Hakuna Matata

In Lion King lingo it means “no worries”.  The same in my world.

I use this phrase multiple times a day. Whether in a text message to co-workers or when talking with friends and family. Whatever the dilemma is at the moment, my response is usually “no worries”.

Why worry? Because in my work world,  death has no schedule. I can plan out my day and when that phone rings, my whole day can and usualy does change. Now I’m not singing and dancing around with Timon and Pumbaa with a smile on my face. I’m usually sitting at my desk: multi tasking between phone calls, emails, making my deadlines; or meeting with families. And most days when I meet someone, it is on the worst day of their life. Their loved one has just died and it is my job to make this dark time in their life as easy of a transistion as possible.

Why worry? Because what ever is going on in my personal world, someone else’s world is far worse. I am married to my best friend and get to come home to him every night. All of my loved ones are healthy, hopefully happy, and alive. I have a roof over my head, food in my pantry, and clothes in my closet. All my bills are paid and I still have enough money left over to live a comfortable life. Some people that I encounter are not as fortunate.

Why worry? A person can’t change an event or action that has already taken place. You can dwell on it all you want, and when you do, you make your life harder than what it should be. By dwelling on it, you are then reacting to it. When reacting to a comment or situation, 9 out of 10 times, you are giving exactly what the other party wants. A negative reaction. Sometimes one is warranted. And when it does, I usually show more than I should. (I’m still working on that.) But most of the time one isn’t.

Why worry? Knowing that I can’t change “what was”, I know I can create “what will be”. A positive experience for a family in mourning; a smile on a coworker’s face which makes for a good day at the office; relief for my hubby and kids that our day will end on a positive note; or the encounter with a stranger knowing that whatever is happening in their world, the last thing I want to do is create a negative vibe to make their day worse.

So before reacting, I take a deep breath and say “no worries”.

On a side note, I have even had the honor of meeting the singer who is on the Disney soundtrack “Hakuna Matata”, Joseph Williams of Toto. My daughter and I went to a Toto concert a few years back and she wore her Hakuna Matata t-shirt (not realizing the connection). We were part of a small group that got to meet the band prior to their show. It was an awesome experience, we got some cool swag, great photos, and made memories that will last a lifetime. What a great group of guys!

Left to right: Nathan East, Simon Phillips, Amber, yours truly, Steve Lukather, Steve Porcaro, David Paich, and Joseph Williams. August 2013. Detroit, MI.