Monday, July 21, 2008

Floatin' on down Anxiety River

Yeehaw!
I'm back into the working world today, and bravely trying not to spend all my time wistfully looking back on a week of vacation where I did a lot of bike-riding, hanging out with family, home improvement projects, and just plain relaxing. Yep, it's time to climb back into the ol' canoe, shove off from the bank, and take a ride down Anxiety River.

This rushing current I'm riding is filled with hazards and pitfalls. Ol' Anxiety River has my nerves a-janglin' when I consider the precarious nature of my employment. There are small worries, like when the boss looks askance at me as I pack up to go home for the evening. There are big worries, like the uncertain fate of my corporate overlord, as it attempts to fend off a hostile takeover from a major competitor.

There are also major changes pending in my life, personally, that, for various reasons I am not at liberty to discuss at this time. Perhaps at a later date...

But the biggest worries that weigh on my soul and cause me to pray for the water-worthiness of my river craft are those roaring rapids up ahead that we can all see, and that we're all going to have to get through. I'm talking about the confluence of crises that are pouring like swollen tributaries into the flow of our lives: national financial crisis, war, environmental degradation, sky-rocketing costs for basic necessities, global warming.

Well, life is a river, after all, and we're all just floatin' down the stream. We have some small ability to steer our boats one way or another to try and avoid the biggest rapids, but truth be told, we're pretty much at the mercy of the current.

A quick once-over of my own little watercraft satisfies me that I've done nearly everything I can do to make it through the turbulent waters ahead, even as I know full well that it may not be enough. But there is wisdom and grace in practicing not to worry about those things over which one has no control. So, I'll just continue to dip my paddle in the water, trying to keep my little boat off the rocks and ignoring the flotsam of other's boats that haven't been so lucky. The current is strong and fast and growing stronger and faster by the minute.

Hang on, everybody. At the very least, we're probably all gonna get wet.

3 comments:

Dan Binmore said...

Hey Dade, maybe this will help, in 1946 the average GDP per person in adjusted terms was one third what it is now, and yet americans reported slightly higher levels of happiness. Most of your list was attributed to financial concerns, but if you have one third of what you have now (extremely unlikely) there's no reason to expect that you won't be as happy as you are now!
That and my blog explains why you don't need to worry about global warming.

Ridwan said...

Welcome 'back' brother :0)

Peace,
ridwan

Shus li said...

Anxiety is a terrible affliction.

It increases exponentially with the responsibility of raising children.

And, the balance of the world is taken personally with the thought of grandchildren coming into the world.

I think our ecosystems are doomed unless we do a quick about-face, which I think is unlikely. In my "doomer" mentality, it's just a matter of time before we're all struggling to survive - literally.

But hey, don't worry, be happy! :) Seriously, see the good stuff. We can't change a damned thing by worrying and being anxious.

And don't get caught in any eddies on Anxiety River.