Worry Worry Worry.....

        I was talking to an old friend today trying to decide what to write about and he brought up worry. As soon as the word worry caught my eye I immediately started to think of things I was worrying about. Then it hit me that is what I spend a good bit of my time doing.
       Worry, worry, worry. Everyone does it, some more than others. I know I worry way to much. I worry about things I've done in the past, I worry about what's to come in the future, I worry about way too much. This seems to be the case for a lot of people I know as well. There always seems to be a conversation around me that is someone worrying about something that has happened or is going to happen.
        I recently read this book called Sati (it's really good and I highly suggest you read it), and one quote really stuck out to me when I read it. This same quote immediately starting running through my head when I started writing this. "But in the present there are no worries or anxieties. The present is always filled with joy and love. If you were to live fully in the moment for only a moment, the stress and strain of your entire life would be washed away." (Sati, Christopher Pike)
        Let's go ahead and pick this quote apart a little. It points out that in the present there are no worries. Now I realize this isn't always the case.... if its 11:50 and you have a project due at midnight you might wanna worry. But in most cases when we find ourselves fretting... is there really anything pressing you need to be worrying about. If the answer to this question is "no" then my advice... let it go. I'm sure it will be there to worry about later.
        Sati then goes on to say that the present is always filled with joy and love. I am aware the present is not always filled with joy and love... at least not for me. I'm angry sometimes and sad. But when I truly think about it, why am I not more joyful. I have a good family, wonderful friends, a nice place to live, and an awesome God. My life is awesome; I should be swimming in joy and love. Unfortunately, most of the time, this is not the case. I find that I'm too consumed in my worries and my stress to be able to just be still and let the joy and love that surrounds me fill my soul. I challenge myself and anyone reading this to, the next time you fill worried, just stop and be still. Let yourself take in the beauty and love that surrounds you, whatever it may be, and just embrace it.
        The last part of this passage is what stuck with me the most....If you were to live fully in the moment for only a moment, the stress and strain of your entire life would be washed away. When I was reading this I remember thinking, when is the last time I did that. And you know what, I couldn't think of one. I couldn't think of a single time I allowed myself to be fully lost in a moment. Not one single instance where I truly let go of worry and doubt and just lost myself in happiness. It's crazy because I long to for that feeling of just living for the moment without worry or regret, but I never actually do it.
         So I ask you (and myself), is what we're currently worrying about really that important at this moment. Is that thing that is stressing you out worth missing a moment of happiness? It probably isn't... so just let it go for ten or fifteen minutes and allow yourself to be fully happy with no worries. And I promise you... that thing that your worrying about will still be there to worry you later.