Today, my friend Naomi asked me if I am going insane.  I thought about it for a minute, and realized that maybe I am.  I think I’m catching a disease from P-town.  I have come to the realization that too many people here are uptight about EVERYTHING.  Worrying has become a favorite past time.  Stressing is now the official sate hobby… and it rubs off on other people!  I think we all need to take a step back, a deep breath and relax.

I was walking home from church on Sunday and decided to be nice (believe it or not).  As we walked by individuals or groups of people, I would smile and say, “Good morning!”  Many people glanced up, and acknowledged me with a slight head nod or a quick “hi.”  Some even responded with a hearty “Good morning” themselves.  But, I would say that roughly one third of the people I said hello to just sped on by as if I were Harry Potter sneaking by on a midnight stroll through Hogwarts under his invisibility cloak (good analogy, I know).  I don’t know if these cases of unfriendliness were due to stress, arrogance, absentmindedness or my ugly face; but what I do know is that we need to lighten up.

We stress too much about being perfect.  It is important to work hard and do your best, but it is unhealthy to be a perfectionist.  As important as it is to get good grades, it’s not the end of the world if you don’t.  As important as it is to get married, you don’t need to worry if tonight’s date is the ‘one.’  We need to realize that problems ALWAYS, in one way or another, fix themselves.  As my favorite Chinese proverb states, “If you have a problem and it has a solution… why worry?  If you have a problem and it has NO solution… why worry?”  Enjoy your life.  Try worrying about putting a smile on someone’s face rather than whether the way your date touched your elbow last night has any correlation with whether he/she is your eternal mate.  My sanity depends on it!