Jimmy Crack Corn
So I sit down to write this column and all I do for five straight minutes is stare at a blank computer screen.
Strangely, this actually makes me feel good. I really don't want to care right now about all the energy that's required to supply the effort to give a damn about this world we live in.My dear departed friend George would often interrupt me when I was talking about a world event that didn't pertain to him. He would say, "Jimmy Crack Corn.""Jimmy Crack Corn and I Don't Care" is an old folk song. These were George's words to stop me from burdening his brain with something more that he had to think about. He deeply cared for his family and friends, but he drew the line when it came to matters that were outside his circle of life.I am learning to embrace his attitude.Here's a brief list of things that disturb the collective conscience of this country that we are supposed to care about. Doctors claim Donald Trump is mentally unstable. Muslims are going to boycott the Academy Awards. The groundhog saw his shadow so we have six more weeks of winter. Another angry mob of protesters runs into the streets. Social Security is going bankrupt and the price of gas jumped up again.Jimmy Crack Corn.Now you must think there's something wrong with me. I Google my problem and up pop these titles: "What is wrong with me! I don't care anymore." "Not caring is a state of mental illness." "Apathy can lead to depression."And yet, not caring about world hunger or other social problems I can't fix releases an overdose of their grasping of my mind and brings peaceful relief.Then there are those who care so much about getting everything done on their to-do list that they drive themselves to physical exhaustion. They believe they can finally take it easy when there's nothing left in their inbox. That list, as we all know, will never be empty of things to do.My upstairs toilet won't fill up after a flush. The dishwasher leaves spots on the glasses. I'll get to it tomorrow. Right now? Jimmy Crack Corn.Excessive caring can also be detrimental to your health. It can make you miserable, sickly and so stressed out it can lead to total body breakdown.Mark Manson, who calls himself a life enthusiast, claims that not caring about anyone or anything outside of your small circle of life delivers you the freedom to be happy. There comes a point when it's not that you don't care anymore, you just can't.Do you think I'm selfish if I can't care?Jimmy Crack Corn.In his article, Manson brings up an interesting benefit about getting old. He says when we get to our senior years, we enormously reduce what we care about. Anything past tomorrow can be ignored because living for today is paramount. The only people who still matter are those who show us that we still matter to them.Understanding reasons why someone tries to care too much about something insignificant requires knowing him well. Listen to this parent at his son's baseball game."C'mon kid. Swing the bat. Get a hit. Be aggressive. Show coach you deserve to be in the starting lineup. Hey ump, how could you call that a strike? The ball was a mile outside! You struck out my kid. You stink!"Looks like this father really cares about his son's success, don't you think? Yet, if you knew him well, you'd know his marriage is on the brink of divorce and his anger management issues just cost him his job. He's unhappy and he expects his son to fix that. A caring father who's more settled with his own life would not yell at his son during the game, and a far as the umpire's bad call, the father would say to his boy, "It's going to happen. Get over it."To be honest, I do care too much, but I'm getting better at deciding what's worth my emotional attention and what's not.So here's some advice. When you might want to free yourself of another thing you're supposed to care about, just say the magic words out loud, "Jimmy Crack Corn."You'll feel better immediately.Rich Strack can be reached at