I do have fears about the future, what is going to happen when my husband’s symptoms progress, will I be able to care for him? I worry about what might happen if I get sick and need care myself? I worry about our finances- will we have enough money to provide the levels of care we might need? I turn on the nightly news and am suddenly bombarded with a whole different world of things to worry about, what is going to happen to all of us?

Then I stop, take a breath, and remember my mother. She worried about everything. Granted, she had two daughters who did their best to give her things to worry about, but that is another story. She was a child of the depression and the young bride of a WWII soldier, perhaps some of those challenges explained her constant and persistent worry. Doctors prescribed anti-anxiety medications and then anti-depressants when those didn’t work. Her fears about the future drove her daily right up until dementia took all of her worries away.

I have decided that I don’t want to live (or die) like that. Instead I am doing everything in my power to let go of worries and live fully in each and every day. I acknowledge my concerns, act on them if it is appropriate, and then let them go. I don’t waste time worrying about those things outside my control because they will or will not happen regardless. If I have the choice between acting with positive purpose or anxiously reacting and suffering the consequences, I know which path I will pick.  The journey is too short, I’m going to enjoy it as much as I can!