I think Google killed my sense of faith.

Source: thegirlswithglasses.com via Annette on Pinterest 

I am not going to tell you just how many times a day I consult Google.

For everything.

"How long do canned artichokes keep in the fridge?"

"Is this skin cancer?"

"What are my odds of dying from (insert wildest imagined fate here)?"

Since I have been able to Google anything and everything, I stop trying things on good faith.

Trial and error are things of the past, because I now I can ask the wonderful world of Google for all of its deepest, darkest (and pretty awful) wisdom.

I no longer take leaps of faith. Not that I ever did, really. But it's even worse now.

Because now I like to look at the odds, and put some weight behind them.

"What are the odds of getting murdered?"

"What are the odds of getting divorced?"

"What are the odds of getting cancer?"

But the odds don't help, because no matter how small they are, someone, somewhere, is that one in one million. Could that be me?

Of all the awful things in the world, one of them is bound to happen to me, right?

Additionally, sometimes I make the mistake of...asking for advice from strangers online.

I've done it on this blog. I do it on forums every now and again.

Trust me, NEVER do that. 

TruckerBabe8 doesn't actually know you, 

and what's right for her is not right for you. (Or probably anyone...)

See also: Stay away from news story comment sections.

The thing I often fail to remember is that when bad things do happen, I survive.

I get on with my life, just like everyone else, and I overcome whatever it may be.

Typically, the things I freak out the most about are the things that exist only in my mind.

Those mysterious sirens known as the "what-ifs."

But real life? I take it in stride, just like everyone else.

Because, well, what choice do we have?

We have friends and family so that when the *stuff* hits the fan, someone is there to crack a joke about it, or cry with you. Or tell you to stop being stupid. Or to freak out with you, so YOU can see how dumb it sounds.

I can't guarantee I will avoid Google the next time I find a mysterious mark,

but I can consciously swear to chill the heck out.

And as for the odds, screw 'em. 

I operate a vehicle every day, and here I am, surviving to tell the tale.

Now, onto class.

I'm not even going to check the weather before I head out.

And it seems Mother Nature has been in a confused, drunken stupor lately.

Just a light jacket. Now that's living on the edge.

-H