Here’s a thought I’d like to share…
If there is a remedy, then what is the use of worry? If there is no remedy, then what is the use of worry? ~Shantideva
My grandmother lived to be 98-years-old. She’s been gone a while now, but her soul lives on as do her words of wisdom. Over the years, she and I talked a lot. I remember talking to her about things like raising my children, situations in my life that concerned me, and just general “stuff” that was on my mind. She was an awesome sounding board. To this day, I can hear her voice — almost as if she’s here with me (as I’m sure she is) — saying, “Well Gusta, you can worry if you want to, but I just never saw where worrying did much good.”
I’ve come to appreciate just how much she meant every part of that message. When she said “you can worry if you want to,” she truly held no judgment about whether I did or did not worry. She loved me either way.
Also, she was gently pointing to the deeper truth that it was a choice I was making — not an inevitability. I could worry if that is what I chose or preferred to do. You gotta love that wisdom!
“I just never saw where worrying did much good” was a value by which she lived. She genuinely practiced what she preached. My grandmother survived more than her share of tough times and I can’t think of one example of her living in worry. She rolled with the punches. She accepted life as it came (and ultimately, as it went). She was a gracious woman with an inner strength comparable to gravity. She was my rock. She still is. No judgment. Always present. Always solid.
So, in the words of a very wise woman, “You can worry if you want to.” The question is – do you want to?
Wishing you the wisdom of acceptance and a life of skillful choices,
Namasté Augusta