What I realized is that the news (written or televised, etc.) is often a story of what could happen...and I start worrying about it...new diseases, a war escalating, and etc.. Just like you say in looking at how people dealt with worry long ago, before radio and television, we had a smaller space for worry. Because we're overloaded with stories now, it can be difficult to maintain our peace. I read a while ago that the best way to get a good sleep includes taking deep breaths and agreeing to release all the experiences of the day, good and bad, allow the body to relax and envision something good happening on the next day. I think I will try that.
For most of human history, our worries were limited by what we could actually see, hear, and touch. If there was a drought, a sick child, a failed crop, or trouble in the next town, those concerns were real and immediate. Today, before we've opened our eyes, we're thinking about disasters, diseases, and political turmoil from every corner of the globe.
Our brains are remarkable, but I'm not sure they evolved to distinguish between a tiger in the bushes and a headline on a screen. Both can trigger the same physiological response.
I love the idea of releasing the day intentionally before sleep. I truly think we're wired to acknowledge that we have done what we can do for today and allowing tomorrow to belong to tomorrow. I also write this at midnight as I just finished closing the barn for the night.
The horses don't ruminate. They stand where their feet are.
That's a lesson I understand intellectually far better than I practice it, but I'm working on it too.
Your story makes sense and helps me understand some of the hows and whys in my life. I usually say a broader perspective will be helpful but sometimes we’re just up to close and can’t see it. Thanks for sharing
I think all of us spend a lot of time wondering what's wrong with us when sometimes the answer is simply that we're standing too close to the picture to recognize what we're looking at. The patterns become easier to see when we step back a little.
Of course, the opposite can be true too. Sometimes we get so caught up in the big picture that we miss what's right in front of us.
Finding that balance between perspective and presence might be one of the harder parts of being human.
I don’t know that I’ll ever make it to the farm, but I love getting to know you through your writing. This is certainly food for thought and a new perspective for this “worrier”. Thank you. 🫂
Thank you. I hope to see you at the farm, but any connection I have with you just makes me happy that you're here.
One of the unexpected gifts of writing has been discovering that the conversations we have around these essays often matter just as much as the horses themselves. The farm is really just the place where I happen to notice things.
As a fellow worrier, I don't know that the goal is to stop worrying altogether. I think it's learning to recognize when we're trying to control things that belong to tomorrow, next year, or the other side of the world instead of the life that's actually in front of us today.
I'm grateful you're reading and grateful you took the time to share this. ❤️
What I realized is that the news (written or televised, etc.) is often a story of what could happen...and I start worrying about it...new diseases, a war escalating, and etc.. Just like you say in looking at how people dealt with worry long ago, before radio and television, we had a smaller space for worry. Because we're overloaded with stories now, it can be difficult to maintain our peace. I read a while ago that the best way to get a good sleep includes taking deep breaths and agreeing to release all the experiences of the day, good and bad, allow the body to relax and envision something good happening on the next day. I think I will try that.
For most of human history, our worries were limited by what we could actually see, hear, and touch. If there was a drought, a sick child, a failed crop, or trouble in the next town, those concerns were real and immediate. Today, before we've opened our eyes, we're thinking about disasters, diseases, and political turmoil from every corner of the globe.
Our brains are remarkable, but I'm not sure they evolved to distinguish between a tiger in the bushes and a headline on a screen. Both can trigger the same physiological response.
I love the idea of releasing the day intentionally before sleep. I truly think we're wired to acknowledge that we have done what we can do for today and allowing tomorrow to belong to tomorrow. I also write this at midnight as I just finished closing the barn for the night.
The horses don't ruminate. They stand where their feet are.
That's a lesson I understand intellectually far better than I practice it, but I'm working on it too.
Your story makes sense and helps me understand some of the hows and whys in my life. I usually say a broader perspective will be helpful but sometimes we’re just up to close and can’t see it. Thanks for sharing
I think all of us spend a lot of time wondering what's wrong with us when sometimes the answer is simply that we're standing too close to the picture to recognize what we're looking at. The patterns become easier to see when we step back a little.
Of course, the opposite can be true too. Sometimes we get so caught up in the big picture that we miss what's right in front of us.
Finding that balance between perspective and presence might be one of the harder parts of being human.
Kim
I don’t know that I’ll ever make it to the farm, but I love getting to know you through your writing. This is certainly food for thought and a new perspective for this “worrier”. Thank you. 🫂
Thank you. I hope to see you at the farm, but any connection I have with you just makes me happy that you're here.
One of the unexpected gifts of writing has been discovering that the conversations we have around these essays often matter just as much as the horses themselves. The farm is really just the place where I happen to notice things.
As a fellow worrier, I don't know that the goal is to stop worrying altogether. I think it's learning to recognize when we're trying to control things that belong to tomorrow, next year, or the other side of the world instead of the life that's actually in front of us today.
I'm grateful you're reading and grateful you took the time to share this. ❤️