Worried vs Aware
Earth is crammed with Heaven,
And every common bush afire with God,
But only he who sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit round and pluck blackberries.
-Elizabeth Bennet Browning
This poem refers to Moses who, on an ordinary day, was confronted by God inside a burning bush. While others around the area probably only saw an ordinary shrub to get berries from, Moses removed his shoes out of reverence. To Moses it was something that led him closer to God and his life purpose.
Isn’t it beautiful to think of the extraordinary ordinary? This poem has been my favorite since I was in elementary school. Maybe it’s because I love going shoeless, but I love how it encourages me to see everything as sacred and special. My favorite emotions are wonder and aliveness. There’s nothing like feeling that something extraordinary is around the corner!
Unfortunately, I’ve been a bad example of this poem recently. I can try to blame adulthood and my responsibilities for my dullness, and maybe I have (cough cough I definitely have), but the truth is that there are incredible blessings and opportunities around me right now. I can still have a sense of wonder and excitement right where I am because it’s my thoughts not my circumstances that cause my emotions.
In my desire to bring more joy back into my life I’ve found that part of the problem are the worries going through my mind. I’ve worried about this and that to my husband, my mom, my sister, in my prayers, and in my mind like a broken record.
Luckily, I’ve caught them, and like the life coach I am, I have enjoyed reflecting on them and I would love to share with you what I’ve found.
Saying you’re worried is a sneaky way of saying you’re afraid. It sounds innocent and like no big deal. It can even sound like you’re trying to be prepared, mature, or responsible, but really it’s a thought devoid of faith and excitement. Like small doses of poison, my worries have kept me from moving forward and enjoying where I am. A couple weeks ago I learned that the phrase “Fear not” is in the bible 365 times. Maybe that number coincides with the number of days in a year to remind us not to worry, no matter what day it is.
There are many other ways to look at your future. You can be excited and grateful for life’s surprises. Sometimes our fears aren’t even real. As humans, we are really good at making problems up. We create mental drama only to find that things weren’t as bad as we anticipated them to be. Even as terrible things befall us we can realize how strong, capable, and smart we are. We can see the help we received, the people that showed up for us, and hopefully we can even find some gratitude for the lessons we learn along the way.
Our worries influence others. I feel so grateful for my husband because he gives me a safe space to express myself, but I don’t want him to be the dumping ground of my mental garbage. Sometimes we share our fears like planting weeds in other people’s gardens. We pass on our fears to our children, friends, random people on the internet, and into the world when we could be passing on faith and love.
One thought I’ve been replacing my worries with is the thought, “I’m aware”. It sounds small but has been a powerful way to shift my perspective the past couple of days. I invite you to try it too. Instead of saying, “I’m afraid I won’t get into the college I worked hard at applying to.” you can say, “I’m aware that there’s a chance I won’t get into the college I worked hard at applying to.” Or instead of saying, “I’m worried about my friends making bad choices” you can say, “I’m aware that my friends will sometimes make bad choices.” Instead of saying, “I’m worried how things will turn out.” You can say, “I’m not totally aware of how things will turn out.” Do you see how just that little shift allows you to not be ignorant but doesn’t rob you of your faith or joy. I don’t want you to just be blindly flailing through life, or pretend that life is all sunshine and daisies, but we don’t need to be filled with doom and gloom. Both easy and challenging things are coming. Use your good sense, prepare all you can, but don’t cave into hopelessness. We can be problem solvers and have fun along the way.
There is a word for feeling your fears, it’s called courage. You literally can’t be courageous without fear. No matter what challenges come your way, believe in yourself. Fear isn’t something to be embarrassed about. You can feel fear AND still move forward.
I hope these small insights help you as much as they helped me and I would love to hear YOUR thoughts on worries.
Also get excited for the group course starting in April! I would love to see you there. Have a great week!