Worry is wasteful...

If I could tell the world just one thing

It would be that we're all okay,

And not to worry because worry is wasteful

And useless in times like these...

--Jewel, "Hands"

Last night it hit me that I'm standing on adulthood's doorstep. I'm not sure if it appeals to me or not. Most of the time it fills me with an equal mix of exhilaration and insecurity. In six weeks, I'll be graduating with my Associate's Degree in Journalism, and in September, I'll be moving away from home for the first time to finish up my Bachelor's, and only after spending some well-deserved time with my other half.

For right now, my studies are my top priority, so in a sense I guess one could say I'm lucky. I don't have a job to worry about losing, a family to worry about providing for, or a roof that I need to ensure stays over my head. Meanwhile, I look at some of my dear friends--most of them older than I am--and see that struggle. The stress of this economy is so much more real to me now that I'm aware of people who are affected by it personally.

What hit me last night was that while I may be temporarily sheltered in the safety of academia, that's not going to last. I need to start looking at my future and, indeed, what's starting to become our future. Again, that notion makes me giddy, but also terrifies me. In a way that's so typically female, I found myself flooded with three dozen different "What if?" flavored questions, the vast majority of them left painfully unanswered. Ironically, I thought then, Maybe this is what people mean when they say you just have to trust God.

Thirty seconds later, I found this quote on a stranger's blog. I don't know about you, but God winks usually don't come any better than this:

"Have no fear for what tomorrow may bring. The same loving God who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and every day. God will either shield you from suffering or give you strength to bear it. Be at peace, then, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations".

-- St. Francis de Sales