Wednesday 11 January 2012

Resolutions & Serenity

I love new beginnings. They warm my heart and give me a fuzzy feeling. The kind of feeling that Barbie gets when she sees Ken, yes that one. I have always, at least for the most part, welcomed new years with much excitement and expectation. Last year was the exception to the rule; and with good reason... This year is the rule. I am excited about this year... Excited and scared, a little bit though. I'm scared about putting my eggs in the 2012 basket. So to deal with my fears, I decided to make plans, not resolutions, for the new year. I am of the opinion resolutions are almost always preceded by a past activity or event. Plans, not so much (Debatable, I know). Anyhow, there is this cliché habit of asking people what their new year resolutions are... So boring! Please note I am just as guilty of asking the same question. Anyway, I was chatting with a friend who asked me what my resolutions or plans for the year are. As I shared my plans/resolutions or rather gave him a summary version of the same he sent me a link (I suppose based on what I had said)  on the serenity prayer. Yes most of us know it, but I shall share it again:

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.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time; 
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world 
as it is,not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right 
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

~Reinhold Niebuhr~

*
TAFADHALI 
TAFAKARI HAYO*



Here is the thing: Resolutions are, in my opinion, things we make to give us a reason to live. They are a reason to wake up in the morning believing that your contribution to the society on that day will either change you, someone or the world at large. I have said the serenity prayer countless times in my life, I even had it on my bedroom wall but it never hit home like it did this time. Seeing this prayer while chatting with my friend led me to think that perhaps its best to seek serenity in my life; because that way I will ACCEPT the world as it is and not as I would have it, I will have less to worry about, I will trust that  happiness may be my portion and accept hardships... I will chase serenity faster the David Rudisha ran the 800M race :-)

By the way,this guy was robbed at gun-point on the 3rd January. Waaaay to start the year right? No? C'est la vie. The robbery was a scene from the movies, or so he said. The whole charade; thugs point a gun to your head, inch it closer and closer to your forehead so that you can feel the cold metal on your skin (in case you thought for one second it was a toy), they ask you to hand over your phones, wallets  e.t.c. then out of the darkness, you hear gunshots, and no you haven't been shot at. Its the cops shooting at the thugs. Apparently someone saw the robbery happening, tipped off the cops, cops run to the rescue. Gunshots are in the air, you expect that at any minute you will die, perhaps a stray bullet given the history of our boys in blue and their aiming skill, or lack thereof. He didn't get shot at accidentally, he didn't die either; and because of that I am on a mission to dish-out as many gun-related jokes as possible. That is what life is about, finding humour in everything. 


When I asked him what are his resolutions for the new year, his response: "All I have now is a blank piece of paper, an empty wallet and a second chance to live each day as if it is my last. That is my mantra for this year." (P.s. That is a paraphrased version of it, its wiser and more refined :-)  but it was something to that effect!)


I wish myself a serene year full of acceptance, courage and wisdom.. and I wish you all a double portion of the same! Happy New Year!!!


HEEEEEELLLLLLOOOOO 2012 :-) :-) :-)