The Stuff I Call Serenity

"Hope for Today"
Today is Thursday, May 20, 2010.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Serenity is not about the end of pain. It is about my ability to flourish peacefully no matter what life brings my way.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY:
"I felt utterly at peace with life and at the same time filled with joy. At that moment, I realized this was serenity, and I laughed out loud for the sheer; glorious pleasure of it" ("From Survival to Recovery," p.268; Virginia Beach, VA).

SEOC's SHARE FOR TODAY:

Once, one of my favorite all-time comic strip characters, Hagar the Horrible, was offered three choices.

1) Become all-powerful and rule the world.
2) Get all the money and become the richest man in the world.
3) He could have "true happiness."

My hero choose option 1. His reasoning was that if he could rule the world, he'd take all the money and be truly happy. Of course, I smile when I see logic go in that direction, but deep down, I know that happiness doesn't work like that. Isn't it true that the richer one becomes, the more stress one has?

Education, financial success, respectability, good health, loving families... sure they all can contribute, set the stage for one to be happy. They are not, however, the source. The source of true happiness, the stuff I call Serenity, that peace of mind, comes from within. Take away all those good conditions, and one can still have Serenity. This is something so real that not even conflicts, commotions and chaos can make it fall. They can make an impact on our peacefulness, but only if we allow it to. The choice is ours and ours to make. This is what true happiness is and so I smile every time I think of Hagar's choice.

When I have Serenity, it doesn't matter what happens in the day to day, dog eat world. I still have the strength to carry on and keep what's left of my sanity. I trust that something good will come out of anything, even though I may not see how it will come to be. I trust that someone is looking out for me and has my back. Whether for good or ill, it doesn't matter. Things will always work out in the end. Now that's Serenity!

Gras agus sith dhut, (Grace and peace to you)
Seoc Dughlas

"Hope for Today" is a daily meditation book published by Al-Anon Family Groups and is focused on issues faced by Adult Children of Alcoholics.