Wisdom to know

 

Most people have seen the Serenity Prayer. It is nearly ever-present in the United States, at least, and people who have no connection with any Twelve Steps groups have it hanging on their walls or on the bookmarks tucked into the latest beach read. It is associated most with Alcoholics Anonymous, but it did not originate with them. The story is that an early AA member attended a funeral and came back with the program which included a longer version of the prayer, composed by American Protestant theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. The AA group liked it so much that they adapted an abbreviated form of it, the form in which it has become widely known.

Here is the longer version:

God, give us grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.

Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next.
Amen.

 Recently I stumbled across a list of "things you can control right now" and that I have taken to reviewing in the morning as a reminder of where to put my mental and other energies when I want to go off on a fret about all those things I cannot change.  You can see the whole list by clicking on that link, but here are a few things to give you an idea.

1. How many times you smile today.
2. How much effort you exert at work.
3. Your level of honesty.
4. How well you prepare.
5. How you act on your feelings.
6. How often you say “thank you.”
7. When you pull out your wallet for luxuries.
8. Whether or not you give someone the benefit of the doubt.
9. How you interpret situations.
10. Whether or not you compete with people around you.
11. How often you notice and appreciate small acts of kindness.
12. Whether you listen or wait to talk.
13. When you walk away from a conversation.
14. How nice you are to yourself in your head.
15. Whether you think positive or negative thoughts.
16. Whether or not you form expectations of people.
17. The type of food you eat.
18. When you answer someone’s question—or email or call.
19. How much time you spend worrying.
20. How many new things you try.
21. How much exercise you get.
22. How many times you swear in traffic...