Whenever I fear suffering from the anxiety of what will be, I ask myself, “Lynda, what can you do?” I am powerless over people, places, things, my past, and my future, but I am not powerless over how I respond to the world.

What I know to do is get quiet in prayer and meditation. My plea is usually for guidance and the ability to quiet my mind. When I listen during these moments, the direction is for me to reach out to others, perhaps with a phone call, a written note or a card, or even a text, because my familiarity has been to get out of self from righteous indignation.

Physical activity is essential, whether a walk around the block or intentional time on my yoga mat; stretching, bending, relaxing, deep breathing, staying in the moment bring about significant serenity.

Reading literature on self-improvement brings about contemplation, even sometimes the outcome is awe. When I try to get people to do what I want them to do, it causes me discombobulation. And that’s nonsense since I know the outcome can be confrontational. So instead, I try to have the joy of accepting people where they are because this keen sense of awareness is to walk in the direction of the solution, comforting that spiritual axiom within myself.

I hope to use the common sense of doing the next right thing, and sometimes that is as simple as writing a gratitude list. Although I attempted to replace the news, I know that social media is not my friend; that is more the reason to look inward.  

Instead of thinking I am not good enough, all I have to do is look in the mirror and know that I am loved just the way I am. There is a solution. As long as I remember, drinks, drugs, and chaos go hand in hand, which is not the remedy—that’s why I will stay in the solution.