Grant Me the Wisdom…

Basically, God, grant me the wisdom to remember that I am not you. Fr. James Martin, SJ

Wise words I should repeat every day, especially at work.

These wise words came right on time. I returned to work this past Monday after a week’s sick leave for severe vertigo. I have been blessed to be generally healthy during my 47 years. I have had very few hospital stays, and my emergency room visits were due to family members. This is only the second time that I was admitted to emergency (the first was for precaution after a car accident). The whole event was a traumatic experience that left me questioning every part of my life. 

God grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change…Fr. James Martin, SJ

Although stress wasn’t a major factor in my illness, I don’t want it to be a future trigger. I work in education, so I deal with every personality type you can imagine. (Not even talking about the students.) I am and have always been a rule-follower. I am also a hardcore Cancer. (You know how Type-A we can be.) So, dealing with people who don’t care about rules and have an excuse for everything, has been my challenge.

Why should it be? I am not their boss or supervisor. I should only have an issue when it directly has impacted my work (been there these past few years). Yet, I still take it to heart when I am held to extremely high standards and others are given a sympathetic pass (while their work portion is passed on to me). 

It’s better for me to focus on changing myself than to worry about changing other people. Fr. James Martin, SJ

These past two weeks have given the gift of a new perspective. This poem had the words I needed to hear. 

Finally give me the wisdom to just shut up whenever I think that I’m clearly smarter than everyone else in the room…Fr. James Martin, SJ

This line says it best. I don’t have to speak on everything. My superhero cape does not need to make an appearance every time. I am not always correct. Sometimes my point of view can be biased according to how I would handle any given situation. I definitely don’t have all of the answers. I am not God. 

That means less stress for me and possibly for you. You see, I know there are other women like me who feel the urge to speak on every issue. Other women who feel the need to solve every problem at work when it really doesn’t affect them. 

This poem may be what we both need to let go of the weight of the world and to focus on our personal growth. It’s time for me to let God handle changing others.