I love that serenity prayer:

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference. “

The older I get the more I realize the only thing I can change is myself.

My attitude.

The work I choose to focus on.

Last night I re-watched The Rescuers. It’s a little silly, two mice trying to save a little girl from horrible kidnappers, but I found myself breaking down and crying.

I don’t think I did that when I was younger.

The poor little girl is so stoic in the face of horrendous abuse. The casual things that over the top villain says to her…just broke my heart because I know that kids are subjected to comments like that.

It made me want to reach out to all the poor abused and orphaned kids in the world, gather them up in my arms–as if I could–and promise to take care of them.

Yeah right.

I can barely just keep my own work up to date.

And I’m getting older.

Pretty soon I’ll be 58 and there are times that I feel it.

And despite trying not to let the outside world and what I can’t control get me down–I was genuinely saddened when the Senate refused to hold Trump accountable for his extortion of Ukraine for his own political ends.

In three and a half years have we really come this far? Where evil has become this brazen?

It’s been fascinating to watch the fabric of our society, the social norms and values we took for granted, crumble in the face of dysfunction and reveal how easily people sell their souls for a few dollars.

It’s been illuminating especially with regards to one of my works in progress. I’m currently mired in the year 1828, dealing with the election of Andrew Jackson over John Quincy Adams and darn it if isn’t similar to what’s happening today.

I read a quote recently from someone who lamented about that famous saying, “Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” But those who do learn from history are doomed to watch helplessly as it is being repeated.

That’s where we’re at. And how do we keep our sanity? How do we keep from getting depressed?

The way I do it is again, focus on what I can change.

Little steps.

And isn’t it interesting that in our scriptures God says that the actions that are most beloved to Him are those that even if they are small, they’re done consistently.

It’s no coincidence that the most popular movies for many years now are based on superheroes. Superheroes do ‘grand’ acts. They’re huge gestures, saving the world, spectacular.

Spectacle is not hard.

It’s the daily grind that is hard. It’s the thankless task of raising a child that is hard.

Everyone these days wants to be a superhero, with accolades and people who worship them! Asthaghfirullah!

It’s ego, ego, ego, and it’s very hard not to get caught up in it.

Twitter, Facebook, instagram and all social media is designed for likes and popularity and it’s hard to be an author and not feel obliged to get involved. It feels like you’re getting left behind.

And yet I will resist.

And I will persist.

There’s really not much choice for anything else.

All we can do is what good lies within our grasp and I believe there are good reasons we are not given more power than we have, perhaps the power would lead us astray.

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Pardon all the platitudes today. I’m just feeling very pensive.

Now back to work.

1828, what an interesting year in American history that was!!!