Peace

Anxiety is the norm these days. Over 20% of the USA today has an anxiety disorder; anyway you cut it 60 million people is a lot of anxiety. There are minor reasons why people get anxious; like me after a Notre Dame football game when I chewed my fingernails into bloody stumps. There are better reasons why people get anxious, like if a loved one gets a serious illness. The challenge with a serious illness like cancer is that you don't know for sure whether it will get under control or possibly come back. That without a doubt keeps people up at night. I don’t think, however, you can eliminate all anxiety over future illness since many of us have constant reminders on us like scar tissue. I have over three feet of surgical scars that I see in the mirror every morning, so I can’t pretend cancer happened to someone else. Besides, I quit worrying how I looked in a bikini after the first twenty sutures.  

Scars, however, are history lessons from the past while anxiety is worry about the future that hasn't happened yet. My recipe for reducing anxiety is to shrink the big worries and get rid of the small ones. The best way to flush the small problems is cutting the technology cord and go outside. This is tough; how can we possibly live without Twitter, CNN, Fox News, and Facebook goading everyone to throw rocks at each other? Go outside. When my sons were in high school we took a Spring trip to the Grand Canyon and lodged near the ridge overnight. Almost like at home, they were busy inside the cabin internet surfing and chatting online. It took an act of God to pry them off their phones to come outside and see the skyline. Once they were outside, however, they were stunned by the majesty of the stars. Within moments they were whispering to each other in awe on how serene the lights were. Big stuff for teenagers.  

I’ve sensed the same thing whenever I’ve passed through the Smokies, kayaked in the Everglades, or hiked in the Adirondacks. No matter what was bothering me in my life at the time I've been able to leave it behind in the wilderness before coming back. Last week we were camping overnight on a nearby Florida barrier island for Dillon and David’s birthday. Towards sunset, Diane and I sat along an empty shoreline, stared out at the endless horizon, and breathed in Nature at its finest. For those short moments, we had absolutely no anxiety about anything. On returning from camping I know I still have big ticket items under my belt, but they are more manageable now that I left the smaller anxieties behind for Nature to absorb. Peace.