This vintage and and rather naîve embroidered picture sits to the side of our fireplace.
I have always been struck with the simplicity of its message
To me it says, drop the pessimism and the worry
It's a bleeding waste of energy
If anyone knows the origin of the saying
I would be interested in hearing it.
Love the fact that someone handmade that lovely piece of embroidery, and love those words. Had to give myself a good talking to this morning on that same subject as was dwindling away into a pot of negativity!
ReplyDeleteI'll send you a scotch egg
DeleteIt's the panacea to all my ills
A piece of good advice and beautifully embellished at that. It seems to be a bit of a takeoff on "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself".
ReplyDeleteWorrying about problems we don't yet and may never have.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't whoever embroidered this love to know you have learned from it. It is great advice. I never did understand people who go on and on about their ailments. Deb
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely sampler. Short, to the point, oh so true and with beautiful flowers round the edge.
ReplyDeleteGuilty of the above--though I try everyday to live in the moment. The needlework is lovely.
ReplyDeleteas a cancer survivor, I am grateful for each day I am alive. on 6/21, it will be 24 years since I killed THE BIG C with fire. small stuff don't mean shit in the scheme of things. as the old song goes: "sha na na na na na, live for today!"
ReplyDeleteThat what does not kill you makes you stronger eh?
DeleteMy old dad used to say 'today is the tomorrow you spent time worrying about yesterday'. I don't know where the homily came from John but a lot of these old sayings are very true. Glad you keep it and display it - somebody put hours of time into working it.
ReplyDeleteRe treating myself to the haddock (your reply to my blog post today) - you will see that I am not a girl with expensive tastes (no North Yorkshire farmer worth his salt would marry somebody who was!)
You then would be .... All fur coat and. No knickers
DeleteVery timely John! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteFabulous saying, must write it in my little book, or better still embroider one and put it in full view.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment on exposure, we are still giggling on and off about it.
Briony
x
an excellent saying and one I'd do well to listen to :)
ReplyDeleteDon't worry, be happy.
ReplyDeleteAnother old saying, "Half the things you worry about never happen, but half the things that you don't worry about do--which just goes to show that you are actually doing just the right amount of worrying!"
ReplyDeleteYes!
ReplyDeleteThe exact quote does not appear in search engine results, so perhaps it was a truly original rendering. The closest I found was this, by a James Russell Lowell:
ReplyDelete"Let us be of good cheer, remembering that the misfortunes hardest to bear are those which never happen."
It is a lovely sentiment. In my own small world, I have noticed that worriers tend to worry no matter what, and those not inclined to worry simply seem to have been born that way!
Jenny...thank you f or that original bit of research
DeleteJx
It's in iambic pentameter. Perhaps it is a Shakespeare? From his famous play, Hamlet runs With Scissors? ;-)
ReplyDeleteI tell myself 100 times a day to drop the pessimism and the worry, but unfortunately the part of my brain required to process the instruction stopped functioning many years ago. I shall go to my grave worrying that my coffin might be the wrong size or that the hearse will break down.
ReplyDeleteDon't sweat the small stuff coz it's all small stuff. I got that off a Kit-Kat wrapper so all that chomping wasn't in vain after all.Have a good week me old mucka!
ReplyDeleteI rather like the geek saying of
ReplyDelete"The world will end in 5 minutes. Please log out."
Well, now I'm worried you'll miss the videos of my backyard sounds I posted after you passed by and left your comment. They are, I fear, much less Speilbergian. Or are they?
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of this phrase, but it is entirely true.
ReplyDeleteI don't know its origin, but it's good advice, even if worrying about what may never happen is what I do best ..
ReplyDeleteIt's a charming piece with a great message.
ReplyDeleteGood message. Hope you all have a wonderful week, John. ♥
ReplyDeleteThat is a stunning piece, and I love the message. Sadly worrying about the might-be, and the perhaps is one of my skills.
ReplyDeleteI collect such things; the more naive the better. A gem!
ReplyDeleteThe amount of times I have worried myself sick about things that never happened beggars belief. I need to seriously kick 'worry' out of my life. Easier said than done but yes, 'it's a bleeding waste of energy' for sure.
ReplyDeleteA brilliant post to start the week :)
I have one here at home that says
ReplyDelete"don't wait for your boat to come in, row out and meet it"
I think they were mottoes from Patience Strong who used to write pearls of wisdom for the women's magazines, published as embroidery transfers ready to work by a company called Penelope.
"The ills that never come are those we suffer from most."
ReplyDeleteSurely, that's a good thing, isn't it? I mean "the never come" bit. "Suffering" keeps you on your toes. I don't know how many times (middle of the night) I have planned the Angel's funeral. Only to be so fucking relieved, happy beyond belief when he turns up again in one piece. Bliss, John. Utter bliss. Worth every moment of worry. The only time I had doubts over my sanity was when he phoned me two years ago, middle of night when else, stumbling along a god forsaken motorway North of France asking me for directions. Dear dog in heaven.
U
I'll chant that when I start biting my nails !
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe version that my grandmother used was:
ReplyDelete95% of what we worry about, either already has happened, or never will happen.
Her mother, my great-granmother, was born in Swansea. I've been there.
Ah a South Wales soul.
DeleteNice message...I'll stop the worrying now...
ReplyDelete