In some Native American cultures, you are not allowed to bring your worries into another person’s household. You are not allowed to bring negativity to the hearthstone of someone else. It is deemed improper.
Because of this belief, many of the homes have a little “worry basket” outside. Before you set foot in the home, you lay your worries to rest in that worry basket.
My guess is that you don’t remember to pick them up on your way home.
We live in very worrisome times. Money is short. The world seems to be falling apart in one way or another every day. The future is uncertain. But I realized, in thinking about the concept of the worry basket, that we really don’t take time to express our fears and our worries. We let them simmer inside our heads and our hearts. We let them flavor our perspective on the world and our relationships with other people. We let them hold us back.
Given that, it’s not so surprising that we don’t go out of our way to ask other people what is on their minds. When was the last time you asked someone, “What are you worried about? What’s on your mind?”
I can’t recall starting that conversation with anyone but my own brain.
Kind of silly, isn’t it? Because as we all know, dropping our worries – verbalizing them, sharing them, dealing with them – that’s the best way to get rid of that load.
So, I’m taking the time to ask. What are you worried about? What is on your mind? You don’t have to comment here. You don’t have to answer out loud. But however you respond, don’t keep it locked up in your brain. Write a post and then delete it. Write a post of your own if you like. Write an email to a friend or a pastor or a family member.
Whatever you do, let those worries go.
Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fkehren/6098824622/ via Creative Commons