July 4
RENTING JOY
I cannot buy happiness.
No matter how much money I spend, how hard I work, I can never pay bliss
off on lay away. The angles of escape
for glee are phenomenal. I see runaway
emotions and must concede ownership.
When opportunities arise for satisfaction I pay the fare and take the
trip. The boat isn’t mine to keep but
the tour is forever in my heart. I can’t
take it home to bury it in the yard.
Like a wild thing I can leave joy where I find it. I never need to cage or bind it. I need to enjoy each measure while the music
plays. I remunerate for time in
proximity; delight arrives and stays as long as it likes. I linger at the table and enjoy my
dessert. Leasing elation is an occasion
of celebration. Living moment to moment
has given me this chance. So, I take it.
Copy your favorite
shape.
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What is at the Eye of the Storm?
Serenity is the alignment of three knowledges
1. Knowing that I am not without skill, talent, gifts.
2.Knowing that I am not without community,
connection, comfort.
3.Knowing that I am not without God,
whether or not I believe God is able to intervene.
When I am in full or even partial possession of these three
I am safe from storm, or no, drought,
or no, fiery hairy pestilence.
Without this knowledge everything is
storm, drought and pestilence,
no matter what anyone else says or all evidence to the
contrary.
I will make my own mess when bereft.
I will pay a large price for ignoring the facts
and the lion’s share of this loss is loss of my serenity
You are reading selections from Sober on the Way to Sane
and More Lines From My Life by Sherrie Theriault
