I’m blessed to know some people who have trained their brains to never let an anxious or worried thought linger for long in their heads…they are very aware humans, embracing the present moment (as self-help books are wont to espouse) who know that the world is going to keep spinning, and things are going to happen, or not, and people will behave in a suspected way, or not, no matter what…so they give up neither their precious time nor priceless energy, thinking about things that would cause or invite feelings of unease.  They do not create disquiet in an otherwise harmonious life…

Some people I know are like skittish kittens and doomsday preppers, and are anxious or worried almost all the time about almost anything that their brain can grasp hold of…ridiculously running with preposterous ideas…in what seems like a constant jumpy or unsettled state, and even in moments of calm, take any opportunity to let one tiny idea fester, and create an all-consuming awful disturbance in what could otherwise be a most tranquil life…

STEP 9 is a proposal to use your imagination in a positive way.  Some of you do it over and over…you know you do; you make something out of nothing…you think of the worst possible thing that can happen, based on nothing but your imagination running wild with a negative thought.  WHAT good does this do?  WHAT is the point of this?  Use your imagination instead to make something out of nothing in a GOOD way.  I know people who already know and live STEP 9 and they are splendid souls, and most of us would be better off if we tried to mimic the behavior.

…Make a song out of a word you read in a fairy tale.  Make a painting out of the dream you had last night where you had iridescent gossamer wings.  Make a love out of an unexpected smile shared across a room.  Make a skirt out of a tablecloth you found at the thrift shop.  Make doll slippers out of zebra duct tape with cotton balls as the adornment.  Make a wind chime out of old mismatched stainless spoons you saw in a box on the side of the road.  Make a poem out of a nonsense word your granddaughter uttered at the bus stop.  Make a friend out of the stranger you see walk by your house every day when you get your mail.  Make a delicious dinner out of the last four pieces of produce in your refrigerator.  Make a long fabulous necklace out of the three short strands of beads you never wear.  Make an organized masterpiece, in all the folded glory you can achieve, out of your messy linen cupboard.  Make yard art out of an old truck spring and the rusty forks of a rake.  Make the best use of your idle mind today, any way that you can, and I think you will be glad you did…