On worry

Lately I've been feeling overwhelmed by the worry thing. It seems like there is so much to worry about. Staph/MRSA, plastics, led paint, toys from China, too many toys, kids who don't have toys, food storage, water storage, drought in Georgia, foreclosure crisis, credit crisis, toxins in fish, eating enough OMEGA acids, drugs, genocide in Darfur, wars, rumor of wars.... And that doesn't cover the personal need-to-do things like paying bills, vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom, doing laundry, grocery shopping, cooking, oil change and tire rotation for both cars, car insurance....

I've started to form a theory that I can only worry about so much, and there is too much in the world to worry about. I'm still working on the solution to that. I think part of the solution will be a resolution that I will only worry about a few things. Other things I will give an amount of time (an hour, two?) to researching the proposed concern. And then another amount of time to doing what I can about it. And then I'm done. The goal is no more fretting. No more staring at the ceiling and wondering what will happen. I will pray for those who need my prayers and do what I can to stay focused and faithful. The rest will be let go. I do not want fear and worry and stress to rule my life.

Feminine Mormon Housewives has an interesting post-and-comments about this and there was also a column by Leonard Pitts, one of my favorite columnists in the Miami Herald recently.