Learning How to Not Sweat the Small Stuff

   It's taken me over 40 years, but I think that I've finally learned how to not sweat the small stuff.  By small stuff I mean, dirty dishes in the sink, the baby has a runny nose, the pooch that will never go away after two pregnancies, etc.  This is not to say that I am neurotic-free.  Oh, I have a plethora of neuroticisms that could fill a small college stadium, BUT they will longer will fill the state of Alaska.  Maybe it's having children, maybe it's growing older, maybe it's the addiction to box wine, maybe it's having survived as many Republican administrations as I did - who knows.  All I know is that I'm reaping the benefit now.  And really, what does constant fretting over fraying towels give us?  Concentrate on the things that mean something to you.  And yes, of course, I mean your loved ones.  But sometimes those loved ones can drive you crazy. AND THAT'S OK!  Go take a half an hour and work on that beloved paint by numbers puppy painting that you've been dying to do. (Just don't give it as a Christmas gift when you're finished.)  Make a total fool of yourself, don the baggy ski pants and the Ed Hardy stocking cap, and snowboard, even if it's just for a precious 2 hours or so.  Or you can do like me and indulge in over-emotional cooking competitions on Bravo and then try to emulate Parisian pastry puffs with rosemary and a fleur-de-sel crust.  Hell, even if no one eats it, it felt good making it.  Not to get too serious on you, but life really is too short.  And you know what, your kids will thank you for it.  Quite honestly, they are not going to be on the psychiatrist's couch whining about how you didn't feed them a perfect combination of the four food groups at every meal.  They'll be paying 200 bucks a week for therapy because you drove them crazy with your constant obsessions over wrinkled chinos, not being 2 minutes late for soccer practice, and making sure that there was not a speck of food on the carpet.  And it's not only a life-long gift to your children, it's a gift to yourself.  Turn off that damn NBC news and tell your local anchor to shove it when they go on and on about the dangers of too much Splenda or the link between caffeine and an unusual love for poultry.  Do like I do and listen to something that makes you laugh.  And don't sweat the small stuff.