The song "Don't worry, be happy!" by Bobby McFerrin was an overnight hit in 1988. Not many people know that the song was inspired by an original quote of Meher Baba, an Indian mystic and spiritual leader in the 1950's and 60's. The original quote was "Do your best. Then don't worry, be happy."
Why do we worry so much? Well, not all of us, but a lot of us do. There are different aspects of life we worry about, depending on our personalities. We worry about our jobs, finances, children, people we care about..... the list is never ending.
When we worry excessively, does it help any situation, in any way? It's human nature to be anxious. And its normal to worry, to a certain point. Beyond that point, its fruitless. Worries are like people -- they grow bigger if you nurse them. Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but gets you nowhere. We all have problems or obstacles in our lives. That is life. Each person is an individual, with a unique way of tackling each problem. A lot of the issues in our lives are little. Worrying about these little things gives them a big shadow.
The problem is not that there are no solutions to our obstacles. There are always options. The problem is that we sometimes don't like the solutions that life offers us. We just have to strive on, with a clear goal in mind. Success loves hard work and vice-versa. You just can't keep these two apart. Excessive worrying just creates detours on the road to success. Blessed is the person who is too busy to worry in the daytime and too sleepy to worry at night!
Today is the tomorrow we worried about yesterday. ~Author Unknown
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Sunday, July 4, 2010
Sunday, June 6, 2010
An 'En'-lightning strike!!
About ten days ago, our house was struck by lightning. Thankfully, the damage was not severe apart from some appliances and circuit boards that got fried with the enormous voltage surge that invariably accompanies these events. We lost the TV signal, land line phone and the internet.
"No TV?" my son exclaimed. "There's an NBA game tonight!"
"No internet?" groaned my daughter. "We've been thrown back into the dark ages!"
"Well," I said. "Maybe we can all sit and play some board games---"
"Sure, dad", "Whatever", "Yeah rite!" are a few of the less than enthusiastic responses that I got!
Dark ages?!! Are we that dependent on the technology of the 21st century? The short answer -- YES! And some are more hooked than others. So how did life move about 15 years ago when we all were not this blessed with the gadgetry and for the most part --hold your breath--- no cell phones!! Even I have a tough time imagining life without mobile phones, which seem to be an extension of our bodies now. And all these technological wonders do come with a tremendous advantage of giving us the ability to connect to friends and family at virtually any time.
But to be fair, our kids were great during the mini crisis. We were all able to connect to each other a little more. But I think the fact that they still had their cell phones helped a lot! The texting intensity and frequency noticeably increased. The speed at which these kids text makes me dizzy!
Sometimes its hard to remember that it is okay to take a minute to relax and not to be plugged in all the time. Maybe we all should try, for a few minutes each day, to disconnect from the world and to reconnect with ourselves.
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"No TV?" my son exclaimed. "There's an NBA game tonight!"
"No internet?" groaned my daughter. "We've been thrown back into the dark ages!"
"Well," I said. "Maybe we can all sit and play some board games---"
"Sure, dad", "Whatever", "Yeah rite!" are a few of the less than enthusiastic responses that I got!
Dark ages?!! Are we that dependent on the technology of the 21st century? The short answer -- YES! And some are more hooked than others. So how did life move about 15 years ago when we all were not this blessed with the gadgetry and for the most part --hold your breath--- no cell phones!! Even I have a tough time imagining life without mobile phones, which seem to be an extension of our bodies now. And all these technological wonders do come with a tremendous advantage of giving us the ability to connect to friends and family at virtually any time.
But to be fair, our kids were great during the mini crisis. We were all able to connect to each other a little more. But I think the fact that they still had their cell phones helped a lot! The texting intensity and frequency noticeably increased. The speed at which these kids text makes me dizzy!
Sometimes its hard to remember that it is okay to take a minute to relax and not to be plugged in all the time. Maybe we all should try, for a few minutes each day, to disconnect from the world and to reconnect with ourselves.
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