Every morning for the past week, my alarm goes off at 6 a.m. I roll over, turn off the alarm and reset it for 6:45. I have so many things lingering in my mind that it is hard for me to go to sleep at night, which in turns makes it that much harder to roll out of bed in the morning. Then when I get up all I want to do is go back to bed all day long. Where did my motivation go? Well, technically I never really had any, but what I had went down the crapper this past week. I guess being that I have a lot on my mind and am trying to do so many things, I am kind of stressed in a way, which then brings out a little bit of a depression, which I have always learned to live with. So, when I was slowly getting ready for work this morning I overheard that the Dalai Lama was going to be on the Today show for his first live interview ever and with the magic of the Internet, I was able to watch it today at work while eating my lunch.
He sat in his chair legs crossed in his lap, like a child answering all the questions that were asked of him so quickly and honestly as if he already knew they would be asked. He was so calm with every answer it amazed me. He said so many things that even though they were answers to questions having to do with our world and tragedy, I could relate those answers to my every day life. He said: The news media only highlights the negative things about the world and the positive things are taken for granted. (The biggest reason why I try to keep away from watching the news anymore) The problems facing the world may seem overwhelming, but basically these problems are temporary, other than natural catastrophes, most are man made, and our own creations. So logically, we also have the ability to work on these problems.
My takeaway point from his interview was actually some advice he had been given from an older Buddhist priest years ago; he said:
“When tragedy happens, and there is a way to overcome that tragedy, then there is no use in worrying. When tragedy happens, and there is not a way to overcome that tragedy, then there is no use worrying.”
Among other powerful things that he said, that one just stuck with me. I worry way too much, as my husband tells me and really it is an uncontrollable thing that I have always had to deal with since I was very young. My parents always called me the “worry wart” of the family. I would worry about my family, my friends, their family, their pets, their pet’s families... You get the idea. I continue to be that person and have such a struggle day to day trying to stop my mind from running into worries. It is only natural as a mother to worry about my family, but when your mind makes up these catastrophic scenarios it just becomes downright unhealthy. I never thought that I would be so interested in what the Dalai Lama had said, but now I want to read books on his religion. I want to see his teachings, because I think that my life just might benefit from it. I feel like a better person having listened to what he said today and I plan on keeping what he said close to my heart in hopes that it may help me move forward in a positive manner in my life.
Peace, love and useless worrying.
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