STOP! and Breathe in Serenity

Whenever life throws me a curve ball or gets too overwhelming, all I need to remember is that I can STOP! take a deep breath and center myself in the fact that my serenity is always mine unless I choose to give it away.

Then I can simply choose to reclaim it and let the peace I feel anchor me until life stabilizes again -as it always does.
This was the positive thought today and how appropriate! Life did indeed throw me a couple of wicked curve balls today and really the past couple of days and I have been plodding through. However reading my daily thought reminded me to take my own advice. (you know how sometimes you catch yourself and realize that you might just as well say "Here take my advice: I'm not using it!")
Well I practiced what I preached and did STOP!, take a deep breath and say to myself "I Choose to reclaim my serenity now!" And then I went into the kitchen where I have a magnet that has this quote on it "Serenity is not freedom from the storm but peace within it"(by Anonymous) and read it several times, took another deep breath and went back to my studio.
Sometimes the Universe makes it crystal clear to me that I am powerless over everything except my thoughts about what is happening. At those times I do have the power to adjust my thinking, accept reality for what it is and just breathe my way back to inner calm. Once there I can focus my thinking on a possible solution instead of the discomfort of the problem.
And quite often, as was today, the solution is to accept that I do not have the answer, I do not have the power to change what reality is and therefore the best course of action is to maintain inner calm while reminding myself that the situation is a "God job" and that the Universe is already in motion with the Divine plan.
The fact that I am not privy to all the details is as it should be. I have more than enough to keep me busy adjusting my own thoughts on how I think Life should be working - for Everyone.
So I am STOPPING! and breathing in peace and serenity- for me.