What, ME worry?

~ Live & Learn

The graph below is the lab result from my test on Thursday. (“Lab” because I toured several labs as part of Eric’s final college visit on Friday. So, I’m talking like a Biologist now.)  More on the lab test below.

So, here’s my recollection of some of the things I worried about from 3:45 am to noon on the first leg of our college trip. (This was the leg between getting out of bed and getting to the airport and getting to the final destination). Here’s my “worry” list:

TIME STAMP: Description of WORRY: Was it an eventual issue?
2:30am Will we get up on time? NO
4:00am Did I pack everything I needed? NO
4:05am Did Eric pack everything he needed? NO*
4:07am Did I grab power cords?** NO
4:08am Did I bring I.D., credit cards, cash? NO
4:25am Will we make it on time to catch flight? NO
4:45am Is GPS taking me the right way? NO
5:05am Will we finding parking spot? NO
5:10am Will I remember where car is in massive lot? NO
5:11am Will my car be still here when I return? NO
5:25am Will my stuff get thru security without alarms? NO
6:30am Will there be overhead bin space for stuff? NO
6:45am Plane delayed. Will we make connection? NO
7:15am Bumpy ride? NO
7:40am Is this bucket going to get us there? NO
7:42am Bumpy. I’d like to live another 30-40 years.  OK? NO
7:45am Ready for work project next week? Pending
8:00am Should we have brought jackets if it rains? NO
8:15am Will I have enough power on Reader to last? NO
10:30am Car Rental Company cannot find reservation NO
10:45am Did we bring college registration materials? NO

Lab Notes:

* Son does not bring dress slacks, business casual pants or anything resembling long pants. He did not forget. He believed that shorts and sweat pants were adequate. I won’t even get into the shoe selection. (Sneakers.)  No damage done. But conversation ensued nonetheless. (“Are you a boy, or a man?” And, “You know that Mommy won’t be at college holding your hand.”)

** I noticed that I worried about my power cords before my worry on ID, credit cards and cash. (CRAZY-MAN)

My inspiration for this basic but insightful lab test?  I came across three visual shares (almost simultaneously) from 3 different sources on Wednesday.  Perhaps it’s someone’s intention for me to pay attention.  The three shares were:

And I’ll close on a message to myself from an Ernest Hemingway quote posted by Steve Layman:

Worry a little bit every day and in a lifetime you will lose a
couple of years. If something is wrong, fix it if you can. But
train yourself not to worry: Worry never fixes anything.
-Ernest Hemingway

Sources:

40 thoughts on “What, ME worry?”

  2. Hi Alex. Laughing. Not sure about the science or the proof but I’ve seen this movie play out exactly the same way over and over and over again. And, I just don’t seem to get it. So, on the blog it goes. Perhaps self-humiliation will do the trick. 🙂 Please let me know how your experiment goes.

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  4. I really enjoyed this post! Thanks for sharing… “Why worry” is something that many of us need to ask ourselves, and battle often. The “visual aids” were a great idea to compliment your message. Thanks again..

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  5. And of course the subconscious voice which whispers “if you worry about it enough, maybe all will be well, because you will have pre-empted the fates and prevented the worst from happening”…at least that’s one of my unfounded thoughts – I’m just sayin’… 🙂

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    1. Soooo true! It goes right along with making sure you have nice undergarments on when ya leave the house, *just* in case ya have an accident (another adage my mom lived by). It’s all about anticipating (and thereby avoiding) the problem. 🙂

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      2. Lori, Funny, I was going to mention undergarments (clean) in case of accident. But stopped. How much transparency can we have here. Thanks for sharing. Still laughing. 🙂

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  8. David: For some unknown reason, the subject of worry is on many people’s minds. My latest blog was on Worry and Creativity. Is the universe trying to get a message to us? Good luck on the college tour. I did it many years ago and still have fond memories (and some worries along the way).

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  10. That advice to not worry is way easier said than done, isn’t it? I’ve never been able to figure out to to turn off the worry button. Of course it’s a waste of resources – and try as I might, I can’t really find a positive angle on this one.

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  12. My mother always told me that 99% of one’s worries were unfounded. I, in turn, always worried that I was sitting squarely in that 1%. ;-). My honey’s mantra is: “Is this still going to be worth worrying about in 2 minutes, 2 hours, 2 days, 2 weeks?” Unless you’re looking at weeks, he argues, it’s probably best to let it go. I’m not nearly as Zen as he on this front, but I keep trying….

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  16. I appreciated your transparency. Your worry list reminds me of myself, but I am striving for peace (not anxiety and worry) and I am a work in progress. That is a cute Charlie Brown visual illustration, and the quote by Hemingway is so insightful about losing years to worry in a lifetime. Wow! Something to thing about.

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  19. David, you do realize that worrying becomes a self-indulgent addiction, don’t you? It makes a handy-dandy excuse for not GETTING ON WITH LIFE!

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