Three Little Words

By Millie Malone Lill

Those three little words that make life so much better. Nope, not the ones you probably thought of, not I Love You. Those words are wonderful, but the ones I’m talking about are “I Don't Care”.

Those are three of the most powerful words in the English language. For instance, remember when you were young and had to wear those ugly shoes and the even uglier brace or braces? Had we only known those magic words, our lives would have been so much easier. Think about it. Did hating them, pouting about them, risking punishment by refusing to wear them actually change anything? Not in my case, for sure. I had to wear them whether I liked it or not. If I had only had access to the magic Phrase of “I Don't Care”, I'd have been a much happier kid.

Were you bullied as a kid? Made to feel “less than?” Facing the bullies with a big fat “I Don't Care” would have taken the wind and most of the fun out of their bullying. It might not have completely stopped the bullying, but if there is no reaction to the taunts, the bullies soon lose interest. To go in a different direction, suppose your kid has dropped a carton of eggs on the floor. You could yell at him/her and make him/her cry, but guess who is still going to clean up the mess. You can just say “I Don't Care” and clean it up or have a fit about it, upset your child and you still have to clean it up.

You can sit in your lonely space feeling sorry for yourself because it's a holiday and you were not invited to a party or you can think “I Don't Care” and do something fun for yourself. Feeling bad is not going to make you any more welcome at that party than if you just don't care, in fact a mopey face is generally going to make you even less welcome.

Pick up that book you have been wanting to read but hadn't had time to do so. Now's your chance. There is absolutely no defense against that powerful phrase. It is a shield the likes of no other. It can be whipped out at a moment' notice or put away for a better occasion. It's OK to care, don't get me wrong, but if your caring or not caring is not going to make a difference either way, why let it upset you? You can hate winter or not, but part of the year will be spent in winter anyway.

The world will keep on twirling whether you are happy or unhappy. It's up to you to have a good life. No one can make you happy or unhappy. That is always an inside job.

So care about the things and people you love. Care about things you enjoy. Just don't waste your time caring about things that matter very little in the long run. If you can fix it, fix it. If you can't, just go on doing what you can and caring about the important stuff.

In his review of Millie’s book: “Square Pegs, Round Holes ‘n’ Pigeonholes” Richard L. Bruno, HD, PhD described her as the “Mark Twain of polio survivors, with her combination of mid-western charm and razor-sharp wit”.

Millie Malone Lill writes regularly for the Polio Perspective.