Don't borrow trouble

Matthew 6:34 "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble".  Matthew 6:27 goes on to say "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" My version is, "Let today's on trouble be sufficient for the day".  So I daily tell myself not to worry about tomorrow until tomorrow gets here.  One day at a time.

So why share this with you?  Stressing and worrying is a daily struggle for me as a veterinarian, as a small business owner, as a mother/grandmother, a spouse, and as a daughter of aging parents.  It's hard not to worry about things we care about, it is human nature.  I watch many of my clients worry about their pets and their pet's illnesses.  Disease processes such as diabetes, heart disease, liver disease and cancers are often very debilitating for my patients and rightfully worrisome for their owners.  However, being the pragmatist, realist and optimist I am, I try to give my ACC family (aka clients) emotional support for their worries by quoting the above bible verse often.

I came across a copy, stuffed in the back of my desk drawer, of a story from a Chicken Soup book I made years ago.  It was meaningful then and still is.  I felt it was worth sharing.

The Trouble Tree---The carpenter I hired to help me restore an old farmhouse had just finished a rough first day on the job.  A flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric saw quit and now his truck refused to start.  While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence.  On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family.  As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands.  When opening the door, he underwent an amazing transformation.  His face gave way to smiles and he hugged his children and gave his wife a kiss.  Afterward he walked me to the car.  We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me.  I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier.  "Oh, that's my trouble tree" he replied.  "I know I can't help having troubles during my day, but one thing for sure, troubles don't belong in the house with my family.  So I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home.  Then in the morning I pick them up again.  Funny thing is," he smiled, "when I come out in the morning to pick 'em up, there ain't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before."

These two thoughts...the Trouble Tree and the bible verse, remind me to worry a bit less and enjoy life a little bit more.  To quote Ralph Waldo Emerson "Nothing can bring you peace but yourself."