Dr. Reinhold Niebuhr’s famous Serenity Prayer delivered in a sermon in 1934 and at the time went viral. It hasn’t lost its impact and still with us today and known around the world as words to live by and inspiration to get through another minute, hour, and day:
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference
Being human, as most of us profess to be, tasks us from time to time breaking out our old patterns and norms that have become unhelpful so we adopt new ideas that help us. It’s in our self interest and self preservation. It allows us to show humanity to those we are lucky enough to still have in our lives that remain and haven’t run off. We as a species need to adapt. Evolving is crucial to life as we are able to see things with fresh eyes. It’s good for us. We lower our anxieties and raise ourselves through good works, public service, helping others without expecting favor, and forgiving ourselves and others so that we do not stunt our growth. Growth does not stop at eight, eighteen or eighty.
Release what’s not working for you and try something that might. There’s is no great reason to being risk adverse to improvement, enlightenment, or love. It’s a choice.
Be strong like bamboo it bends but does not break. Save your strength instead of wasting it on petty battles.
No one can take your joy, dreams, and peace. If they do, walk. Hit the road and don’t look back and stop suffering the insufferable.
When all else fails crying is good for us as it releases chemicals that live in our tears that were designed to help us. Your body is doing its part to help, heal and unburden us through chemistry.
When all else fails laugh out loud at the absurdity of life’s fickleness. Your laughter causes your mind to release tension by releasing dopamine into your brain’s pleasure center.
When all else fails talk it out to a friendly pair of ears. Talking about it is one of the best tried and true ways to Get It Out. Some call it talk therapy. Others call it a friend.
Whether one selects one or all of the above strategies, you will feel your spirit slip back into your self again, feeling like the good person you wish to be, doing the best you can and energized to live to fight another day, and that is more than enough.
Above all, try to avoid all things toxic in the first place and instead look for and embrace all things that make life sacred for you. Be one with yourself so you can reclaim your humanity and treat others with humanity.
Be strong like bamboo!
S.L. Peterson, Author
See a review here of my new book, “When Stars Align Destiny Happens”
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