Freezing rain, maybe a bit of snow - not optimal flying conditions. She needs to get back home to Denver.
"Love ya, New York, just don't keep me here any longer than necessary," she thinks.
Sleep comes in shallow waves, the tide pulls her back and forth. She can't sleep, because she's worried about a potential flight delay. There was no announcement. The flight hasn't been delayed, and maybe it won't be. But the thoughts keep coming, in replacement of the sleep she could be getting.
Get up, pack the bags, onto the airport.
She's in her seat on the plane with wings that need less ice and more altitude. Flight delayed, time to melt, and now she waits. How many hours will she sit on the tarmac? One, two, three?
She didn't eat breakfast. She forgot to grab a water. She ain't happy, and now she's stuck in a chair on a plane that isn't taking her home anytime soon. She was right! All the worries proved true - delayed flight, just as expected.
Were the worries worth it? How did they serve her in the hours prior to the unfortunate (and inevitable) delay?
Mark Twain has a quote, "Worrying is like paying a debt you don't owe."
To worry is to waste. Worry makes it worse.
Worry and worst in Old English:
Worry comes from "wyrgan," which means "to strangle."
Worst comes from "wyrsta," which translates to words like "bad," "wicked" and "unfavorable."
The root "wyr-" is "dam."
What can we learn from this?
Worry, and you build a dam that prevents you from a state of peace accessible on the other side. It strangles you, how unfortunate. Damn.
Is that silly? Maybe so. But it can serve as a reminder, just like Twain's words. When I catch myself thinking ahead, focused on what could go wrong, I convince myself that worry is a needless habit that I have control over.
I don't have to worry. This is not a process that I'm forced to entertain. I can remind myself that worry has no benefit. I can refuse to allow worry to have its way with me.
Worry doesn’t have to be an automatic and uncontrollable response. Worry is needless and avoidable suffering, a pointless exercise that we're all familiar with.
Rex, the green dinosaur from Toy Story, is a master of worry. He's unaware that he should be the most fearless beast of all the prehistoric creatures. Instead, he's sure to always remind Andy's gang what can and will go wrong.
Another character exists to rescue us from the Tyrannosaurus tyranny of worry. Buzz Lightyear can't take us to infinity and beyond, or from New York to Denver when the flight is delayed. But the confident and optimistic space ranger can teach us that mindset matters. It's a super power, and Buzz isn't the only one who has it.
Be like Buzz. Take back control, and remember that you're the leader here, not the habit of worry.
Don't pay debts you don't owe.
To worry is to waste.
My photo: I sat on the wing, with endless Alaskan mountains below and beyond me, 2019.
the name of your substack reminds me of the song "let go" by frou frou, which is far superior to this blog. great post btw