The Wisdom to Know the Difference...
I was at the airport after a quick trip to attend the funeral of a beloved aunt. As the boarding was beginning, the gate attendants made an announcement that there were lightning strikes in the area. They wanted to board the plane quickly so they could get us out of there before these strikes reached the airport, which would trigger a full airport closure. It was a bit alarmist and frankly I think really intended to make sure everyone hurried the heck up getting their bags into the overheads and sit down.
I was sitting next to two college-aged women who began to panic. Each was trying to calm the other down, but their anxiety was palpable. I asked them if DC was their final destination or if they had a connection to make.
“No, we are headed to Togo in West Africa tonight”.
An airport closure was really gonna mess up their weekend.
My maternal instincts kicked in. I tried to reassure them that the lightning must be far enough away that they COULD still get us out of here on time. I could tell the thought of the lightning itself was playing a part too. I offered distraction.
“Have you ever been to Africa?” I asked.
“No.”
“Have you been out of the country before?”
“No.”
“Do you mind if I ask what’s bringing you to Togo?”
My distraction was successful as they began to tell me about the 6-week mission trip they were embarking on. I do not practice a specific faith, but I truly respect and value the peaceful and kind values so many of them embody and have grown up familiar with many of their messages. So I asked:
“Are you guys familiar with the serenity prayer?”
The young woman closest to me proceeded to show me where she had it tattooed on her arm.
The Serenity Prayer traces back to a protestant theologian in the 1930s and has had a long evolution. Perhaps the most familiar incarnation is this one, used by Alcoholics Anonymous since the 1940s.
“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”
At its core are the concepts of acceptance, courage & wisdom. Its usefulness does not require a belief in God but simply a wish for peacefulness and calm.
Anxiety is the opposite of this isn’t it?
No matter what we did, or how much we talked about it, we had zero control over the lightning, the delay, or how quickly the people would load the overhead bins.
No matter how much I freak out about my teens driving at night, it won’t prevent an accident. Save my energy for a real crisis I hope never happens.
I cannot control who is running for office, but I can vote.
I cannot single handedly stop climate change, but I can be more prepared for a flood, a hurricane, or a heat wave.
When you are able to develop this mindset, life gets a little more peaceful. But it’s certainly easier said than done.
The Serenity Prayer overlaps with some of the concepts of mental fitness. Mental fitness involves strengthening the non-fight or flight part of your brain, largely through mindfulness practices. When you are mentally fit you can handle life’s challenges with a more positive mindset and much less stress.
You become able to accept, have courage, and use wisdom to choose your course of action.
We accepted, we had courage; we boarded the plane and took off without seeing a drop of rain or lightning. It was serene indeed.
Want to learn more about developing your mental fitness? I’m hosting a free webinar about it next month if you are interested. Click here to register & learn more.
What I’m Consuming This Month…
TV
I’m busy trying to wrap up various series I’ve been watching sporadically. I finally finished season 3 of Bridgerton (Netflix). Working through season 3 of The Bear (Hulu), and got absolutely absorbed in The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst and The Jinx pt 2 (MAX). Insane story I’d only known bits and pieces about. I lost the bulk of a night’s sleep watching.
Podcast
I’ve gotten very into mindfulness exercises that involve sound and my sister sent me this podcast Twenty Thousand Hertz which is all about sound. I’m just starting to get into it, but I loved the one examining insurance companies being among the last industries to fully embrace the ‘jingle’. “Like a good neighbor…”
Movie
With all the promotion around Inside Out 2, I wanted to re-watch Inside Out. I had only watched once when it first came out in 2015, when my kids were just 9 & 10 years old. I remembered that it was clever and boy is it! Such a delightful journey into psychology. I laughed out loud when they went inside the Mom’s head to show her emotions having a meeting. Unlike the little girl, who’s emotional leader is Joy, her mom’s top boss is Sadness. In the girl’s head all the different emotions bounce around her brain like electrons, but the mom's emotional board of directors remains calm, unified, and on the job at their desk at all times. Strong example of what moms do.
News About StepOne
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Would you like to have more fun? Be content every day? Have relationships with great communication and understanding? Be less stressed? Achieve peace of mind? Live a life of ease, and flow? Have the clarity to design a life that aligns with what matters most to you?!?
Sounds like a tall order, but if you are mentally fit, you can have all this and more.
I’m offering a FREE webinar next month for you to learn more about mental fitness and how you may be self-sabotaging yourself and your intentions. In it, I will also share information about my 10-week mental fitness program.
I’ll be offering it at two different times, click on of the times below to register for your preferred session.
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