The other day, my friend Amanda posted a Facebook video of her little girl—The Mae Mae—talking about the kind of merry-go-round she wanted to ride: “A Spider Man Merry Go Round with super heroes, princesses, Elsa, Anna, coffee grounds, teachers, and children.”
I’m a little puzzled by the coffee grounds, but hey—it’s Mae’s vision so we’re going with it. If she wants super heroes and coffee grounds on board, she has my full support.
I love the endless possibilities of Mae’s merry-go-round—and her fierce belief that she can and will ride it. I’ve always been bad about talking myself out of things before I even give them a try. There’s a very good chance that I’m not a daredevil.
On the other hand, some of my best experiences have come from pushing myself into trying something that terrified me. Not long ago, an interviewer asked me what I do to relax after writing, and I told her that writing is relaxing—it’s the book signings that make me take to the couch with Cheeto the Cat afterward. Once they’re over, I come home and tell Dave how much fun I had, but I’m always apprehensive beforehand—in part because my penmanship is atrocious and in part because I’m just naturally apprehensive. I’ve raised worrying to an art form. And I have to remember to “consider the lilies.”
Consider the lilies how they grow:
they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you,
that Solomon in all his glory
was not arrayed like one of these.
If then God so clothe the grass,
which is today in the field,
and tomorrow is cast into the oven;
how much more will he clothe you,
O ye of little faith?
Luke 12:27-28
Granny used to tell me that she only worried about things if she could do something about them—in other words, if she had options and a decision to make. But she didn't see any point in worrying about anything beyond her control. You had to leave that in God's hands. Good advice.
The next time I’m feeling my old familiar doubts, I'll try to remember Granny's wisdom and faith. And I'll think of Mae, with her Spider Man merry-go-round—the one with super heroes, princesses, Elsa, Anna, teachers, and children. And coffee grounds.
[Image by Jack Moreh @ Freerangestock.com]
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