Monday, February 28, 2011

Worrying -- Will It Help?

So The King's Speech got lots of awards last night. This movie is on my 'I Know I Should Go See This Movie, But I Already Know How It Ends' list, along with the 'Black Swan' and 'The Fighter.' (Shoot, I just saw 'On the Waterfront;' wouldn't that take care of the latter? Although that remarkable Christian Bale,"one of your buddies," as Husband says, might make it worth my while.)
   I still think Inception got robbed.

One of the questions in today's Simple Dollar Readers Mailbag hit a sympathetic chord:

I can’t sleep because I am so worried about political stupidity here and political unrest abroad sand-bagging my savings and my stocks. I am half-convinced that this country is facing financial Armageddon. The constant loss of jobs worries me too, since I am a sole supporter of an elderly parent. I am saving as much as I can now, but I came to this realization so late in life, I fear it may be too late for me.

The writer goes on to list ways she's dealing with the situation, including TWO jobs (one full, one part-time), a full freezer, canning and sewing, paying on credit cards and making an extra mortgage payment every year.
    I can think this way so easily. Stocks will crash again (mine are up right now, incidentally), the house will flood again (the drain outside our basement tends to clog up), Husband will have job and/or health problems (he's had both, but we've gotten by ok), my writing/quilting/teaching work will evaporate (it shows every sign of doing exactly the opposite).
   Our freezer is still 2/3 full. We have plenty of food in the pantry and basement. And we're both carrying extra weight around our middles. In fact, I've been planning a bigger garden not only because it will give us food that's free of chemicals, but so I'll get some forced exercise this summer.
   So, has all my previous worrying helped? Changed anything, other than my blood pressure?
   Naaahhhh.
   Ironically, the best way I've found to deal with worry is not to accumulate -- but to get rid of things. Several large piles have disappeared around the house in past weeks, and I have plans for a few more before leaving to teach in North Carolina on Wednesday. The freezer has been slowly emptying -- the meat is a blessing. (Have your meat prices skyrocketed, too? Ours are up at least 20%. Chuck roast is now 'on sale' for $3.99/lb -- outrageous!) And the shelves of canned goods are still plenty full.
   We stockpiled extra fabric, in anticipation of textiles' rising prices. That will eventually disappear into the maws of kits, along with the trims, buttons and handkerchiefs we seem to have waterfalls of around here for Brickworks.
    During moments that I do worry, I seem to hear God saying, 'Have I taken care of you in the past? Do you trust me now?'
    He has -- and I do.

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