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Embracing Calm In A World Driven By Chaos.

A Resolution To Make No Resolution.

By Cathy (Christine Acheini) Ben-Ameh Published 2 years ago 3 min read
2

It's another New Year's Eve and everywhere I turn online or terrestrially, people are talking about New Year Resolutions. The resolutions I hear or read about range from choosing new friends, walking away from negativity, spending less money, making it a point to take more risks in life, making more time for family, losing weight, gaining weight... and the list goes on and on.

After over twenty or so years of making new year resolutions (I imagine it's so much more or less for others, however ,the point remains relatable to us all) I believe that there really is little or no point in making New Year Resolutions.

Therefore, I make the ironic conclusion to rest completely aside everyone and anything that presents chaos to my heart and emotions or any part of my world. A bit of this decision is inspired by The Serenity Prayer- a prayer written by the American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971). It is commonly quoted as:

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.

I have spent so much of my life trying to be relatable to people who do not care to relate to me and loving a few who have consciously made the decision not to love me in return that I ended up neglecting those who relate to me and genuinely love me too. What use is a world where millions of us displace our important connections repeatedly in the search for what does not serve us in any way, shape or form?

I am choosing to embrace calm regardless of the storms that life brings;

In 2021 I lost my father in the first quarter and a few months later got diagnosed with Stage three Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Every time I go for chemotherapy and the incredibly physically, emotionally draining and difficult days following, I am reminded of the meaningless nature of most of what we pursue in life only to be leveled to the same status in the end by death. The pain can be so overwhelming but the calm in knowing that I started learning this lesson long before daddy passed on keeps me going.

Other people's storms like mine come in form of the anxiety of being accepted by society, making tons of money, and keeping up all sorts of appearances. Well, I choose to rest in the calm of doing the best I reasonably can with everyday I have left in this world prioritizing my real family and true friends who love me too; It is in the little things like paying attention, sending the message as often that I can that I genuinely care about them and give the best that I can which does not necessarily have to be material but, of who I am and who they need me to be to them at any given time.

In accepting the things that I cannot change and courageously making effort to make a difference in any situation that does not serve my best interest, all that I require most of all in towing the perfect line between both options is the wisdom to know the difference. Have I overestimated serenity itself? Is that prayer I earlier quoted even a possibility?

A Bible story about Jesus commanding a storm at sea to be still and it obeyed him might be a helpful illustration in what I am trying to say. The story highlights that even when his disciples and everyone on the boat were terrified of the boat sinking, and I imagine using buckets to pack out waters coming in from the sea, he (Jesus) was sleeping. This is the calm I hope to be able to command regardless of the storms life brings through situations or people.

I want to be calm enough to effortlessly command life to be still without needing to even raise my voice with the slightest sound, shape or form.

self help
2

About the Creator

Cathy (Christine Acheini) Ben-Ameh

Bio:

Cathy Ben-Ameh has published two books; "The Impact of Music Streaming on The Music Industry: Case study-Spotify" and "'13- A Chapbook of 13 Short Poems". https://linktr.ee/cathybenameh

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