The Word - Vol 111

What, Me Worry? 🤔

The title of this week’s Word is part of the slogan of the old comedy/satire magazine, “MAD magazine.” The other part of the slogan is “I read MAD!” The slogan and front cover always featured the ageless Alfred E. Neuman. The magazine started in 1952, but really took off in the early 60’s, and was influential in the comedy of “Saturday Night Live,” David Letterman, Conan O'Brien and “Family Guy.”

The slogan, “What, me worry?” was brought to mind after reading the script of a daily commentary by Mr. Jerry Forbes. Mr. Forbes was the boss man at the powerhouse radio station CHED in Edmonton, Alberta. He was not only the head man at the station, but also the father of my old roommate Martin J. Forbes. Marty and I shared an apartment in Kamloops early in our careers while we worked at radio station CHNL. We were both rookies in the business. Marty went on to much bigger and better things as a radio executive and is now comfortably retired just outside of Edmonton. We’ve kept in touch since those days back in the early 1970’s, but I digress.

Recently, Marty sent me a number of transcripts of his father’s radio commentaries and said if I was ever stuck for an idea, to feel free to use some of the commentaries as a basis for The Word. Thank you, my friend, I’m about to do just that.

From Marty Forbes’ Dad’s on-air commentary, Mr. Forbes wrote, and I’ll paraphrase a bit:

“I suppose most of us have times in our lives when we give in to the burden of worry. Life can be difficult, and to be sure there are many things about which we should all be concerned. However, if you are like me, you fret over what has passed and you worry over what may happen in the future. Foolish, isn’t it?

All the worry in the world cannot bring back one dead yesterday. It's over and done with. As for tomorrow, where is our stake in it? The sun may come up clear and bright, or it may be hazed over with clouds, but one thing is for sure, it WILL come up. Until it does, we have no claim upon the day it ushers in. That leaves us with only today. Surely, we can work things out for that small period of time. I know what you are saying, "It's easier said than done."”

This I know, for I have lost the battle to useless worry more times than I care to remember. I have found a slogan of Dale Carnegie's very helpful, however, and I'd like to pass it on to you. When you feel you can no longer cope just say to yourself: “THERE NEVER HAS BEEN A DAY I COULDN’T GET THROUGH.” Try it. Don't expect miracles but do give it an opportunity to help you. Remember, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday. You'll get through this day because “THERE NEVER HAS BEEN A DAY I COULDN’T GET THROUGH.”

On a personal note, I wish I had been given that advice 40 or so years ago. As you may or may not know, the world of freelance employment can be a shaky one. Especially in the world of radio and television, a world I found myself in, back in those days. Gigs were sometimes few and far between, and while paycheques stop coming in, the household bills didn’t, and with two young boys to feed I won’t lie, I was no Alfred E. Neuman! There was a real sense of worry, even if I did read MAD magazine. The concern popped up mostly at night, when I was trying to get to sleep, and instead of counting sheep, I was counting bills and a shaky bank balance. Often the two didn’t, shall we say, balance? That’s a definite worry. But as Mr. Forbes, and Mr. Carnegie point out, “There has never been a day I couldn’t get through.” And somehow, someway, I got through, proving there is light at the end of a dark tunnel.

And one more thought provided by Mr. Forbes, a saying I’d never heard before, but one that was passed on to him by a friend of his, Dean Grant Sparling, and it goes like this: “When you reach the end of your rope… tie a knot in it and hang on!”

The Word has never been intended to be a source of inspirational messages, but perhaps this little tale can help someone who is struggling through some dark days.

Thanks, Marty. Remember, tie that knot, and hang on!

Till next week…
Wayne