Worrying

I felt my anxiety rise as I drove to the driver’s license renewal center.

Will this be a disaster? Am I sure I have the correct documents? Will someone shout at me for being in the wrong line or sitting in the wrong waiting area? Will I be there all afternoon?

Turns out, the employees were all quite friendly. I didn’t have to wait long and the conversations I had were pleasant.

So all that worrying — where I got to practice feeling uneasy and defensive — was for nothing. Instead of imagining the worst-case scenarios, I could have spent my time thinking about other things.

I’ll get a do-over in 2029 … the next time I have to renew. Hopefully I’ll remember: the worry wasn’t worth it.