The cobbler’s kids have holes in their shoes. The woman who gives advice to worriers still worries. What gives? Why can’t I stop this destructive behavior once and for all? Why does it continue to plague me?
Methinks I have to try a lot harder to get a grip. Me also thinks it’s easier said than done. Case in point: what happened over the Easter holiday.
It’s a long story, but suffice it to say, one of my puddies (my surrogate son) got sick. I frowned; I fretted. I tried to be strong and sensible…. “The facts, Ma’am,” I kept telling my brain. “Just examine the facts. Don’t go borrowing trouble. Don’t go imagining the worst. What happened doesn’t have to be life-threatening….that is, not unless you make it so. If you act logically; make good decisions based on available information, everything should turn out okay. Now, ask God to help you and leave it in His hands. Trust God, believe in Him. This is an easy fix for Him, so don’t get all emotional.”
Did I listen to my own voice of wisdom? Nah. I worked myself up into a stupor; had knots in my stomach; cried; pestered the vet; screamed at God; drove my husband crazy.
I have to say I read my book, and it did tend to calm me…especially the prayers. And I did try to keep busy, which also helped. I wanted to just hide and sulk, but I forced myself not to give in completely.
In fact, now that I think of it, I wasn’t as bad as I would have been two years ago, when I’d have been ordering the cat’s headstone, and searching the garden for a quiet resting place.
So, I think I’m getting a LITTLE better.
On the other hand, in retrospect, I realize I brought the stress on myself. I should have tried harder to chase it away. It was much easier to give in to worry and harder not to.
So I get low grades this time. But, as they say in business… going forward, I’m going to be stricter with myself. I’m going to remember what Thomas Jefferson said, (no wonder he was President)….”How much pain have cost us the evils WHICH HAVE NEVER HAPPENED.”
If it didn’t hurt so much, I’d get that tattooed on my arm.
Welcome to the Worrywart's Corner. I hope what you read on these pages will help and inspire you. I'll really try to keep it current, but don't worry if I neglect my duties every once in a while, as I've deadlines that must come first if I want to keep the cats fed and the bill-collector away from my door. For those who may not know me, here's a bit of my backstory: I'm an internationally-published author of over 170 children’s and adult trade titles with close to two million books in print. My books reflect two main passions, God and cats, and include such titles as The Worrywart’s Prayer Book, The Dreamy, Fishy, Happy Bible Storybook, The Ten Commandments for Little Ones, as well as Smelly Feet Sandwich and Other Silly Poems; Purr More, Hiss Less: Heavenly Lessons I Learned from My Cat; The Joy of Being Single and Cat Confessions: A Kitty-Come-Clean Tell-All Book. 
Keep writing about it, you’ll get there!