Don’t Worry

I’m thinking of a song from a few years ago, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.”

Wow. Wouldn’t you love to do that? Don’t you wish someone today would actually encourage us to have a positive attitude about the world we live in?

But, no. We are encouraged  to worry. We’re told we should worry — about the upcoming election, the pandemic, racism in our country, the environment, the future, fires and hurricanes, and on and on and on.  If we are not actively worrying about these things and constantly posting, liking, sharing on social media there is something wrong with us and somehow we’re not doing our part.

Our entertainment venues are closed, so we turn to the media and watch 24-hour news. We stream the current releases, whose storylines seem to follow all of the above.  The late night ‘comedians’ only regurgitate what we have already heard all day.

We need a break. We need to find a way to lighten up a bit.

In 1918, during the flu pandemic, most theaters and vaudeville houses were closed. But folks found humor in the comic strips: Katzenjammer Kids, Mutt and Jeff, and Krazy Kat.  The Great Depression brought us some of the most delightful lighthearted movies that are classics now: It Happened One Night, The Marx Brothers, The Wizard of Oz.  Red Skelton, Abbott and Costello, and Bob Hope saw us through World War II.

The entertainment industry is missing the 2020 boat.

But we can find our own enjoyment. Turn off the news. Reach out and touch — if only virtually or electronically. Call a friend and determine to NOT talk about current events. Talk about past fun times, talk about your kids or grandkids, talk about the weather. Write a note to someone. Imagine their surprise when they get a piece of mail that’s not a bill or junk. Watch a feel-good movie.  Look through your collection of DVDs.  You can stream Sleepless in Seattle, When Harry Met Sally, or You’ve Got Mail. 

Write Matthew 6:33, (Don’t Worry About Tomorrow) on a 3×5 card — or on an 8½x11 sheet of paper if you need to — and put it on your fridge door, bathroom mirror, television set.

God’s got this. Don’t worry. Be happy.