A Story of Recovery:

Don’t Worry, Be Happy

I like to watch movies. I like the thrill of good triumphing over evil, and I love dramatic love stories. I never get tired of happily-ever-after endings.

Worry is like watching a movie I don’t like over and over again. Though my worries never had a happy ending, I couldn’t seem to stop worrying.

It dawned on me that worry was a form of entertainment for me. Worry was just an old hobby that I used to preoccupy my mind. A real hobby is something I invest in that can be a rewarding break from everyday life. Worry was my form of escape, except it was not fun or relaxing. Worry is not free. Worry takes a lot of time and it is expensive. It takes its toll on my health in the form of stress, and on my finances in the form of procrastination. As a food addict, I have a deadly allergy to flour, sugar, quantities…and negativity. To stay abstinent, I cannot afford to keep worry as a hobby.

Today I am discovering new hobbies. I walked to the library to return a satisfying novel, blew soapy bubbles out the car window, knitted a purple scarf, and wrote this article.

The big book’s remedy for fear is to ask God to remove fear, admit it to someone, make an amends if necessary, and then immediately focus on serving someone else. In the 30 minutes it has taken me to do service by writing this article, my thoughts have been filled with joy and humor. It is like I have changed TV channels and am experiencing a different movie. My hunch is I’m going to like how this one ends.