Avoid Making Yourself Crazy

Just this morning, in a conversation with my father-in-law, I encountered examples of things people do to make themselves crazy. For the record, this is not something I really understand or do myself. I follow the principles outlined in Philipians 4:8

 New International Version (NIV)

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

I am not a person who enjoys thinking and worrying about possible problems. I really can't focus my attention that way but on the rare occasions that I start getting caught up in such worries, I distract myself by reading the Bible, praying, or finding something positive to occupy my thoughts. 

My father-in-law is worried about the weather in the eastern part of the country because my mother-in-law is on a road trip with their oldest daughter. He is watching the weather almost constantly and calling her to tell her about possible bad weather along their route. He got worried and upset because she didn't call him this morning at the appointed time. In the end, everything was just fine; the reason she didn't call was because they left earlier than they expected and she lost track of time. 

He also shared that he was worried about crazy ants. He had watched a television program about these ants and is now freaked out about them. I admittedly don't know a lot about them but I do remember how the "killer" bees were going to kill us all about 20 years ago and how fire ants were going to decimate their way throughout the South. I live in the South and we are aggravated by fire ants and Africanized bees but we deal with it just fine and I suspect that someone will learn more about the crazy ants and we will be able to manage living with them too.

I also just read a story online about the 20 food items that should always be purchased organic. I actually don't disagree with the article but I think we have to be realistic in that some people don't have the budget to purchase organic meats or organic dairy products, or whatever. When I was raising five children, I didn't have the budget to purchase organic meats and dairy products so I did the next best thing and served limited amounts of the items that concerned me. I also didn't have a budget to slap down huge slabs of meat on each person's plate anyway. Meat has always been more of a condiment in our house-something that adds flavor to a meal but isn't the main part of the meal. I don't get nutty about the possibility that I have consumed a pesticide or two here and there. One reason my husband and I garden extensively is to provide ourselves the freshest and most organic food in a way that is most affordable to us. Not everyone is going to want to do that. So, perhaps not going overboard guzzling gallons of milk and eating pounds of steak is a prudent course of action. 

Another article I read was about the benefits of the sun vs avoiding the sun. This is yet another topic that causes fear and worry in many people. The author of the article takes a very sensible approach to sun exposure and it is one that I take myself; enjoy the sun unprotected in small doses and use sun protection for extended periods in the sun. This is an example of moderation and a principle I espouse in more than a few areas.

Here are some more of my laid back ideas for avoiding making yourself crazy: Have a glass of wine or two but don't drink the whole bottle. Don't drink too much caffeine and don't avoid it altogether. Don't use only artificial sweeteners but don't go nuts if a little saccharin makes it way into your iced tea. Don't get all spastic if the news media says that bird flu is going to kill us all and stay home in a bunker. ; )

Enjoy life as the gift God intended it to be and stop signing on for going crazy.

Climbing down off my soapbox for today!