“S’posed to, huh?; Well who wrote the  “s’posed to” book?—Jean Ward

I have a favorite aunt.  There are many reasons she is my favorite, but the above quote (oft-uttered by her) probably sums them all up.   Her point being, there is usually more than one way to get something accomplished.

She never let anything stop her from doing what she wanted to do, particularly not pre-conceived notions or opinions of others.  It is a common trait on the Ward side of the family, that we don’t let obstacles stand in our way.  Determined.  Hard-headed.  Stubborn. These are the words that come to mind.  I don’t know if you can call us “outside the box” thinkers, exactly.   But you can count on the fact that our “boxes” don’t resemble yours.

I also like; “If all else fails, change your perspective”.  If you don’t like something, change it.   If you can’t change it, then change the way you think about it.    Sometimes you  need to lower your standards a little, sometimes you need to reach down deeper, and sometimes you must get what you need from  something or someone outside yourself.    How about this one from my cousin Kim, Jean’s daughter.  “One thing I have figured out; there is a God and I’m not him”.    There is wisdom in knowing that all the willpower and determination in the world, can’t change some things.  The trick is figuring out the difference.

Which brings me to another of my favorites:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,  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 hardship 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 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.

(God Grant Me The Serenity aka “Serenity Prayer”) by Reinhold Niebuhr