WHY WORRY?

Are we wired from birth to be a worrier or not? Is it all in our genes, or does our environment play a factor? In other words, genetics or environmental factors?

Is it purely nature versus nurture? Does type A or type B personality play a crucial role in whether or not one is a worrier?

While I no longer recall the circumstances of the worry, I do remember my co-worker/friend Ruth Levinson pulling out a book from her desk drawer and volunteering to lend it to me. That was close to 40 years ago when Ruth’s rabbi gifted it to her, and I’m pretty sure the booklet was entitled Why Worry?

The premise suggested not to worry about something that may never happen. The words were somewhat condemning. The pious author insisted that worrying takes up too much of your time and that all the stress from worrying can wreak havoc on the body. That anticipation made me worry more about what irreversible damage I caused myself by worrying.

Recently, my husband Arnee and I listened to a podcast about a radio reporter named Sugarman undergoing surgery with statistically a 5/7 % chance of paralysis. Arnee, like Sugarman, thought those were favorable odds. The result of the surgery was not sweet, however, and Sugarman was in the five percent.

On the other hand, I insisted, “Why not? Why wouldn’t he be in the 5-7%? Arnee calmly replied, I understand your logic, but I don’t suffer it.

I had to laugh. For my well-being, I’ll have to try to be more like Arnee. Geesh, after 47 years of marriage, you would think his take on life would have rubbed off on me by now.

Lucky for Arnee, my worrying didn’t rub off on him. Now, maybe I can get myself to stop worrying about that prospect.