Since I began this blog there have been so many things that have changed through the years. In a lot of respects it seems that everything has changed from my weight going up and down, beloved pets have passed, new pets have been rescued, new friends made old relationships ended, two precious family members passed away, new family added by birth and by marriage, even my spiritual beliefs have evolved since I started. The saying goes that everything changes. In the pas these changes are not always things that I accept readily, I tend to resist change with some degree of intensity because so much of it happens beyond my control. That is really what I was fighting, the fact that many of the things in my life that were changing were doing so because of something that I had no control over. This was something that bothered me greatly but the past eighteen months or so have been very transformative for me in the way that I approach things and slowly I am beginning to welcome the change rather than resist it. I am accepting the things that I can not change and focusing on the things or thing that I can which in most cases is simply my reaction to the change. This concept is something that has been repeated like mantra over and over since I was only four years old but I did not take the time until recently to embrace it as a principle by which to live. It comes from the Serenity Prayer. Many people are familiar with some version of this prayer but just in case you are not here it goes.
Grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change
the courage to to change the things that I can
and the wisdom to know the difference.
The words are simple and straight forward but to put them into practice is not always so simple. For such a short simply worded prayer it can pack a punch. I have said this prayer so many times and in so many different situations but now I am fortunate enough to be able to see the impact that the wisdom in knowing the difference really has in my life. This understanding and wisdom has lead to such a reduction in my stress and anxiety levels and has become even more important to me now.
How do you approach change? Do you fight it? Embrace it? How do you handle it? Let me know in the comment section below.
