There is No Help in Worrying

“If a problem is fixable, if a situation is such that you can do something about it, then there is no need to worry. If it's not fixable, then there is no help in worrying. There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever.” 
― Dalai Lama XIV

To know something is different than to practice it.  I find myself getting anxious about things before I stop to think about it.  I may start out the day fine, but then a problem develops that needs to be dealt with, then another, then another, and I begin to feel bad. 

My day started at 5:30 a.m. waking to the sound of the new puppy jangling in her playpen.  I come downstairs to find she’s had diarrhea in the night; not once, but twice.  I know today that I need to call about a repair  to fix one vehicle, while driving another to work.  I don’t have a parking permit on the truck I am taking to work so will have to fill the meter with quarters, or park in the big lot and pay. 

At 9:00 a.m. I get a call from the automobile repair shop.  Last week I found out that my 20 year old farm truck will need $600 in repairs to fix the brakes and we have sworn not to put any more money in that vehicle.  The guy who had agreed to buy it for the engine backed out and the garage wants the car moved or they will start charging storage.  Meanwhile, I have all my regular morning chores and getting ready for the day.

I begin by opening the playpen door, while holding the puppy to the side with one hand and rolling up the puppy pads with the other hand.  The puppy licks my hand.  I smile and realize that it’s all manageable.  After I take care of the puppy problem I take a minute to relax, take a deep breath and make a plan.  Half of my problem is that when I start feeling overwhelmed my brain tends to shut down and I don’t feel like doing anything.

I tell myself that there is nothing happening that I can’t handle and there is no reason to panic.  I review my problems and decide on a plan to solve them.  I feel better already.