Most of us know this serenity prayer: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Awesome, right? There were whole chunks of my life where that, or the part of it that felt most necessary and true in the moment, became each day’s mantra. A few years back a dear friend ask me about changing the things I can. Should things just be changed because they CAN be changed? the friend asked. Hmmm I thought. The answer came in the book, The Wisdom to Know the Difference by Eileen Flanagan. Eileen dug out the original text: “God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things that should be changed, and wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.” Wow. Much more nuanced and humble, right? I love it that the emphasis is on discernment when it comes to the can I/should I decision. And to pray for grace? That for me says it all.