I joke 'worry' was my middle name.

I worried about a lot of stuff like getting a job, moving out, finding a boyfriend, keeping my friends, getting older, and getting fatter. They swarm and suck out energies, those non-corporeal vampires. One day I looked in the mirror and didn't recognize the woman staring back at me.

I lost my abiltiy to play, to taste life itself, and knew if I name the worries their spell would break. For the past six years I named my worries, looked at where they came from, slowly intergrating back into life after forcing myself to the side.

I no longer worry about getting older. I no longer worry about money or work, not to ignore them but to deal with whatever life offers me. Setbacks will happen, even to the best planners. The way forward involves acknowledging that fact and move on. I looked back and for a worrier, I actually rolled with the punches pretty well.