worry

"The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4 PM on some idle Tuesday." -Mary Schmich

The above quote is from one of my favorite essays. It was made famous by Baz Luhrman in his song "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)". The statement has long held true in my life.

We live in a society guided by worries. We're worried about death, injuries, loss. We're worried about suffering. We're so worried that we bury ourselves in laws, "protections", ideas of prevention... We will do anything to ease our worried minds.

We are now in a period of immense worry in this nation. We are worried about our children's safety, public schools, taxes, jobs, losing our gun rights, having too many gun rights, chemicals in our food, cancer, water supplies, shelter, electricity, gas costs, environmental destruction, having enough, having too much, losing it all... and these are just to name a few. It's exhausting.

Worrying is "as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum." -Mary Schmich (another tidbit of awesomeness from that essay). Stop. It's not going to change anything. It's only going to fill your days with misery. It's not going to engage the opposing viewpoint. Posting articles and links on facebook isn't going to change the world. Get up and do something. Write your congress person. Join an organization that is fighting the good fight. Invest in a bicycle. Recycle. Stop buying things you don't need and can't afford. Teach your children what to do in a dangerous situation. Homeschool. Private school. Join the PTA. Buy a gun. Destroy a gun you might own. DO something. Stop worrying.