Don’t Worry About It!
I decided today is the day, the day to finally celebrate my birthday. As I gathered my family to head out for the evening, a couple of concerns wrenched my mind, true to my natural worrywart tendencies, however, a diagram I came across in the morning of a big circle representing “things I worry about” and a small circle inside the big circle referring to “things that can happen“ and an even smaller circle inside of that circle, the size of a dot, indicating ”things that ‘DO’ happen” quickly halted my thoughts and I instead told myself, “Don’t Worry About It!”
As I went to a neighbor’s home to let one of my children, who was outside playing basketball with their friend, know they had five minutes left to play, I noticed on the hood of the neighbor’s car that was backed into their open garage just off to the side of the basketball stand, an iPad screening something in the background. Although it did appear that the kids were aware and mindful of it as they were playing, I was immediately concerned that a missed layup, free throw or any shot would, per karma, knock it over.
I contemplated, would it really happen? What was the likelihood or probability that the iPad on the car would be bumped off by the basketball. It was a tender mercy in that moment that as the image of the diagram flashed in my mind as well as I also felt impressed to not overparent, rather than feed my anxiety and worries, I managed a deep breath, sigh, and walked away not giving my concern a second thought. Fortunately, the possible scenario did not play out!
And then, in considering between three options of top picks on where to go eat for my birthday dinner—a restaurant with unlimited fries, an establishment with unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks, or a steakhouse with unlimited, just out of the oven, warm rolls with a side of honey butter spread, my #1 choice was the honey butter rolls, but the location was the furthest away and it would mean driving in what is most often heavily congested traffic, which I dread as those conditions increase my anxiety as a passenger.
Again, it was a tender mercy the image of the diagram entered my mind. I took a risk without knowing the condition of the highway and made a reservation to the place with the warm rolls, and as the driver, off we went. It was a tender mercy that despite the risk, I went for it without giving into my fear or concern and pleasingly, the traffic was light.
When has a quote, image, phrase, diagram or the like changed a concerned thought you had about something to being able to tell yourself, “don’t worry about it” and truly not worry about it?
tendermercym❤️ments~jld
“How have you noticed Heavenly Father’s awareness and mindfulness of you today?”
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