The Adventures of Helen

The following is an excerpt from part two:


The Four Agreements, (Reprinted with permission of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. © 1997 by Miguel Angel Ruiz, M.D.) advises: “Don’t take it personally.” This is Helen’s drama, her distorted dream. We are in this crazy situation to begin with because she has been trained to take everything personally. All that is left for us to do is allow her to dwell in misery. She is set in the way of hell. We do not need to accompany her on the tour just as we need not dwell on the injustice brought on by our children.

Jim Stovall tells a story of wisdom for the ages in The King’s Legacy.* Many of the townspeople provide the king with their version of wisdom. Finally the jester imparts, “There is nothing more vital than laughter...I wish you the ability to pause at the most difficult and trying times of life, and simply laugh.” We are not going to change Helen. We are not going to reverse the edict. We might as well seize the opportunity to have a good laugh.

As it turns out, The Adventures of Helen yields terrific opportunity. She provides me with material to compose an entire chapter. As if that is not enough, we end up finding a beautiful apartment for a terrific price. The neighborhood is serene. The property owners are firmly on their rockers. I can bask in peaceful tranquility with my laptop. We all got just what we wanted.