Daily Gratitude: I can tell you from personal experience that this is so true. Way too often we “decide” what needs to happen if something is to go as it should. Yet, who died and named us king (or queen). We do not know how everything is supposed to align in the universe. Indeed, if we believe in a universal power – no matter what name you give it – we have to laugh at ourselves thinking we know how everything is supposed to fit together; how all the pieces of the puzzle should drop into place. Most of the time we can’t even keep our own lives in good working order. “I have faith” we say. But then we set about deciding exactly how everything should work and how everyone should act. Faith is actually letting go. Now, I’m not proclaiming to be able to do this as you can tell from recent posts. But at least I do understand my hypocrisy, not that that will do me any good. I think my failure to let go (have faith) is an even worse “sin” because I’ve seen this quote work perfectly in my life. I’m sure I told you that I wanted to be a neurosurgeon for about the same time as i was told I was going to be a doctor (but that’s another story). Then when I was 21 I developed epilepsy. As you can imagine, there went any hopes of becoming a neurosurgeon or any kind of surgeon. I then took various detours in my career, trying this road, then that road and finally ending up in a field that was home for me. I finished 26 years on that one path after floundering around trying other things. And you know what? I’m glad I got epilepsy. Why? 1) because it, along with being fat and being a smoker, helped me understand my patients better. 2) this was a place where I could help thousands more than I could if I had gone into neurosurgery. It was also a much better fit for my personality. In every way it was the best. Had I maintained control, I would have lost out on this opportunity and perhaps been unhappy all my life. Who knows. But what I do know is that I ended up in a place where I could do good and the people I met as I traveled this path impacted my life in phenomenal ways. So, even though it’s hard, try to just have true faith and know that the universe really does have your back. Let the universe be the quarterback and you be the receiver. You’ll be happy you did.