Whatifs are terrible little things. They hold us back from doing all of the important things in life. They feed on fear and worry and self-doubt. But Whatifs are silly and inconsequential things; they are a manifestation of our insecurities from the dark depths of our imaginations.
I know that. You know that. The whole world knows that. But still, those little Whatifs seem to hold an amazing amount of power over us. I think one of the biggest problems with Whatifs is that they prevent you from accomplishing all of those little tasks that would bring you a step closer to finding out if those Whatifs are real or imaginary.
I have a list of fears a mile long, all starting with Whatifs.
Whatif I apply to school and don’t get in? Whatif I go to school and fail? Whatif I am stuck where I am forever? Whatif I’m all alone for the rest of my life? Whatif I get lost and can’t find my way? Whatif I don’t have any money? Whatif I…
I know I’ll never know until I try. I know that I’ll never succeed if I let the Whatifs get in the way. I know the Whatifs will only multiply if I listen to them. But sometimes, they scream so loud that I can’t ignore them!
Maybe tonight’s bedtime reading should be The Little Engine Who Could…
Whatif
by Shel Silverstein
from the book A Light in the Attic (1981)
Last night, while I lay thinking here,
some Whatifs crawled inside my ear
and pranced and partied all night long
and sang their same old Whatif song:
Whatif I’m dumb in school?
Whatif they’ve closed the swimming pool?
Whatif I get beat up?
Whatif there’s poison in my cup?
Whatif I start to cry?
Whatif I get sick and die?
Whatif I flunk that test?
Whatif green hair grows on my chest?
Whatif nobody likes me?
Whatif a bolt of lightning strikes me?
Whatif I don’t grow taller?
Whatif my head starts getting smaller?
Whatif the fish won’t bite?
Whatif the wind tears up my kite?
Whatif they start a war?
Whatif my parents get divorced?
Whatif the bus is late?
Whatif my teeth don’t grow in straight?
Whatif I tear my pants?
Whatif I never learn to dance?
Everything seems well, and then
the nighttime Whatifs strike again!
Even if the Whatifs happen, you’ll have plenty of people who love and care about you to pick you up, dust you down and set you on your feet again.
Thank you, because just knowing that there are people out there to dust me off if I fall does make it a bit easier to ignore the Whatifs – no matter how scary they are!
ugh! the Whatifs – had not realised they had an entire poem lauding them. i will have to work even harder to exterminate them from my life – blogging seems to help (yes, i’ve found your blog. blame the lil’ sis!)
Yay! Glad you found me; makes me feel a little less guilty about having nosey-ed (is that a word?) around your blog now!
Those Whatifs are terrible, but you’re right: blogging helps! I don’t know that non-bloggers understand the release you get from ‘putting it out there’ for the world to read!