"Over every mountain, there is a path, although it may not be seen from the valley."
- Theodore Roethke
Uncertainty. It’s the edge between the known and the unknown. That delicate balance where certainty and fear meld together into adventure. And what if the perception of certainty is merely an illusion anyway?
Uncertainty is the companion of an engaged life. In being intensely present, there is no past or future. Just now. Second by second you script your life, consciously or not. What do you choose?
When I was younger, I wanted certainty. I followed a linear path that suggested companionship and security. I lived for a future that never happened. My careful plans all turned out to be an illusion. And in the maelstrom that followed, I was forced to shred my plans, and tread an unseen path to an unseen destination.
I have taken risks and chances that some would say are unwise. But in those steps into the unknown I found a life experience that, on occasion, touches the transcendental. It is in this magic that I strive to live and I would not trade that path for the mere illusion of certainty.
There is a part of me that likes routine, just like anyone else. I’m fairly disciplined. I rise at five in the morning, meditate, make a matcha latte with almond milk, and start the day. I like my routine. But I know it’s always up for grabs.
Life with uncertainty is rich with potential. Without it…?
How have you managed uncertainty? Any words to the wise?
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