Ahhh…the unknown. So many times in life we move forward despite being blind to what lies ahead. For example, we may need to drive to the grocery store for some food. We get into our car and start heading to the store. On the way there we discover that there is a freight train that blocks our path to the store. We have the option to stick it out and wait for the train to pass so that we can go along our intended path, or to turn around and find a new path to the store.
We may accept a new job that we had applied to, interviewed for, and were granted the job offer. Once we start the job, we discover that we don’t like our boss, the job itself, or the people that we work with. We end up leaving that job or they let us go.
There are instances where we get to the airport in a hurry with the intention of boarding our flight to our desired destination, only to discover that the flight has been delayed or there was a gate change or a cancellation altogether.
There are many, many instances in life where we set out to achieve something in a particular fashion, and we have to adjust to the events and circumstances that were unknown to us at the start. This is considered being “blind” even with our eyes wide open. There are a variety of circumstances that we are blind to, meaning we don’t know what is coming or have no way of foreseeing the unexpected. We simply don’t know what we don’t know. Although the unknown tends to frighten us, we still spend a majority of our life heading into the unknown.
We don’t perceive certain instances as being the unknown. For example, when we go to our usual gas station to fill up our gas tank, we don’t think of this situation as scary because it is rather familiar to us. We’ve gone to that gas station numerous times in the past. Yet, each time that we go to that gas station there are plenty of unknowns. The gas pumps may not be working that day, or every gas pump is being used which causes us to have to wait or go elsewhere for gas.
No matter what the situation is, we live a majority of our life being blind to the future. Our eyes may be fully functional, and we may have our eyes wide open, yet we are still incapable of seeing what lies ahead. Sudden surprises happen almost everyday in our life. Some of these surprises are desirable, like having our boss call us into his office to offer us a pay raise for our hard work. Other surprises are undesirable, like getting a flat tire on our way to a destination. Because life is full of unknowns, it is wiser for us to approach each day as an adventure rather than a pre-planned agenda.
When we flow with life, allowing for all of the unknown events, an ease settles in. We set forth each day with an understanding that there may be shifts and pivots needed for any unexpected occurrences throughout our day. When something that we did not foresee happens, we simply adjust as needed. These adjustments all throughout our day facilitate a flow to life. Instead of living life rigidly, intensely, and expectantly, we grant a fluidity to our day. This helps to ease any stress, anxiety, fear, frustration, or disappointment as we progress through our life. We are essentially making room for the things that we are blind to, the unknown. Similar to when we are on the way to a party and choose to leave the house early. Giving ourselves that extra time allows for unforeseen delays such as traffic, construction, or an accident.
Although we tend to be intimidated by the unknown, there is a way for us to start to embrace it. We can maneuver through life being blind to the events that lay ahead, and simply allowing these events to unfold as they may. No expectations, no anticipation, no labels, no worries, just an acceptance that there will be things that occur each day. Shifting our perception from judging and labeling the occurrences as being either positive or negative, and instead considering them as more matter of fact. This helps to remove the emotional energies from the occurrence and to take it at “face value” for exactly what it is. For example, an unexpected flat tire is just that, a flat tire. It is not a delay to your arrival at your destination, nor a factor that is a sudden expense, and not even an inconvenient frustration. It is a tire that has lost air and needs to be repaired in order for you to continue to use the car as you normally do. Nothing more and nothing less. Look at only the facts and not all of the labels that we attach to the facts. When we think of things that happen in our life in a more matter of fact fashion, and not as emotionally and critically, that’s when we can get ever more comfortable with the unknown of the future. The ultimate goal is not to foresee the future so that we are not fearful of it, but to be adaptable enough in the present moment to flow with the day-to-day occurrences in life. Living in harmony!
