Don’t lunge at the gerbil. He’s already frightened, and chasing him just scares him more and makes us crazy.

Detachment works. ~ Beattie, Melody. The Language of Letting Go: Hazelden Meditation Series (p. 346). Hazelden Publishing. Kindle Edition.

It’s a matter of control, and we want it!
We maybe would admit we couldn’t eat intelligently
but surely we could tell everybody else
how to live their lives. Did they feel like chased gerbils?
We wanted to help “them” but we can’t fix it.
Giving them everything they told us they wanted
didn’t make them feel worthy,
because that can’t come from us.
God, grant me the courage
to change what I can…ME!
the serenity to know that’s the sum total
of what I CAN change,
and the wisdom and willingness to know that…
and to stop lunging at the gerbil!