Human beings have always worried; what if we don’t catch a mammoth for dinner? Now it’s called anxiety. Of course I don’t suffer from anxiety… I just imagine all the things that could possibly go wrong so I am prepared.
There are some things people should worry about such as global warming and war; is my stretch of the jungle going to be burnt down, is my island going to be flattened by Hurricane Dorian, will there be anything left of my city after the bombing.
What most of us worry about;
What shall we have for dinner when son brings his new girlfriend round / when boyfriend’s parents come to see our new flat…
Will the car run out of petrol, will the bus be late…
Should I water the garden before we go away, have I packed my hair straighteners.
Should I make an appointment at the doctors / dentists.
Most of us are not completely self centered; we do worry about our loved ones…
Will their holiday flight crash, will they be involved in a motorway pile up on their way to visit us…
Is there something wrong with the budgerigar, he’s off his food.
If you have the misfortune to be in charge of other people, or worse still, other people’s children, you may be justified in worrying. It would be best if you didn’t take precious little ones near any water, roads or firework displays. Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security; think they are safe in the park? No, a stinging nettle might leap out and grab their leg or worse still, a pack of pit bull terriers… and you forgot to put on their suntan lotion…
But this blog is about not worrying.
Don’t Worry Be Happy
https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/bobbymcferrin/dontworrybehappy.html
It may feel like the human race has more to worry about than ever. Big things to worry about like Brexit, Trump, Syria, Hong Kong, The Amazon, bees, the Whole World, failure of antibiotics, nuclear weapons, Armageddon – put in worrying order with number 1. being utter dread and number 10. ‘Don’t Worry, be Happy.’
But our ancestors had just as many worries.
What they did need to worry about.
‘What if mammoths become extinct, what will we eat and wear?’
‘I hope we don’t get another ice age.’
‘Let’s hope it won’t take too long to get back to the promised land.’
‘What if those white men don’t get back on their big canoe and sail away?’
‘What if that volcano erupts?’
What they needn’t have worried about.
‘Thanks a lot Eve, that’s the end of beautiful gardens for humans.’
‘If we don’t sacrifice our daughter the gods will wreak vengeance on all of us.’
‘Don’t sail too far or you will fall off the edge of the earth.’
‘This great plague is going to wipe the human race out.’
‘If man ever reaches the Moon goodness knows what that will lead to.’
What needn’t you have worried about?
Have you ever said ‘I told you this would happen!’
Times and Tides of a Beachwriter 
I don’t seem to worry much these days. I just accept life and go with the flow. I disclose to others what is happening in my life but I am not anxious or stressed.
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Worry ages us like nothing else.
And now I think I’m going to go around signing “don’t worry, be happy” all day 🙂
Great post!
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Thanks Mae, enjoy your day and keep singing.
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Sometimes it’s best to just go for a walk and forget about it!
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Yes Nora, that’s the best idea.
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So, in my esteemed opinion [giggle], people don’t worry about the big issues like global warming because they are to remote and distant from their everyday lives and also, we have very little control over them. We worry about the things that effect us directly and that we can control to a certain extent.
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Yes Robbie, I’m sure you are right.
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great post, Janet. I liked the comparison between what we should have worried about versus what we could have ignored. Helps put things in perspective.
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Thanks Jim, glad you enjoyed reading.
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Here on the west coast of North America many of us at some point worry about The Big One, a giant magnitude 9 earthquake in the Cascadia Subduction Zone just offshore that’s predicted to devastate the entire coast if the whole thing ruptures. Great word — ruptures. And it’s not “if” but “when.” The last one was 300 years ago, so we’re apparently overdue for it to happen again. Those of us who get to our deathbeds before it hits can sigh with relief as we exit the scene.
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Hello Audrey, I think you win with the Big Worry. When my younger son was little and we were watching the news he said ‘Well people shouldn’t live near volcanoes’ . There aren’t many spots on earth guaranteed safe from all disasters and then there are the meteorites…
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Most of the things we worry about, never happen anyway so it is a waste of time and energy. Having said that I can be a bit of a worrier but getting better. A great post.
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Thanks Darlene, at least when we have worried about something that didn’t happen we really appreciate the not happening!
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Lol, thanks for taking part in Click & Run this week. Catastrophising is part of human nature I think.
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My philosophy is worry about a thing until you have a plan in place (a flexible one, of course) and all the bits required to bring that plan to fruition, and then get on with life. Earthquakes – have a ‘bug-out’ bag, Climate crisis – live as sustainably as I can and be prepared to shift gears, as things get worse. Falling asteroids – shake my fist at and say “Darn!” or other such words. 🙂
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Yes indeed. As my mother says, how silly they would have looked back in the fifties, sitting on a hill waiting for nuclear oblivion instead of getting on with life.! Of course I do make sure I have my purse and phone with me, even if going round the corner for coffee – just in case our road is in lock down or our house struck by an asteroid!
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This is just perfect! This is the kind of people we need in the world to organise peace talks and dispel the fears of humans, keep up the great work!!!
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Thank you for reading, Janet. It’s amazing how we all sometimes worry needlessly. Having experienced a period of agoraphobia due to overdosing on grief…(a nightmare) – when recovered it put ‘worrying’ into perspective. Nothing compares with it, so I’m grateful for that, and it’s made me an empath too. Best wishes. x .
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Hello Joy, thanks for your comments.
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