Most of us became skilled at managing, or at least trying to manage, the lives of many people. We 42 the responsibilities of family members far too often. We were trying, consciously or unconsciously, to meet very high 43 of ourselves too. So when we heard others talk about their struggle with taking full responsibility for their lives, we didn't take it seriously at first. Surely many of us were already doing that.     We all have to learn what it means to take full responsibility for ourselves. Fortunately, there is no 44 for how quickly we need to learn the skills we need to do that. Going to meetings frequently, listening to the wisdom of other people, and praying for understanding will help us 45 what there is to learn. We, learn, soon enough, that being fully responsible means being responsible for every action we take, every word we speak. It means giving up our 46 to control and admitting it when we do try to control anyway! 

    Taking responsibility for ourselves is a bigger challenge than we first thought. In time we see it keeps us busy－ too busy to mind the business of others.

    Most illustrations of Benjamin Franklin's famous kite experiment show him conducting the test (and the electricity) by himself. But according to his personal 47 of the experience, his son William flew the kite. Legend has it that he put a wire at the top of the kite and a key at the base of the wet string. His 21-year-old son William flew the kite 48 Franklin watched. Reportedly, the string reacted to a lightning strike, and Franklin drew sparks by placing his knuckle on the key. Luckily for the father and son, the electrical charge was weak enough that they were not 49 . Philadelphians reacted to the news of Franklin's amazing test by flocking to his home. They hoped to catch a glimpse of his greatness. The colleges of Harvard, Yale, and William & Mary 50 him－a man with no formal education－special honorary degrees to mark the significance of his discoveries.