Are you a worrier? Or maybe you know someone who WORRIES about E-VERY-TH-ING?
Granny is a worrier. She is a worrier from a family of worriers. Pap not so much from a family of not so much worriers.
I can’t remember what we were talking about, but one time my cousin Clint and I were discussing our Jenkins family of worriers—how our Aunts and Grandmother cautioned us about everything.
I told him in my childhood it evened out. On one side I had the worriers who told us to step carefully off the steps of the porch lest we hurt ourselves, but on the other side I had the folks who’d send a couple of us kids to the woodpile with an ax to chop wood, and I mean kids like under the age of 10.
I’m more like Pap, not so much of a worrier. But of course there are times I worry, times things upset me, times some incident happens that flashes about my mind like a firestorm. One of the best cures I’ve found for worrying is to act like a teenager.
No I don’t dress in skinny jeans or any of the other cool clothes our youth of today wear. Nor do I text my worries to my list of contacts, nor do I post them to my facebook page or add them to my tweeter feed.
What do I do that’s usually associated with teenagers? I listen to music as loud as it will go.
I feel the bass beat way down inside my chest; my ears listen to every quick lick the mandolin makes; my mind picks up every time the guitar goes around the horn; I listen for every banjo roll; I count every doublestop the fiddle makes; and I let those harmonic voices put the fire in my mind out.
Once I concentrate on the beauty of the song, on the pile driving emotion held within it, I realize my troubles aren’t that bad after all and whatever is bugging me will all come out in the wash.
A few of my favorite worry blasting tunes in video form:
Do you ever act like a teenager?
Tipper
I am a worrier. I try not to be, but it overtakes me at times.
And yes, I turn the radio up to drown out my own thoughts.
Music feeds a worrying soul, That’s what I always heard..As far as being a teenager, you’re young as you feel…I’m not much of a teenager anymore..lol.
I don’t think I act like a teenager much anymore, but it wasn’t sooo many years ago that I’m sure I did because my favorite fairy tale as a child (and teen, and later – sometimes much later) was Peter Pan, and what I loved was that he never grew up, even sung a song about it, and I never wanted to either. But time marches on, and aches and pains have a way of slowing us down until we realize our age, whether we want to or not.
God bless.
RB
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Can’t do anything right. send should be sending and then should be there.
We were but featureless shapes developing in our mother’s temperature controlled gestational oven. We had no sense of our own existence. No sights, not smells, no warm nor cold, no tastes. We are just there, suspended an a warm fluid environ. But then something stirs us. It is a rhythmic pulsing. It is our first sense. It is our mother’s heart send our lifeless body a signal saying it’s time. It’s our time. It’s the rhythm of our mother’s heart that starts our own. Then we lie then listening to that lovely rhythm until we are ready to face a cruel world. Only then do any of any of our other senses start to have any effect. So we can say we are born of a rhythm. The rhythm of our mother’s soul.
Tipper,
Sounds like you have a sure fire way of putting worried thoughts right out of your mind. I do that myself. No one ever solved anything by worrying anyway.
Oh, I love ‘Don’t You Hear Jerusalem Moan’ — thanks for sharing it!
Tipper,
I too like that song “Don’t You
Hear Jerusalem Moan?”
Something to ponder about: In the
word JerUSAlem, did you ever notice the letters USA was in the
center of Jerusalem?
Your song made me feel so good that I’m a gonna have a piece of
my Spice Cake with sour applesauce
on it. We’ll enjoy those receipes
of yours…Ken
There is one song that is proven to soothe my troubled soul every single time. It’s “Where No One Stands Alone.” I’ve got it on a playlist by a dozen different artists.
Music is a wonderful cure for a LOT of things!
I never thought of it as acting like a teenager, probably because my parents (in their late 60’s) still crank up their music from time to time.
I also like to put on something with a fast beat and turn it way up when I’m cleaning house.
I can’t wait to see your cooking class recipes!
I love listening to music too! It soothes the soul. I’m not a worrier, either, well usually not anyway!
Yep, good music irons all the wrinkles out of my worries too. Thank you for the great songs for getting rid of the worry wart blues Tipper.
I love this quote- “There are very few monsters who warrant the fear we have of them.”
Andre Gide
and this one -“Worry often gives small things a great shadow”
Andrea Craig
and the one I use the most- :Don’t meet trouble halfway. Let it travel the full distance. Something usually happens to it before it arrives.”
Builders Association Report
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve put worrying on hold by going back and reading these – I posted them right inside a kitchen cupboard door so I can see them whenever I need to-
I was the oldest kid of 9 whose parents pretty much checked out. I had a lot of things to worry about growing up. But now it is my turn so I am a teenager most of the time. I just figure I can’t help getting old but I refuse to grow up. I still worry if one of my animals gets sick but that is pretty much it.
Tipper,
I think worrying and being cautious is a’kin to the same…Like being standoffish being a’kin to just being a mountain person leary of strangers…I am from a family of worriers..not so much the male side but definately the female side…I try not to worry so much about little things..Like the in the book “Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff”….LOL I think that’s the right title…It’s here, lost in the library of books somewhere.LOL
I used to be like you and listen to music as loud as possible…but now if the weather is OK I go out and watch the birds and nature in general, that seems to bring a peace over me…then when the calm takes over and a little inspiration takes hold, I head to the drawing board and paint and soon I’m lost, forgetting what it was I was so worried about….
Thanks Tipper,
Try not to worry…and PS..
Take you a big old chunk of cream cheese or Neufchatel (lower fat), drop a big old dollop of Pepper Jelly on it and spread on your favorite crackers…yummm.
My boys make pepper jelly and jam..Red jars and green jars are especially beautiful for Christmas
gifts…and “horty’oeuvers”…or as the “stuck-up” says…Hors d’oeuvres..wooo, wooo,..LOL
You just described my family. The wife is the worrier, while I’m not. You can’t walk away from her without her telling you to be careful abut something…While I tend to tell the kids to have fun. Where she worries about the kids hurting themselves playing, I understand that kids are going to fall down, get cuts, and skin knees just by being kids…
But even with her telling us all to do what we would do anyway, we still love her…We just want to throttle her sometimes.
My daughter gets so embarressed when I act like a teenager. If I want to get my house picked up quickly, I put a John Prine tune on full blast – lately Paradise is stuck in my head. If I’m in the car it’s the Dixie Chicks or Bonnie Raitt. If I sing out loud in a grocery store or even at an outdoor concert – my poor shy child pretends she isn’t with me.
Not a worry today, after listening to that! Thanks:) Turned up loud…I wish I could have that on in my car tomorrow, long road trip ahead, music like this always helps the ride go smoother…no worries:)
I am the opposite of Ed, when I was young I was “ten foot tall and bullet proof” and didn’t worry about anything. When I became a father I began to change and now that I’m a Professional PaPaw my wife and kids call me Granny Bill because I worry about everything my Grandchildren do. I explain to them that during my forty two years in Law Enforcement and Emergency Services I have seen so many children injured or killed by simple stupid acts that I realize how quickly a life changing or ending event can happen in a moment of inattention. Your music solution may explain one of my habits of “Play it Loud & with lots of Bass”. My children used to be embarassed when I picked them up from school events, they said their friends told them that I was the only person they knew who “Got Down” to Gospel and Bluegrass music. The fact that I’m half deaf may be a contributing factor to this habit also. My Lovely Bride makes Pepper Jelly to die for, a little spread with cream cheese on a Ritz cracker is one of life’s pleasures. She also loves it spread on her steak. Country cookin can’t be beat, my battle with my waistline is prima facie evidence of the truth of this statement.
With me, worry has gotten worse with age. Ugh! Music soothes my soul though, always has/always will.
Good toe tapping tune! My mother was a worrier who I think would worry if she didn’t have something to worry about. God rest her soul! I too inherited some of that trait and I have to fight to keep it at bay. Music is a tool I use as well to push the worries away. I like all kinds of music but I am always drawn to some good blue grass or Celtic ballads. One of my favorites is Daniel Prayed by Patty Loveless on her Mountain Soul album.
Ron
My grandmother was a champion worrier! It seems that no one else in my family was. I worry some, but not very much. I have somehow reached that state to where I just think to myself “What happens, happens.”
I had to laugh when you said that about sending kids out to the woodpile to chop wood. My grandpa chopped a tree down in our back yard and he was allowing me to help split it into firewood. I was doing a fine job too. However, my mom almost had a heart attack when she came out and saw me (all of around 9 years old) with a double-bit ax in my hands going to town on that wood! Needless to say, my wood splitting days were over for awhile.
i am a class A over the top Worry about EV-ERY-TH-ING person. I worry about things before they happen or IF they will happen. nothing can turn off my worrier, and sometimes it will kick in gear at 2 am and i might as well get up. the closest thing i can use to turn off my worrier is a really good book, i can get into the book and forget whatever.
At 55, whether I’m worried or not, I still like certain songs loud, but I don’t do this as much as I used to.
Anymore, when I worry… I get busy and then the worries are taken from me. Sometimes I have to be busy for a few days, 😉 Just a couple days ago I got worried and started tearing down wallpaper in the guest bathroom. Farmer Hubby was quite surprised… he didn’t realize what had been told to me earlier had such an effect on me (worry).
Now, the bathroom is free on ONE layer of wallpaper. Hopefully I can get the rest down this summer, but I wont wait till worry hits this time, LOL
Well Tipper I am a worrier and I really have tried over the years to change that but to no avail. It does make one a different person on some days and I hate that but when I get really frustrated I find my self outside standing at a large pine tree and mediate myself back to calmness. I love that song although I have not heard it in years—I first heard it song by the Pell Brothers at a week-end singing jamboriee—-As for do I ever act like a teenager? I am not sure I ever did all that one thought teenagers should do even when I was one many a year back!!! I will be anxiously awaiting those receipes from your class.
tipper . i think if you look it up in the dictionary.. it will say lynn … lol i am a total worrier.. and my daughters have made fun of me forever .. as if i were able.. i would have wrapped them in bubble wrap while babies..
and i will caution other worriers… it causes bleeding ulcers.. ugh.. i can tell you for sure.. its not fun.. and resulted in a blood transfusion last year for me… 🙁 but i too love music and it does soothe my soul… when listening..
thanks so much for sharing and i kept clicking after your selections.. and ended up not doing the chores i wanted to .. lol
big ladybug hugs
lynn
My grandaddy’s sister (does that make her my great-aunt?) lived to be 104 and died peacefully in her sleep. She danced at her last birthday party and even had a glass of wine. She grew up with horses and buggies and saw man land on the moon. The Hindenburg used to fly over their New Jersey farm until one fateful night. Why am I telling you all this? Because, I asked her how she lived to be so happy and old. She told me it was because she learned to just not worry. Nothing fazed her. She spent a good many of her years in Clayton, GA gathering friends and great memories. She told me that worrying never changed anything for the better. Just change what’s not the way you want it if you can; and if you can’t accept that it’s just supposed to be the way it is and change your perception. She was a great, wise woman and my hero.
I must confess, I come from the worryin side. I’m a whole lot better at that in my “older” age. 🙂 Really though, not so much worry as planning ahead. The music is a great idea.
I am a worry-wart! I usually have to zone out for a few minutes in order to gain my composure. Then I go about attempting to remedy the worry problem.
My wife is a big time worrier and I’m a no so often worrier. I listen to loud music sometimes and the different sounds does sort of help.
I can’t describe the peace that comes over me when either playing or listening to music. Like you, Tipper, I hear the details in the music, and it can be everything from a Wagner opera to Doc Watson. Everything EXCEPT hip-hop or rap. Music to me is more than rhythm and more than lyrics.
Oh, Tipper, I’m a worrier from way back. I also went through some time with the music loud, in the car and in the house. There is just something about letting the rhythm was through you and take everything else away.
I used to make pepper jelly but haven’t in a long time. I’m interested in your new recipe. I’m also interested in the stack cake recipe.
We are all benefiting from your class, whether we are there or not.
I come from a family of worriers. I try to adopt the Alfred E. Newman “What, me worry?” attitude. It does no good to worry over what you cannot change.
As for acting like a teenager…. hmmm…. I think I left those years behind.
Can’t wait for the recipe for that stack cake!
When I was young I was worrier too. Mommy called me a “Worry Wart.” When I got older I realized that if it was something I could fix then I needed to do it. If I couldn’t do anything to fix it then it do no good to worry. While I’m writing they’re playing “Keep on the sunny side” Appropriate!
Your Subaru?