Stress for the young

I am tired and I am anxious. I have many worries. When I was young, I did not anticipate that I would have a life in which most of my day was covered up in worrying about the little details of living. I did not see it.

Your parents don't tell you about that part. Perhaps they did not want you to start worrying early. Perhaps they did not think you would be up to the pressure at such an early age.

But think about it. Your body was newer. You didn't have all the stress-injuries to your heart. Your brain wasn't fried and unable to cope with the stress. You just wandered around like a little bird. Cheep! Cheep! Your little legs popping you around in circles. Cheep! Cheep!

What kind of bird were you? Maybe you were an eaglet and ready to handle the obstacles of the day. Sitting up in your nest above the business below. Watching with your raptor eyes for the next prey. Even if your were a little chickadee. What difference would it make? Chirping. Chirping. Bouncing around. Eating seed. Flying off. Flying back.

Would it matter if your mommy told you there were a lot of things to worry about? What would you do about it? There wouldn't be much to do about it anyway.

You were a kid. About the only thing you could do would be to go running and yelling around the playground. Which would lower the stress and allow you to forget the things which were bothering you in the first place.

Maybe we need to let the children worry about it and we go on to the beach and sit in a canvas chair and watch the waves roll back and forth. Run in the sand. For a little bit. Drink a beer. Or two. Eat some shrimp. Oysters. Fish. Take in some Vitamin D through our pasty skins. Leave the kids inside in front of CNN and FOX news.

That'll work. I'm packing the bags right now. I'll ask Kate to figure out whether we have enough largess in the bank to allow us the gas to get there. No, she's an adult now. Maybe I can borrow one of the nieces to worry about that. Take them on a nice vacation. They like television anyway. I'll train them to watch CNN instead of Dora the Explorer.

That'll work.