The Serenity Prayer

The Serenity Prayer: To have the courage to change what I can, the serenity to accept what I cannot change and the wisdom to know the difference.I'm presently doing a course about mindful acceptance of chronic pain, which encourages us to lead a full and valued life despite physical and mental difficulties which are we may suffer. The serenitty prayer suggests that even if we are not perfect we can strive to improve but manage with what limitations we have. However, the first time I saw these words I thought that this summed up the quandary facing me every day in practice. The best part of my work is when someone becomes painfree, closely followed by the patient who comes in having achieved a goal despite pain or discomfort. The hardest time for me is when I can't help with a problem. Sometimes it becomes obvious during the case history or examination that Osteopathic intervention is not appropriate. In this case I do not charge for the consultation, all I ask is to be kept informed as to the outcome of any referral I might make. And I try to stay serene.