Years ago, in a book I was reading by Anne Lamott, she told a story of a friend who had only two prayers: Help and Thank You. Over time, I have come back to this off and on again. I am back on.

I find that when our worlds, inner and/or outer, begin to spin with greater and greater intensity and complexity, uttering these two simple words reduces everything back down to something manageable. Real. And ultimately, profoundly healing in the most easeful of ways.

We have been led to believe that our solutions must be big, technological, hard won and often, even beyond us. We have come to believe within ourselves that we must do it all, figure it all out, worry our way into or out of something. So it takes enormous courage and a kind of bold letting go to opt for something which seems so unsophisticated and to the untrained eye, naive and childish even.

And yet, look around. Better yet, look within. How’s that working out for us?