Hakuna Matata...by Angie Terry

Hakuna Matata....what a wonderful phrase!   Hakuna Matata....Ain’t no passing craze! It means no worries for the rest of your days.   It’s a problem-free philosophy....HAKUNA MATATA!

Yeah, it is my motto! What's a motto witch you...Not following me? :-)

It started a few days ago when I was loading ring tones for my family and when I got to my little sister Mary...the baby of the family who is now a mother herself...I thought of her with her two children and her wonderful Husband Ben, all living with my father and trying to make the best of the situation!  Mary has always been the sunshine of my family's lives and most especially for my mother!  She has taken on the responsibility of combining two households and going through all of my mother’s belongings with mass amounts of tears and memories flooding her mind as she decided what to keep, what to give away, and what to sell, and what to put in the garbage. I was thinking about Mary and trying to decide what song would remind me the most of her and Hakuna Matata came to mind like lightning...I knew that was the ring tone for her!  

Ever since I downloaded that song..it has been on my mind.  I was working at the salon the other day and talking with one of my clients about T.V. and I told her I have almost quit watching T.V. ...mostly because what I want to feel from entertainment is not there. She asked me what I meant by that and it came to me like lightning again! I then told her that I decided to compare whatever I was watching on T.V. to the song Hakuna Matata...if the two didn't emulate each other...then I wouldn't watch that particular program  My client then said with a smile, “well then...I guess you’re not watching much T.V. these days!"   I thought about her comment...and you know what...she was right, I don’t watch much T.V.!  

After that great exchange with my client...I decided then and there that this would be my life's Motto: If I can’t have Hakuna Matata playing and have it fit the situation, then I am removing the situation from my life!   I immediately felt happy about my decision and started thinking of the things in life that fit with Hakuna Matata!  

I have often thought how lucky I am to be given the natural instinct to be happy. I love to share my ability to be happy with people who find themselves depressed and unhappy in life. My father also has that wonderful gift! Even in difficult times, I have seen him knocked to the ground and he will stand up...dust off his pants and smile and go forward...My dad is amazing!  After losing his wife, and mother, in just a few months AND his home totally changing with family moving in....he still finds the joy in life!  My dad can laugh and cry in the same minute and then say something really corny, smile and go about his day wiping his tears away. I find myself able to follow my father’s lead and I thank God for his example!  

If I could write a book about Hakuna Matata, I would suggest that everyone commit to  one act of service for someone other than yourself, per day!   I have put that mantra to the test and it is incredible the joy you feel and the lessons you learn from applying that simple principle!  Ironically, it helps you feel better about yourself as you realize how blessed you are.  I recently put this into action while meeting a man at my local grocery store.

I will never forget that man in line at the grocery store.  It was just before Thanksgiving and I was lost in my own grief about losing my mother and not paying much attention to people around me.  As I was standing in line to purchase my groceries, a man starting to engage in conversation with me.  My initial reaction was not to talk back to him as I really didn't feel like talking...but as he continued in his attempts I found out he was all by himself and he was buying Thanksgiving dinner for himself and his cats. He told me of the food each one of his pets loved and how much joy these animals brought to his life.  He continued and related how much he enjoyed his truck. In the short time we talked, he was so appreciative of my listening to his story that by the time we made it to the register, he encouraged me to go ahead of him in the check-out line!  I was shocked...and I thanked him for his kind offer but I explained that I wasn't  in a hurry.  After he was done at the register he thanked me for talking to him and wished me a very Happy Thanksgiving. As he walked out of the store I thought of my own sorrow and it seemed a little lighter after meeting him and I am so glad I could look past my own self for a minute and spend some time with someone who just needed to talk.

So I ask you....what is your Hakuna Matata? I challenge everyone reading this post to find "no worries for the rest of your days." However, that doesn't mean we won’t have hard times...but rather look for the positive among the negative!  Find joy in the simple things that can fill your life with happiness! ...I challenge you to play that song in your mind and heart and if the situation doesn’t fit…change it!  Then dance like Timon and Pumbaa when singing Hukuna  Matata!