Today’s reflections were caused by a problem I had with my software on my new website that I’m doing for someone else because they are already spreading themselves too thin. It is within my heart to assist. 

Stages

realise you have a problem
believe you’re the only person on the planet who’s had that problem
believe that there’s no solution
flagellate yourself for being stupid
stop flagellating yourself
mow the lawn
realise that there is probably a solution out there somewhere
start thinking
realise that there is someone that can help you
actually ask for help
get the help you need
fix the problem
have a cup of coffee

repeat the above

This has caused me to think about what it is to be worried so let’s have a start with AI in other words the Internet.

The word “worry” originates from the Old English word “wyrgan,” meaning “to strangle” or “to choke”. Over time, its meaning evolved through Middle English, first to “to seize by the throat and tear,” then to “to harass,” and finally to its modern sense of experiencing anxiety or unease. This shift reflects a metaphorical connection between the physical sensation of choking and the mental distress of worry.

So what about the word problem then?

The word “problem” originates from the Greek word “proballein,” meaning “to throw before” or “to put forward”. This evolved into the Latin “problema” and then into Middle French “probleme,” before finally entering Middle English as “probleme”. Essentially, a problem can be understood as something “thrown forward” or presented as a challenge, a question, or a difficulty.

The point is that we all have problems, the question is what do we do about it. A lot of people bury their head in the sand because they cannot bear the thought of facing the problem, and I’m thinking particularly over relationships that are going wrong and really there’s no point in sticking around with them.

is almost impossible to speak to the person for example your partner, directly and it even takes some courage to go and see a therapist or counselor because that is to admit that there is a problem to be dealt with. I have done my share of putting my head in the sand and facing the problem but now I tend to face the problem straight away otherwise I spend so much time and leaching of energy thinking about something in a repetitive way.

The question is, what caused the problem to arise in the first place? I have to say that in most cases it is our responsibility to check ahead as for example not only leading daily life where things can go wrong to the best of us but also when you undertake a journey. I believe you should always have Plan B. What happens if… The car breaks down,  you lose your credit card,  you lose your phone, someone falls ill, you forgot to bring details of your journey.

PREPARING FOR YOUR JOURNEY

I am quite obsessive about writing everything down in a little red note book which I buy for 99p  I write down as if at school: where I’m going, the postcode, the phone number, the person I spoke to if any. 

When preparing for a car journey in the winter does it not make sense to take a few things with you in case the car breaks down, cars seldom give advance warning before breaking down, such as suitable clothing if you have to hang around without the benefits of the car heater. Maybe take some water and ….you do have a spare tire don’t you that you have looked at in the last five years. It’s much easier for the AA if you have a tyre especially if a garage is a long way away.

I also make it a rule even for short journeys to prepare things and check everything well before I need to, so I don’t leave everything to the night before. There is a certain blessing in leaving before your physical body leaves your beloved home. We have a check list of things to do.

LOSING YOUR PHONE

These days it is a major problem losing your mobile phone and it happens on an industrial scale. It’s not so much the phone, it’s for the information you’ve got stored on it. I know, though I have not got round to it, that you can  automatically save the content of your phone on a particular client somewhere on the internet

INSURANCE MATTERS

However, some problems happen without notice for example falling down in your house, a water leak, a gas leak cover and I don’t think it’s going to far to plan that this might happen. It can happen to people who believe it’s not going to happen. Knowing what to do in advance gives a certain piece of mind and possibly considering the advantages of insurance.

My house is insured, my car is insured, it has to be.  I have not insured my health but then we have good National Health Service facility quite close. If I were traveling abroad I would definitely take out Travel Insurance and by the way at my age over 80 you’re going to spend two or three hundred pounds a year even on basic insurance.

TEMPTING PROVIDENCE

I see people walking around with their mobile phones hanging out of their back pocket and in a crowded situation it’s absolutely no problem to take it away and disappear into the crowd. Look at it from the thieves point of view. Are you easy pickings?  Don’t flash your bling.

LOSING HOME KEYS

You wouldn’t do that would you, you’d be surprised how much locksmiths make out of people who’ve lost their keys. I was keep a spare not under a flower pot or under a stone by the front door but somewhere else far away that no one else would think of. Nothing worse than locking yourself out even if you thought you left the door on the latch and you didn’t so it closed behind you in a flash in a gust of wind

LOSING CREDIT CARDS

It is quite  easy for people to fall into the assumption of a worst case scenario. For example, I have mislaid my card, someone is going to take it and go on a spending spree. If you have the number, 159, you can call and stop your card. You could all the emergency number of the bank directly, so good to keep a note of it. 

The industry has made it easy because so many cards are stolen so by setting this up they are doing themselves a favor by minimizing losses for  which they have to pay. Oh I nearly forgot, you can report a stolen card if you have the relevant app. on your mobile phone.  You can also freeze it and then take time to look around for it. 

Cards that you think are lost may have fallen behind the sofa or be in another pocket The problem is you can not use the card if you find it because you have reported it lost or stolen so you just have to wait two or three days until a new one comes. Don’t worry, the bank have done this before many times and they know what to do.

CAR KEYS

As for losing car keys that really is a tricky one because most are electronic and will cost a few hundred pounds to replace believe it or not. The more modern the car the more expensive it is. I have taken out key loss insurance.  Francoise and I have a car key each and we look after them very carefully. It’s not the money it’s the bother and if you get stuck somewhere with no key, the AA would have to tow you back home.

LOSING PASSPORTS

As for losing a passport, this can involve long and tedious journeys especially when you are abroad.  Francoise had her passport stolen while in Barcelona which is a paradise for thieves and we had to hang around in so many places while us and other unfortunates were dealt with by the authorities. It did ruin the holiday because we lost a day. If you must carry a passport around put it in and in a pocket and zip it up.

LOSING CASH

Losing cash – well you can write that off because unless you can prove it, you don’t stand a chance with the insurance.

LOSING LUGGAGE

It depends where you lose it,  I always put my name inside or some identifier so people can contact me if they need to. I make it a rule when traveling that someone always physically stands by the luggage even if it means lugging it into a shop it’s just not worth the risk especially in larger towns where a few seconds  without focus is expensive

Anyway to come back to my topic of worry. Here are a few nice quotes that I have come across

Quotes on worry

Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows. It empties today of its strength,”
by Corrie Ten Boom, 

Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight,” by Benjamin Franklin, 

“Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

“If you want to be happy, do not dwell in the past, do not worry about the future, focus on living fully in the present.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

Quotes about problems

“A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it.”
— Albert Einstein

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”
— Pablo Picasso

“The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence.”
— Charles Bukowski

“That’s the problem with drinking, I thought, as I poured myself a drink. If something bad happens you drink in an attempt to forget; if something good happens you drink in order to celebrate; and if nothing happens you drink to make something happen.”
— Charles Bukowski (Women)

“A man can no more diminish God’s glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word ‘darkness’ on the walls of his cell.”
— C.S. Lewis (The Problem of Pain)

“Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days.”
— Zig Ziglar

“The best way out is always through.”
— Robert Frost

And now to worry about my next problem – what to have for lunch. I could turn it into a challenge I suppose but that would be to break the habit of a life time.