The Bobs' Good Advice and My Lack of Cool
Two lines from songs that I should pay attention to:
Don't worry about a thing, for every little thing's going to be all right.
AND
Don't worry. Be happy.
Yes, thank you, Bob Marley and Bobby McFerrin, you're probably right. I'm trying to listen to you, but it goes against the grain rather.
I do worry about a thing - - about lots of things, actually. But my tendency to worry leads me to do stuff, and that can be a Good Thing. I tend to get work done that needs doing, and I remember things like paying my tax.
Some people don't - to me - seem to worry enough - - they just bumble their way cheerily through life thinking "Something will turn up" and hey, often it does. And sometimes, when it does, I think hey, that's not fair, they didn't make any effort and now something's turned up. It seems to be cheating, somehow.
Yes, I think I have too much Work Ethic and I expect I got it from spending my formative years at the kind of school where everyone went round going "I got 86%, what did you get?"
My worrying does, however, lead me to Be Prepared. In my handbag there is everything you might need for - - - well, every situation really. Many people laugh at me because of this. Oh, all right then, everyone laughs at me because of this. They say, "Daphne, have you by any chance got - -" and then they laugh when I produce it. This, I have to say, does not bother me: I'm just pleased that when someone needs to cross the River Kwai, I just happen to have an inflatable bridge in my bag.
I have to tell you, therefore, and I'm not proud of it, that the Daphne version of the lyric would go something like:
Don't worry about a thing, for every little thing's going to be all right. Provided you think about it in advance. And even then something will probably go wrong. But if you've thought about it enough, then you'll probably get away with it and find some kind of workable solution.
It's just not, well, cool, is it?
As for the other song, well I have to confess that my default setting is the Worry and not the Be Happy. Well, it would be Worry if I let it. I know that I'm really fortunate compared to many, many people. But when I'm not with family or friends I too easily default to WORRY. Then I think, for goodness' sake, you stupid woman, count your blessings and just flaming well stop it.
And it's strange, really, because in many ways I am the eternal optimist. I have an unshakeable belief that, if I care enough, every little thing's going to be all right because I will work hard, think of everything, cover all the bases, and just jolly well MAKE IT SO. "It'll be fine" I say, and it usually is.
And still I worry too much. I think I need to practice chilling, and then eventually I might get to be - well - cool.
Don't worry about a thing, for every little thing's going to be all right.
AND
Don't worry. Be happy.
Yes, thank you, Bob Marley and Bobby McFerrin, you're probably right. I'm trying to listen to you, but it goes against the grain rather.
I do worry about a thing - - about lots of things, actually. But my tendency to worry leads me to do stuff, and that can be a Good Thing. I tend to get work done that needs doing, and I remember things like paying my tax.
Some people don't - to me - seem to worry enough - - they just bumble their way cheerily through life thinking "Something will turn up" and hey, often it does. And sometimes, when it does, I think hey, that's not fair, they didn't make any effort and now something's turned up. It seems to be cheating, somehow.
Yes, I think I have too much Work Ethic and I expect I got it from spending my formative years at the kind of school where everyone went round going "I got 86%, what did you get?"
My worrying does, however, lead me to Be Prepared. In my handbag there is everything you might need for - - - well, every situation really. Many people laugh at me because of this. Oh, all right then, everyone laughs at me because of this. They say, "Daphne, have you by any chance got - -" and then they laugh when I produce it. This, I have to say, does not bother me: I'm just pleased that when someone needs to cross the River Kwai, I just happen to have an inflatable bridge in my bag.
I have to tell you, therefore, and I'm not proud of it, that the Daphne version of the lyric would go something like:
Don't worry about a thing, for every little thing's going to be all right. Provided you think about it in advance. And even then something will probably go wrong. But if you've thought about it enough, then you'll probably get away with it and find some kind of workable solution.
It's just not, well, cool, is it?
As for the other song, well I have to confess that my default setting is the Worry and not the Be Happy. Well, it would be Worry if I let it. I know that I'm really fortunate compared to many, many people. But when I'm not with family or friends I too easily default to WORRY. Then I think, for goodness' sake, you stupid woman, count your blessings and just flaming well stop it.
And it's strange, really, because in many ways I am the eternal optimist. I have an unshakeable belief that, if I care enough, every little thing's going to be all right because I will work hard, think of everything, cover all the bases, and just jolly well MAKE IT SO. "It'll be fine" I say, and it usually is.
And still I worry too much. I think I need to practice chilling, and then eventually I might get to be - well - cool.
posted by Daphne at 12:05 am
2 Comments:
I think you are basically a pessimist like me. Pessimists have it better than optimists, I think, because optimists are frequently disappointed, but pessimists are occasionally pleasantly surprised.
That's my view and I'm sticking to it.
I don't worry...thank goodness!
Optimists aren't dissappointed...even when things are bad we think they're good!
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