Just for Today

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.

Of all the prayers I have ever learned, this is the one that means the most to me. I wear it on a chain around my neck and recite it silently when I'm up against the dark side of my own self. It's a constant reminder that my own life is all I can hope to control. It's simplicity is profound and it has saved me time and time again from the sheer futility of chaos and the random and unpredictable actions of others. I think about the words and how they apply to every day living and all kinds of situations and they bring comfort, like taking a deep breath to calm down or a time out before I have the chance to say something that is bound to make a bad situation worse. Serenity is a place I can go that is free of wasted worry and misspent energy.

It's premise is so fundamental that it's easily missed. We have to look inward for change, for solutions, for peace. I can change the way I react to people but not the people. I can't fix anyone, can't free them from own demons or make them over. Blame is on the bottom shelf and the closest to me but reaching for it solves nothing. A mirror would be far more useful. And this I resist wholeheartedly - I want to be justified and in the right when I act badly. I want it to be someone else's fault. I want the fairy tale that love is the answer when love isn't even the issue.

So I keep the prayer close to me always. To keep me in touch with something greater than myself, to help me remember not to cling too tightly to the wrong people or the wrong notions. To remind me to slow down, take life one day at a time and not get lost in the past or overwhelmed by the future. It helps me let go of the pettiness and the resentments, the hurt feelings, the grudges, the everyday fears and stress.

Just for today, I will keep my temper, hold my tongue, and be positive. Just for today I will smile, be cheerful, and not critisize. Just for today, I will look for the good in everyone I meet. I will be patient and pleasant, gracious and grateful. Just for today I will not hold to yesterday or worry about tomorrow. Just for one day.