Serenity now!

God,

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

This is what's come to be known as the AA Serenity Prayer. According to Wikipedia, a version of the prayer was originally composed by Protestant theologian Reinhold Niebuhr in the early 1930s. Initially popularized by one of his colleagues, the prayer began to spread widely. In June 1941, the prayer was published in an obituary in the New York Herald Tribune, and from there became known by the first AA group. The organization embraced it and spread it widely. We say it before every AA meeting I've ever been too, I think.

The Serenity Prayer was one of the main topics at my noon homegroup meeting yesterday, as it was the focus of the AA daily reflection. I shared that the prayer had become like a theme in my life. That's one of the benefits of being a recovering alcoholic, which I often thank God that I am.

There was a time in my professional career when I thought I knew all the answers. If anyone suggested an approach different from the one I believed was the only way to go, I argued and sometimes put others down. What's the matter with him? Didn't I make myself clear? A plus B equals C, not D. Anyone could see that.

Too bad I didn't embrace the Serenity Prayer years earlier. I couldn't change other people and I lacked the serenity of embracing that reality. I could only control my own thoughts and actions, but I didn't know the difference between what I could change and what I could not.

Ever watch Seinfeld? Serenity now!!! Check out this clip:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV26jV9danI