She said, “I love that you say that, ‘No worries.'”

“Huh?” I asked. “Did I just say that?”

“Yes.”

I replayed the conversation in my head. Another asked me if I’d say a few words about some of our volunteers. I explained that I didn’t know them well, but I’d be glad to start them off, and invite others to finish. I did, I finished with, “No worries.”

“Oh yeah,” I answered.

“That makes it even better because it means it’s so ingrained in you that you really do mean: no worries.”

I agreed. I do. I really mean it: no worries.

If you’re open to life’s lessons they can and will teach you something. Having my sister die before I felt I could get to know her. Being on welfare as an adult after being on it as a kid. Two moments in my adult life that were very humbling and in close proximity. When Cristi was killed, I hadn’t spoken to my other sister in more than a month. I don’t even remember, now, what we were fighting about. Clearly, it was something trivial. Clearly, it didn’t matter in the scheme of things. The question begs: what would I have done if were my other sister who was killed? She is the one I am close to. She is the asset in my life.

That’s a point to ponder. And, I have. For the last four years.

It’s been said to me that I am an easy-going person. But, I know the times where my controlling nature takes over and I am much less easy-going. So, although I struggle balancing my easy-going nature with my type A personality, I recognize, more, the value of letting things be. I recognize, more, the need for me to step back and listen even if I have a hard time-sharing an opinion. I recognize, more, the need to not worry.

So, no worries. Life deals us crises all the time. Shit blows up in our faces and we forget that we’re rational and how to deal. No worries. The shit will fall and we’ll clean it up and move on.

No worries doesn’t mean inaction, though. No worries means being proactive. No worries means taking steps to fix the problems that come our way.

When I sold books door to door, one of the mentors, if you will, taught us that life doesn’t give us problems. Rather, life gives us teachers, and we will be given the same teacher until we learn the lesson. That thought resonated with me, especially as I looked at the repeat boyfriend types I had in my 20s! Or, when I looked at other relationship issues I had encountered. Or, when I considered my university path.

My values shape my “no worries” philosophy, certainly. Family, to me, is number one. I value my familial relationships first. I value our societal stewardship towards our environment, next, as it speaks directly to my family’s existence in the future. Being at peace with myself and my god, actually, takes a third rung. These priorities are loose, and depending on the day they will switch levels. But, they all aid in my “no worries” philosophy.

Someone was irritated with a choice I made today. This person could hold some power over me, if I let her. The choice, though, doesn’t matter a hoot in the scheme of anything. It doesn’t affect anyone’s livelihood. It doesn’t cause harm on anyone. It doesn’t even inconvenience that many people, if any. It, likely, was a choice that became an irritation because of other circumstances in her life.

No worries. I vented with a friend to ponder the choice/irritation and help make sense of it. But, it doesn’t bother me. I might get defensive if approached in person about the choice as there were specific circumstances that led to the pattern. But no one died. No one died. Most of the choices I make daily, nary would affect a life or death decision. So, no worries.

I know, for now, that I have my priorities. I know my values. I am thankful to be secure in my relationships. I am learning myself to the point that I know myself. I remember my choices. I make conscious choices, even if it felt random at the time. So, no worries.

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