My friend, Jane, turned me on to Joyce Meyer. I don’t hold water to Meyer’s belief in Satan—there is definitely evil in the world but I can’t imagine it as Satan—and I am a Jew and she’s a Christian and some of her texts don’t speak to me…however, she has a great message.

Today I was reading what she said about worry. She’s not the first to say that worrying is like rocking in a chair—you don’t go anywhere. More importantly, she said (I couldn’t find where) that worry is really a form of meditation.

Think about it: when we ruminate and worry and chew that bone of fear and anxiety, our brains are working non-stop but we’re not moving ahead. Worry doesn’t prepare us for the future. It doesn’t make bad news any easier to swallow. It just occupies our mind but not in a positive way.

You can flip the same worry about a situation into a prayer. Into trust that the universe will do for you what you cannot do for yourself. You can think about what it is you’re worrying about but make it a positive meditation. Let’s say, I’m worried about…OK, my other friend, Lily, and whether she’ll be alright after she gets up the nerve to dump her deadbeat boyfriend (the one who wouldn’t splurge on new towels) or not. But instead of just worrying about her, I can turn my worry into a prayer. I can say something like this:

The will of God will never take her where the grace of God cannot protect her. (You can substitute any word you want for God—the universe, a higher power, a running spirit, whatever.) Then I picture Lily being cared for by her own spirit. I feel her wrapped and coddled and taken care of. I keep repeating that Lily is on her own journey and I trust that she’ll be given all that her soul needs. That’s so much better than worrying. It’s living in the solution, not the problem.

Don’t worry your way into the weewows. Get steady by substituting worry beads for prayers of strength and hope. You can do whatever you have to do today. You are exactly where you’re supposed to be. And so are the people you love.

Other good news! Check out my funny interview (with good photos!) over at the http://www.thehairpin.com with writer Edith Zimmerman here.

The Mom Who Took Off On her Motorcycle is now available on your Apple  device here. It’s also available on kobo books here.

That means that I can’t get into the exclusive amazon.com’s KDP Select program because amazon does not want me to sell my ebook anywhere else. Isn’t that called trying to force a monopoly? More on that another time.

Related articles

• Top 10 Worthless Worries (everydayfamily.com)