Daily Acceptance Prayer

If you can accept the flow of life and give in to it, you will be accepting what is real. Only when you accept what is real can you live with it in peace and happiness. The alternative is struggle that will never end because it is a struggle with the unreal, with a mirage of life instead of life itself.

Deepok Chopra

One of the most difficult lessons I have had to learn in life is to accept things as they are. Indeed, life has sent me many a curve ball, and I have found that so much of my personal suffering stemmed from my inability to accept what is, and although it took a good many years, I learned that I could not begin to heal until I learned to accept. Resisting only causes only causes more suffering for ourselves. One of the hardest things for me to deal with in life has change. I've never done very well with it, but although it takes me awhile to adjust, eventually I do. 

When my job moved, and I no longer had an office, I found it difficult adjusting to sitting out in the open. And, I will admit. I still do have problems with it. There is just no place to go, no place to hide, no place to just sit and hear yourself think. But, I have adjusted as well as I can...and that means no more fighting and resisting something that I cannot change. When I accepted the fact that no matter how much I may bemoan my unhappiness or complain about what I had lost, it wasn't going to change anything, I was able to move on and find little things to actually 'like' about the new place.

For example, I can't deny it....I am a nosy person.  I am not a gossiper, but I do love keeping up on the latest scoop and love knowing what is going on around me. And now, I may not be very comfortable sitting out in the middle of the floor, as well as being the first person anyone sees when they come to the program, I don't have to miss a thing. I have become the new 'front desk'.  I see everyone who comes in and everyone who leaves. I see which client  is dating who, what client continues to use, what clients are selling smokes or DVD's...as well as what other staff are doing. There is nothing that gets by me now.

And now I am about to enter another period of change in my life. I am about to retire, and I am not going to deny it, but as much as I have been looking forward to it, there will also be much I am missing.  I held my first job when I was 15 years old; I am now going on 66. That's 51 years of my life, so, of course, there will be a period of adjustment, and but there also will be a time to accept, a time to experience joy and a life which seems to be passing me by. And with that in mind, I would love to share with you the following beautiful prayer.  I read it over often.

I accept myself completely.

I accept my strengths and my weaknesses,

my gifts and my shortcomings,

my good points and my faults.

I accept myself completely as a human being. 

I accept that I am here to learn and grow, and

I accept that I am learning and growing.

I accept the personality I've developed, and

I accept my power to heal and change.

I accept myself without condition or reservation.

I accept that the core of my being is goodness and

that my essence is love, and

I accept that I sometimes forget that.

I accept myself completely, and in this acceptance

I find an ever-deepening inner strength.

From this place of strength, I accept my life fully and

I open to the lessons it offers me today. 

I accept that within my mind are both fear and love, and

I accept my power to choose which

I will experience as real.

I recognize that I experience only the results

of my own choices.

I accept the times that I choose fear

as part of my learning and healing process, and

I accept that I have the potential and power

in any moment to choose love instead.

I accept mistakes as a part of growth,

so I am always willing to forgive myself and

give myself another chance. 

I accept that my life is the expression of my thought, and

I commit myself to aligning my thoughts

more and more each day with the Thought of Love.

I accept that I am an expression of this Love.

Love's hands and voice and heart on earth.

I accept my own life as a blessing and a gift.

My heart is open to receive, and I am deeply grateful.

May I always share the gifts that I receive

fully, freely, and with joy.

Aho !