A Friend Called Uncertainty

I don’t know. I simply do not know. Haven’t got a clue. I have no idea. I just don’t know!

How comfortable are you with these phrases? How easily do you venture these responses in the face of a question? Especially questions about the things in life you are supposed to have figured out by now.

Do you dance around this truthful response to fill the role of being an absolute expert in your field? Do you search for acceptable replies when asked about your elusive next step in life? Do you say what you think others want to hear while inside you are screaming: “Actually, I really do not know!”

We are raised in a society that enforces the idea of being in control of one’s life and destiny. We have clear recipes of how life should look at every age, the knowledge we should carry at different stages of our lives and the clear views we should have in planning the next phases of life.

We have short, medium, and long-term goals and put measures in place to create the feeling that we are truly steering the ship of our destiny. From childhood, we are given a clear picture of how a life should look. That may include graduating from a top school, working yourself up on a career path, marriage and kids by 30, a mortgage and putting away for retirement. When you make a change in life there must be a well-thought-out plan that is crystal clear and can be outlined to anyone who asks what you plan to do next.

Standing at the edge of a complete career change at the age of 40, not married and moving in with my folks again, I get a lot of twisted eyebrows when I reply “I don’t know” to the question of what I plan to do next. At first my answer was a hop and a skip around the details, being as vague as possible. Now, I lean into that daunting phrase “I don’t know,” and let the reactions be what they are.

This has made me question why we feel that we should always know? Why must we always have an answer? It brought me full circle back to our need to control. Once we realize just how silly the notion is that we can control anything except the state of our inner energy, we finally let go.

When we let go, we look at our friend called Uncertainty. This friend has been with us since our birth into this human existence. When we make friends with it again, we realize that it is not scary or intimidating. This friend Uncertainty is exciting, it brings us possibilities and it fills our days with anticipation. Anticipation of what? Whatever wants to be experienced and expressed through us today.

Each morning when I wake up, I give my friend Uncertainty a big hug. We enter this day together with the pulsating excitement of being alive and not knowing. Together we can continuously explore and learn. It is through me and Uncertainty that the Divine can experience the thrill of not knowing what comes next. Just watch what unfolds today, my friend Uncertainty truly is a blessing!