Befriend the Pesky Unknown

Y’all, this year has TESTED us. Somehow we have no idea what will happen next yet live in a perpetual state of boredom/fatigue/overwhelm. Here’s a crazy fact that Harvard researchers found: We think about the past or the future 47% of our WAKING HOURS. That could mean, collectively, we are stressed, delighted in possibility, crying over lost memories, etc. for nearly half of our entire day, every day. Yikes???

In the spirit of trying to ruminate less, I have a proposition! Let’s try and befriend the unknown. Or at least give it a friendly wave once in a while. It may look like a looming dark vortex in the corner of our minds. But, maybe it’s lonely. Maybe it needs a friend or a comforting word. Maybe it has its fears too. This future blob is going to be there always anyway, why not give it a hot chocolate and a soothing tone once in a while?

Hello, Unknown! It’s me, Sarah. I notice you hanging around 24/7 and looking over my shoulder. What’s up? Do you need a hug?

Most of the time, we just can’t know our futures. This past year showed us how little we are actually in control of. Instead of overcompensating and becoming a controlling monster (been there, done that, have several souvenirs), perhaps we ease into it, like a warm bath filled with a black hole bath bomb. We can’t see the bottom, but we don’t have to assume it’s anything else but the rest of our lives.