, doesn’t it? But I have found that I am not alone in this. There are many others, men and women, who also worry because of something like that—because they do not know what the outcome might be of a certain matter. You may also inadvertently or subconsciously being doing that too.
I have been told that “Worrying is like paying interest on a loan that you never even take out.”
Others have said to me, “Ron, you need to stop worrying about the things you do not even know might or might not happen.” Then they would add, “You just need to “Let go and let God.””
Well, just recently I came across a short story I had copied years ago and which I had filed away and had forgotten. This short article makes a profound point in this regard. Someone from the telephone company put this on my desk before I retired. I later found that it is an excerpt from Richard Carlson’s book “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff–series.”
I’d like to share it with you, as it is giving me good food for thought in controlling my present tendency to worry. I hope that it will help you as well. It may also help you to eliminate those negative thoughts that so often lead to worry. That would, of course, include those things over which we have no control. Here it is:
Get comfortable not knowing!
By Richard Carlson
“There once was a village that had among its people a very wise old man. The villagers trusted this man to provide them answers to their questions and concerns.
One day, a farmer from the village went to the wise man and said in a frantic tone, “Wise man, help me. A horrible thing has happened. My ox has died and I have no animal to help me plow my field! Isn’t this the worst thing that could have possibly happened?” The wise old man replied, “Maybe so, maybe not.” The man hurried back to the village and reported to his neighbors that the wise man had gone mad. Surely this was the worst thing that could have happened. Why couldn’t he see this?
The very next day, however, a strong, young horse was seen near the man’s farm. Because the man had no ox to rely on, he had the idea to catch the horse to replace his ox — and he did. How joyful the farmer was. Plowing the field had never been easier. He went back to the wise man to apologize. “You were right, wise man. Losing my ox wasn’t the worst thing that could have happened. It was a blessing in disguise! I never would have captured my new horse had that not happened. You must agree that this is the best thing that could have happened.” The wise man replied once again, “Maybe so, maybe not.” Not again, thought the farmer. Surely the wise man had gone mad now.
But, once again, the farmer did not know what was to happen. A few days later the farmer’s son was riding the horse and was thrown off. He broke his leg and would not be able to help with the crop. Oh no, thought the man. Now we will starve to death. Once again, the farmer went to the wise man. This time he said, ”How did you know that capturing my horse was not a good thing? You were right again. My son is injured and won’t be able to help with the crop. This time I’m sure that this is the worst thing that could have possibly happened. You must agree this time.” But, just as he had done before, the wise man calmly looked at the farmer and in a compassionate tone replied once again, “Maybe so, maybe not.” Enraged that the wise man could be so ignorant, the farmer stormed back to the village.
The next day troops arrived to take every able-bodied man to the war that had just broken out. The farmer’s son was the only young man in the village who didn’t have to go. He would live, while the others would surely die.”
Richard Carlson ends the story by saying:
“The moral of this story provides a powerful lesson. The truth is, we don’t know what’s going to happen — we just think we do. Often we make a big deal out of something. We blow up scenarios in our minds about all the terrible things that are going to happen. Most of the time we are wrong. If we keep our cool and stay open to possibilities, we can be reasonably certain that, eventually, all will be well. Remember: maybe so, maybe not.”
Now, what do I personally get from this story? I get the point that it may not always be comfortable to not worry, to not know what is going to happen, whether the best or the worst. But, it may indeed be the best thing to do. Not knowing, and being comfortable with that, can eliminate a lot of stress in one’s life and that can lead to improvement in our health and wellness and overall well-being. It sure is worth a try.
By the way, you can get Richard Carlson’s book, “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff–series” at Barnes and Noble. Here is a link to it for your convenience. CLICK HERE.
Tags: control, health and wellness, let go and let God, tendency to worry, uncomfortable, worry, worry wart, worryingThis entry was posted on August 30, 2010 at 7:03 am and is filed under Wellness Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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