Modern-day angst and the wisdom of the ant

Air-powered hand dryers in public restrooms, tea bags without the little string attached, and threading line through almost any weed eater head ever invented, please raise your hand if you are a fan of any of these activities. I didn't think so. It's best not to dwell on the negative or endeavor to summit molehills over mountains, but come on. Damp pants, burned fingertips, and annoyance-induced heatstroke should not be things we have come to accept. But they kind of are. They are the types of little nuisances that feel silly to fight against but still nick and cut at our 21st century first-world emotional well-being. And given that we live in the 21st century within the first world, each little pebble of irritation adds to the overall load of modern-day frustration. Frustration is a slow-growing vine, and anger its most prolific fruit. People, whoever people are, tell us to "let it go," "don't sweat the small stuff," "don't worry be happy" or some other pithy saying that begins to have the same emotional effect of a public restroom hand dryer. The thing is, nobody ever seems to tell us "how" to let it go or to properly sort the small stuff, so that we won't worry and we can be happy. To find that kind of wisdom, we must consult the noble ant. The first thing ants do when their hill is kicked over is to clean their antennae. In case you didn't know, ants clean their antennae all the time. It's common practice, and typically not all that interesting. It's just part of the rhythm of being an ant. Ants use their antennae for communication, and whether a sunny day, a new sugar find, or the total collapse of their home, ants ground themselves in this practical ritual. They settle, reset their identity, and then get to work. They do the small stuff necessary to handle the big stuff. Just because something is interesting doesn't mean it's important. Likewise, just because something is important doesn't mean it's interesting. Just ask the ant. And like the ant, the key to not sweating the small stuff and in loosening our hearts from worry is to find those same practical rituals and that same rhythm that's part of being ourselves. My wife and I play cards quite often. It's a time to sit down together, have a little fun, and let everything else just be everything else for a little while. In other words, it's a time for us to clean our antennae. When we travel, we find ourselves playing cards in public. Who wants to play cards in a hotel room? That sounds sort of illegal. Anyway, even if we had the newest iPhones or the lewdest T-shirts, there is no way we would draw more attention than we do, just sitting down and playing cards. People are always intrigued and actually pretty wonderful in coming over to see and to talk. Unknown, unspoken, or even unwilling, there is something deep inside us that tells us to settle so that we can strive. There is an adage that goes something like "if you want to be good at something, you need to do something else." In other words, small things unrelated to the big things are key in accomplishing the big things in the first place. The backboard has little in common with the rim, other than making the ball go in. Being outside, singing old songs with others, making almost anything by hand, please raise your hand if you are a fan of any of these activities. I thought so. It's not that we don't know how to clean our antennae, it's more that we just aren't in the habit of doing it. It's probably time to start, because big stuff is mostly a collection of small stuff, and where we decide to gather it has everything to do with our happiness. Jeff McCord lives and works in the Kingsport area. You can email him at docdavismccord@gmail.com.