I am here to be truly helpful is the first line of a prayer I carry in my mind and heart every day. It right-sizes me and can be silently recalled in the midst of any situation that has me momentarily tense or baffled. It's similar to another treasured idea: "I can see peace instead of this," when circumstances are inviting me to respond in a way that I might regret a moment or an hour later. Spiritual "shortcuts," I call them; and they never fail to help me be kinder in the moment. I have discovered that kindness translates to peace for me. Consider us[...]