Sometimes we have a “big dread” in the back of our mind and we spend time worrying about what we will do if “the big dread” actually happens.

So, here’s a story about that exact scenario.

My friend Jonathan is a talented artist who can make eye-grabbing artistic pieces from something as ordinary as a piece of driftwood.

In his artistic hands a piece of driftwood turns into a quirky alligator or snake.

Once they find their way to his art studio people are captivated by his original artwork.

His studio is located at an old piece of Florida called The Fishery. The entire place, along with the artists’ cottage he rents, is as quirky as Jonathan’s original creations.

Tourists love The Fishery and Jonathan’s cottage that is jam-packed with compelling art.

For the eight years I have known Jonathan he has worried that the Fishery property will be sold and he will have to relocate. The property has been up for sale during all those years.

Twice, it was sold to a new owner and Jonathan worried he would be booted out. Instead, he made a deal with the new owners to stay by paying for all upkeep as well as rent.

“If I lose this place I will lose all the customers that come here,” he said.

After eight years of worrying, what he most feared finally happened. The property was resold and all the artists were given the boot. To make sure they left in a hurry, the owner turned off the water.

Jonathan had an offer to relocate in the back of a hardware store, but he rightly figured that location would do nothing to attract customers.

Without much hope, Jonathan spent two months trying to find a place he could afford to rent in a location suited to his quirky creations.

Finally, he found an out-of-the-way building in a very old part of the county. Existing buildings were as old and as offbeat as the old Fishery location.

With a lot of faith and muscle power, he re-created an attention-getting artist’s colony. Best yet, he convinced other artists to join him in the new location.

Now, he is revitalizing what was once a forgotten, dismal property. The publicity that generates is helping his former clients to once again find their way to his business.

Today’s paper credited Jonathan’s art colony with being the engine that is driving the property into a prosperous direction. Best yet, it too is becoming a tourists’ destination.

What Jonathan worried about for eight years never happened. Yes, he lost his long-established place of business. But the new place is even better.

What it shows is sometimes we spend time and energy worrying about something that will never happen.

And, sometimes, what looks like a devastating setback is actually something that will help. We just don’t know it at the time.

When my daughter was suffering major health consequences from undiagnosed diabetes, I was overcome with worry.

No illness is a blessing, especially one as debilitating as diabetes can be. Yet it turned out to be the catalyst that spurred Maria onto a healthy lifestyle that already has had major benefits.

I have seldom seen anyone as determined to do a complete lifestyle turnaround.

When I spent all those sleepless nights worrying about what would happen to her, it never occurred to me that her serious health crisis could turn into a health triumph.

Once again I saw how what looks like something dreadful can turn into the catalyst for something better.

I have to admit that as I get older I waste a lot of time and energy worrying about things that may never happen. Logic tells me it’s a waste of time to do that. If it does happen, there is plenty of time to expend mental energy on the problem.

I never used to be a worrier. It definitely is something that has come with age.

Truth be told, I’m turning into my mother. If we were late in arriving at her house, she started worrying that “something bad happened” to us.

When I start worrying excessively, my daughters remind me I’m doing what my mother used to do. The older she got, the more she worried about everything.

I’m working hard at trying to change my excessive worrying.

Perhaps that’s another reason why I like seeing real-life situations where worrying about “what may happen” was a waste of time. Instead, when it did happen, it turned out to be a good thing.

A friend of mine was upset when a move to a new location meant her son could no longer be part of the gifted classes he had in his old school district.

She was sure the new school was not as good and couldn’t possibly offer academic enrichment.

For a while, it looked like she was right — until her son was moved to a more challenging academic program.

Now, he tells her he’s happier than he ever was. He’s enjoying his new friends, new school and new academic opportunities.

Sometimes I wonder about how many of our everyday worries are unfounded.

My friend Kathy says life requires more faith and less worry.

She’s right.

Worry seldom leads to something positive while faith can move us in remarkable ways.

Contact Pattie Mihalik at newsgirl@comcast.net.