Passing the Torch of Worry
We’re all a bit anxious at times. We sometimes get frustated over trying too hard to get our goals met. But we find ways to meet these challenges and our life goes on. Yet what about the stress we generate “in support of” a loved one, friend, or client, who has expressed to us their troubles. Our thoughts often linger over our last conversation with them, when things weren’t working for them. Meanwhile, they have probably moved past those things.
I recently was forwarded an email from a mother talking sentimentally about how she worried her whole lifetime about the safety and well-being of her child. She kept wondering when that worry would end and her father smiled when she expressed this. For years she never knew why he did that. When her own daughter grew up and worried over her, she smiled, realizing her child was grown up enough to experience similar concerns and, the email says, the “torch had been passed.”
Wouldn’t it be more satisfying to know that whenever others think of you they can rest easy, knowing you’re in good hands? They would imagine how wisely you choose projects and how consistently well you have managed them and yourself. They trust you’ll accept what needs to get done and not fuss over the rest. They smile and go about their business, knowing you’ll accept your circumstances with grace.
Sound too idealistic? Some would stereotype me and say, “well, you don’t have kids.” But I have a husband and family, friends, clients and so many others I care deeply about and my life is profoundly interwoven with them all. I fall into worry at times too, but I consciously work on letting go and trusting in the direction of my own life and that includes the well-being, success and happiness of others.
If you’re a worrier, what peace-filled practice can you put into place that will reassure you?
