FOOD FOR THOUGHT ~ Week 2 ~ 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.” —Reinhold Niebuhr

The only constant is change.  We are immersed in it.  It can be empowering to recognize that we live in a constant state of flux and more importantly...that this is a normal process in life. Rather than trying to control what we cannot, when we allow life to flow, we can choose to respond rather than to react to that which arises.  

In chapter 1 of the Yoga Sutras (the basis for Classic Yoga today).  
Patanjali says essentially that if we learn to quiet the mind then we will find pure awareness.  This takes practice and nonreaction to patterns: our right perceptions, misperceptions, ideas, memory and deep sleep.  Once we have achieved no attachment nor judgement based on our patterns, we can see clearly without reaction, and be in the moment with pure awareness.  Once there or even close to there, we can choose how to respond or NOT.    

86,400 seconds in a day.  There are for more options than we think.

Patanjali is very clear, this takes practice and time.  Accepting that we are all human and therefore not perfect, certainly helps when you find yourself reacting vs responding.  

Food for thought:  What steps could you take to accept the things that you cannot control, and the courage to change those that you can?