I may not believe in Fairies or a Man in the Sky who impregnated an Israeli teenager 2011 years ago, but my mother has always had the prayer for serenity all around our homestead and it is one that gets me through so many situations by allowing me to calm down and not take on board the problems around me...I hope you too can take something from it...

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.

Often when I come up against things, be it a storm when I am harvesting wheat on black soil flats, or come across a bullied kid, or visit an animal shelter.. it is essential I pick and choose what it is I can change and then follow through.

Yesterday I got a call from the CEO of an Animal Shelter I work with and the topic of discussion was 3 dogs I recently rehabilitated, one, a large Pig Dog Type has vastly improved since returning to the shelter, another a formerly hyperactive kelpie with a forepaw injury has his x-ray results back suggesting no serious problems and the third a little golden Staffy X who although now able to calm down and perform excellent behaviours does have anxiety issues which do need medicating. Unfortunately the little Staffy is to be put to sleep due to not being able to be re-homed.

This Prayer helped me deal with this hard truth.

Later I walked through Martin Place and came across Occupy Sydney protesters... I had chatted earlier to one of the 'campers' (though they are not called that due to legal reasons), who I had the good fortune of running into again a few blocks away after listening in to their General Assembly. She explained much of her beliefs and what has happened over the period and the 'totalitarianism of the so called democratic governments in the USA and Australia as well as the incredible fear of 'police brutality'.

I learned so much from this young woman and our several chance meetings around Sydney that day, but most of all I learned that I have come along way from when I was a young Idealist who thought I could make the world a better place by getting involved in the political process. I have truly taken to heart the wisdom of knowing what I can and can not change in this world, I understand that we have limited resources, that is energy and ability within in order to do anything and it is essential that that resource is best spent achieving at least something.

Last Month I put myself forward as a nominee for President of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers of Australia (APDT-A), it came on the back of a very interesting year on on the committee which I ended up being ejected. I wrote down my Vision for the organisation and went about an open and honest campaign to ensure the organisation was more relevant and proactive for both dogs and the trainers. I won't bore you with the intrigues of what went on over the months leading up to the election, but lets just say their was a lot of strange goings on. At the AGM myself and another member of the committee were singled out for being a lax whilst the rest of the committee (who are of course seeking re-election) were lauded with praise and adjectives worthy of conquering princes returning with treasures from the new world. All I could do is laugh on the inside at such a spectacle.

However, when the election was called and the Returning Officer took to the stage to declare the election 'invalid and the current committee to continue in their role till the next AGM', I couldn't contain myself and laughed out loud.

Again this prayer for serenity sung itself into my head... yes we can change much , but not everything.. and it is important to take on only those battles we can win ... and just walk away from those we can not.

That little staffy, will rest in peace and will no longer feel the pain of anxiety he has been burdened with for so long, that young idealist 'camping' in Martin Place may come to realise shouting at people who are not listening and holding placards at those not watching is futile and that there are more than one way to catch a fish......and at that I'll take a deep breath and look back in my tackle bag to see which of my battles I need to reassess and which .. I'll let get away ;)