Waiting With Good Grace.

The tumour which the vet removed from our little dog's leg yesterday, turned out to be considerably larger than it appeared from the surface. He's sleeping quietly in his carry-kennel. Because of the size of the wound, he must be kept on bed rest for 8-10 days. We have to wait for a week or so to find out what it was. Thanks for the concern and good wishes. I'll let you know, when I know.

I was up early this morning to give him his pain meds, and after doing that, went out to see how the garden was faring, after the pounding rain of last night. Only one rather skinny-stemmed delphinium was irretrievably bent; the rest of the garden was "bowed, but not broken." A few hours of sun, to dry the weight of the water from the leaves and blooms, and there will be no evidence of the beating the garden took from that rain.

I got up today feeling serene and peaceful. I have learned in Al-Anon that I cannot hurry life, my Higher Power, or the world, to accord to my schedule.They each move at their own measure, and I must fit myself to that. If I cannot, I will endure a great deal of unhappiness through my impatience, and all of my self-imposed suffering will not speed things up one smidgen.

I have learned to wait with good grace. Another of the many blessings of this program. Today's reading in Courage to Change speaks of "thinking in extremes." I could relate to that.  I was not a person who was able to compromise or adjust; I was rigid in my beliefs, habits, and thought patterns. When I thought in extremes, I sorted others into arbitrary categories, and then dismissed them. This allowed me to get on with the real business of life - worrying. 

Today, I can accept that "it is what it is." Railing against reality, hiding from it, ranting about the way it should be: these don't work for me. Prayer works. So does acceptance. Getting on with the daily tasks, keeping a sense of proportion, not taking myself too seriously; those are my better ways of coping, and I owe them all to Al-Anon.