A Meditation on Change

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, of course, is the legendary “Serenity Prayer” of Alcoholics Anonymous – but it’s also a meditation for those of us who may be more secular in our perspective on life, the universe and everything.  The thing I love best about this saying is its acknowledgment of our power and our powerlessness.  At the end of the day, change is not about acceptance…it’s not about courage…and it’s not just about wisdom; it’s how all three, together, create pretext and process for our engagement in this thing we call living.

I’m thinking about change today because individuals with whom I’ve worked through the years are walking down new paths in their lives, and they will be missed.  But they are also doing what is best for them, too – and that takes a courage that I envy.

I’m thinking about change, too, because the world feels like a risky place to me these days and I struggle with having the requisite wisdom to navigate it in a way that protects my family; a hard thing to know, and harder to do.

And, finally, I’m thinking about change because each day I am a little older and more in awe of the blessings that I’ve been surprised by, and fortunate enough to enjoy, in my life.  Blessings that I want to fiercely protect even as they drive me closer to the edge of change every day.

So, on days like today, when the ground beneath me starts to shift ever so slightly and I feel a little bit off balance, I struggle for serenity and try to embrace change even if I don’t fully like it or understand it.  Because change, as I‘ve sometimes learned the hard way, is what makes life interesting.