Michel: Accepting the things I can not change
Published 9:57 am Saturday, February 8, 2020
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I know I have an issue. I just didn’t realize that others were onto me until my granddaughter Adeline looked up from her new desk and said, “Now we need to put those things on the bottom.”
“What things?” I asked the seven-year-old.
“Those round things you put on the bottom of your furniture.”
I didn’t think she noticed, but it’s true. Because I frequently move my living room furniture, I’ve left felt sliders under the legs for more than two years.
This past week, I moved the furniture many times. When I was finally content with the arrangement, I laughed as I realized it was in its original place.
Michael used to comment on my recurring room rearrangements until I reminded him that my activity costs him nothing. Thanks to those furniture gliders, he doesn’t even have to help.
My daughters have suggested I change the living room – remove one wall and relocate the door. My husband Michael and I are not those people. We do not remove walls or relocate doors. In our minds, those are permanent and not subject to change.
After yet another day of sliding my sofa to other end of the room, God reminded me that – in living rooms and in life – there are some things that cannot change: age, other people’s decisions, and in my case, walls and doors. I can only control what I do with my time one earth, my reactions to other’s decisions, and furniture placement.
What do I do with situations beyond my control? I find peace when I whisper the prayer, “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”
Ronny Michel can be reached at rmichel@rtconline.com.