May You Have Many Worries

It really amazes me sometimes to see how the universe works. Call it the Universe or call it God, things just always have a way of easing perfectly into place just when you need them. I spent the majority of this morning in tears. A horrible argument with my ex sent me spiraling. Am I really that horrible? Did I really used to treat him so badly in our marriage? The past five years of soul searching and tremendous growth have been very good for me and it only took me a second to realize that yes, I used to handle things very poorly. But did I really do something to warrant such hurtful swipes? My new-found spiritual beliefs tell me that no one deserves to be spoken to so harshly or be purposely hurt with such spiteful words.

I was feeling quite low as I went through my morning, going to appointments for work. As I waited in an office I was reading Tiny Buddha and stumbled upon a post entitled May You Have Many Worries. There were two things that really jumped out at me and changed my entire day.

First, this statement:

“You really don’t have that kind of time.”

We all live under the illusion that we have time. Lots of it. Time to argue, time to bicker, time to worry, time to do so many things. But the truth is that we don’t. Life is precious and it can be gone in an instant. Stop worrying about tomorrow. Stop worrying about things that you cannot change. Cherish today. Cherish this very moment. Don’t die wishing you had lived more or spent more time with loved ones. No one ever wishes they had worked more while on their death bed. This life is precious and time is ticking.

Second, was this:

“Don’t wait for a big trouble to come along and make you realize that your small troubles don’t matter.”

The title of this blog comes from an old Yiddish blessing that ironically wishes, “May you have many worries.”

At first glance, it seems more like a curse than a blessing. Why would you wish someone you care about many worries? If we have many troubles swirling about us—and we choose to entertain those worries—that means that we do not have a single, overriding worry to consume us. And the absence of that single, oppressive worry is a blessing in itself.

There is a great source of empowerment in this understanding: If large troubles displace small worries and with a single powerful stroke, suddenly wiping our slate of worries clean, then we ourselves can choose to wipe that slate clean at any moment.

So today, I choose to wipe my slate clean. My clock is ticking. I refuse to waste my valuable time here worry, fighting, and doing unproductive things. I choose life. How about you? What do you choose?

Still Rockin’ It
Scarlet Mom