It feels great to be back home. I didn’t enjoy my trip because it’s too hot. Also, I prefer staying at home over traveling, because I feel I have all the entertainment at home. Being closer to family is the biggest thing I got out of that trip which is what vacations are meant to be. My desires are simple: food, family, AC, and a place to stay. As of this writing, I could find that anywhere.
Goodness,
uncertainty
is a staple in my pantry,
though not by choice.
I’ve learned though,
that it is a necessity,
as leavening is to making bread,
and so,
as if I had a choice
I let it remain on the second shelf,
along with the flour and sugar.
My brother used to say
that our lives are hanging by a thread,
and indeed they are.
He had a fatalistic view on life
and also felt like smoking would catch up with him one day,
even though he had quit some thirty years before.
Perhaps it did
because he died of covid
after six weeks on a ventilator in 2020.
I continue to do the things I always do,
and sometimes
add something different or new . . .
I also wonder if my old ways will catch up with me one day too,
but it doesn’t really matter anymore.
Uncertainty
can also be the spice of life . . .
meeting
or receiving a phone call
from someone I haven’t seen in years,
a volunteer,
perhaps a hollyhock
suddenly appearing in my garden,
swept in by some gypsy seed on the wind.
It can be the car breaking down
ten miles into the drive
while returning home from the seashore,
and getting an extra week oceanside
because the shop has to send for parts,
and they’ve loaned us a car for the duration.
Being open
and inviting uncertainty . . .
saying yes,
rather than no,
and can turn a day into Christmas.
It’s going to happen anyway,
sometime,
somewhere,
so why not let it bless me as a gift
and enjoy the ride? ♥
Love all of this – “Being open and inviting uncertainty . . . saying yes, rather than no, and can turn a day into Christmas. It’s going to happen anyway, sometime, somewhere, so why not let it bless me as a gift and enjoy the ride?”
Every day brings uncertainty with it. Life invites me to embrace life, in all its messy wonderfulness and the rest of it.
Tomorrow I’m off by train to Seattle. I may or may not get to see a really cool bike event, the Disaster Relief Trials, that demonstrate how great the bicycle can be as a tool in an emergency (https://disasterrelieftrials.com/). Whether I see anything depends on whether freight use of the rail line affects my arrival time in Seattle, and on whether the route (which is secret until the event starts) aligns with transit service, which I’ll use to get to a spot where they have a barrier or challenge point set up. (Challenge points: Think of things like having to lift your bike over a wall while not spilling the insulin, baby formula, and other essentials you’re carrying.) If I do get to see it, awesome! If I don’t, I’ll see pictures taken by a coworker who’s volunteering.
From there, Sunday morning I fly to Baltimore for a conference. I’m speaking, facilitating, or moderating in 4 sessions, each of them an unknown in how it will go (and whether the technology cooperates). I’m as prepared as I can be, and from there it goes how it goes.
The next thing I read after responding to today’s question was a poem that’s about uncertainty, in a way.
“Trust”
Thomas R. Smith
It’s like so many other things in life
to which you must say no or yes.
So you take your car to the new mechanic.
Sometimes the best thing to do is trust.
The package left with the disreputable-looking
clerk, the check gulped by the night deposit,
the envelope passed by dozens of strangers—
all show up at their intended destinations.
The theft that could have happened doesn’t.
Wind finally gets where it was going
through the snowy trees, and the river, even
when frozen, arrives at the right place.
And sometimes you sense how faithfully your life
is delivered, even though you can’t read the address.
I think life is always teaching us to BE Open…Open mind and Open Heart. In Richard Rohr’s reading today, I was reminded that we are all “children of the Cosmos.” We have to learn to get along here for the sake of the whole Universe. The only thing certain is change. On this day and in this time, may we all be open and be willing to be instruments of the kind of love that will nurture each other and our home Mother Earth.
Soon I am going to be a nurse, a job that I never would have pictured myself doing. It all came about because of the pandemic, which probably was the most uncertain time of all of our lives. I abandoned a lifestyle of international adventure for the heavy labor of hands on healthcare in the trenches. I don’t like nursing that much, but I have three years of “return to service” to complete in connection with a grant I received during the pandemic. The uncertainty of finding out where my work placement will be is intriguing to me, because I have a lot of options and I’m not sure where I will end up! A new place to live will be fun to try, or living in the same old neighborhood will be fun too, because I get to spend more time with my mom, who I haven’t seen much until I returned home during the pandemic.
Is the San Luis Valley of Colorado on that list, Louise? I have known several nurses who worked under similar circumstances for financial aid repayment. One still calls this area home. I have known Anne Marie for about 45 years.
I’m a planner. Mostly because I love planning. Part of my planning includes uncertainty…knowing not all my plans will work out, go as planned or that I’ve over-planned or was not completely prepared for what I planned. But I do love a good plan. Uncertainty brings happy surprises, laughter, sometimes disapp0intment, but then new opportunities. I’m not certain I answered the question…
Life is inviting me to explore the opportunity and beauty in uncertainty. For example, if I hadn’t injured my hand last year, I wouldn’t have realized that fingers, like all parts of the body, can become stiff and hard to use. This realization sparked an old interest in playing the piano, but my hand was splinted, so I couldn’t yet play. I started instead by taking voice lessons, and recently got into piano. Those two things–singing and piano–are bringing so much joy to my life now, and it’s all a result of an accident, of uncertainty, of pondering what the opportunity was in the uncertainty.
I am well into recovering from a fractured 5th metatarsal that occurred on Memorial Day. I have been out of the cast boot and off crutches and into serious PT for 2.5 weeks now. My uncertainty comes as I challenge myself physically and trust my foot to get a little ornery and snap back by the following morning. 😉
All will be well, just follow the protocol. My lovely wife Cheryl did after knee replacement, she followed the path prescribed and can enjoy the mountains once again.
I said this earlier in the week—things are always uncertain. I breathe, I do my practices, I connect with my loved ones, and I’m grateful… Then I put one foot in front of the other.
You strike me,
dear Avril,
as a sure and steady person.
I am grateful
that you share your centeredness here . . .
it always helps me
navigate my day. ♥
Life seems to always be asking me to embrace uncertainty. It gets easier as I continue walking my path. From all of the things that will need to be taken care of before moving to the more immediate stuff like what will I eat today? How will the traffic be when I leave for the fitness center? Who will come to class today? Will it really only be in the 70s today? I could overload my mind with questions, but instead I’ll just do my best to continue to surrender to whatever unfolds.
WOW, here in the twilight of my life (I’m 79) and my wife and I just bought a 75 year old house which has only had one owner, the original one! The AC has never been serviced (we think), the carpet is the original (it kind of smells), and the roof needs to be replaced. “What the hell are we doing?” is the phrase that dominates our lives.
But, we have invited a couple of friends to a cocktail party for today, before our furniture arrives. It is BYO (as in bring your own chair and drinks) but we supply the snacks. Hope the AC works, hope it doesn’t rain, hope the fridg keeps the snacks from wilting or whatever they do if too warm.
But we are near a more capable support group of family and friends than we left behind.
Your post made me laugh,
dear John . . .
the same thing happened
when my husband and I bought an 80 year old house
14 years ago,
when we were in our early 60’s.
Everyone else we knew
was downsizing,
and here were were,
scouring the thrift shops for furniture,
asking ourselves ‘what the hell we were doing’.
We plod along,
fix one thing at a time,
and so far,
have never doubted our decision . . .
trust the Universe . . .
all will be well. 🙂
I just love your answer, John. I stand to be corrected, however it seems your new home and the uncertainty and challenges it may bring are going g to be energizing! I hope we hear more.🌸
I may as well embrace uncertainty. Uncertainty is a certain of life. No mud, no lotus. No dark, no light. No sorrow, no joy. Just how mundane would life be if every outcome was certain? Life is a mystery. Hang in there and follow the plot. I may be surprised at the end even though I know the end is inevitable.
Peace, Love & Light.
Yes,
dear Joseph . . .
we might as well embrace uncertainty,
because it is the glue that hold our lives together,
and keeps our lives interesting.
However,
after reading John’s post
I hope I never have to move again. 🙂
I agree. When we moved to this place in “98” it had been basically abandoned for 14 years. Our children were 10 and 8. I told them and my lovely wife Cheryl that the next time I move it will most likely be in a box or an urn. I still hope that is the case. John’s reflection brought that moment from the past front and center, dear Sparrow.
I think of aging. I’m 70 and I realize that I get up too quickly and get dizzy. I’m not used to moving more slowly, but it’s one of the signs of aging. Who knows what my elder years will bring. I hope there are a lot of them.
One thing I can be certain of: At some point in the day, some part of my body will make a snapping sound when I move 😂. Most often it’s my ankles, and the wrist I broke 4 years ago has something bound up that snaps when I rotate my wrist. I’m possibly past my extended warranty date!
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It feels great to be back home. I didn’t enjoy my trip because it’s too hot. Also, I prefer staying at home over traveling, because I feel I have all the entertainment at home. Being closer to family is the biggest thing I got out of that trip which is what vacations are meant to be. My desires are simple: food, family, AC, and a place to stay. As of this writing, I could find that anywhere.
😄
Welcome back, Loc.
Glad you’re back home where you’re most comfortable.
I’m glad you made it home safely 🙂
Welcome back Loc!
I’m happy you arrived back safely,
dear Loc . . .
welcome home. ♥
Welcome home! Loc Tran.
Thanks, Joseph.
Goodness,
uncertainty
is a staple in my pantry,
though not by choice.
I’ve learned though,
that it is a necessity,
as leavening is to making bread,
and so,
as if I had a choice
I let it remain on the second shelf,
along with the flour and sugar.
My brother used to say
that our lives are hanging by a thread,
and indeed they are.
He had a fatalistic view on life
and also felt like smoking would catch up with him one day,
even though he had quit some thirty years before.
Perhaps it did
because he died of covid
after six weeks on a ventilator in 2020.
I continue to do the things I always do,
and sometimes
add something different or new . . .
I also wonder if my old ways will catch up with me one day too,
but it doesn’t really matter anymore.
Uncertainty
can also be the spice of life . . .
meeting
or receiving a phone call
from someone I haven’t seen in years,
a volunteer,
perhaps a hollyhock
suddenly appearing in my garden,
swept in by some gypsy seed on the wind.
It can be the car breaking down
ten miles into the drive
while returning home from the seashore,
and getting an extra week oceanside
because the shop has to send for parts,
and they’ve loaned us a car for the duration.
Being open
and inviting uncertainty . . .
saying yes,
rather than no,
and can turn a day into Christmas.
It’s going to happen anyway,
sometime,
somewhere,
so why not let it bless me as a gift
and enjoy the ride? ♥
Love all of this – “Being open and inviting uncertainty . . . saying yes, rather than no, and can turn a day into Christmas. It’s going to happen anyway, sometime, somewhere, so why not let it bless me as a gift and enjoy the ride?”
🙏
What a wonderful attitude. Don’t let that deal go down, without looking thoroughly at the cards you have been dealt. Namaste dear Sparrow.
I do try to study the cards,
dear Joseph . . .
learning through experience. ♥
Every day brings uncertainty with it. Life invites me to embrace life, in all its messy wonderfulness and the rest of it.
Tomorrow I’m off by train to Seattle. I may or may not get to see a really cool bike event, the Disaster Relief Trials, that demonstrate how great the bicycle can be as a tool in an emergency (https://disasterrelieftrials.com/). Whether I see anything depends on whether freight use of the rail line affects my arrival time in Seattle, and on whether the route (which is secret until the event starts) aligns with transit service, which I’ll use to get to a spot where they have a barrier or challenge point set up. (Challenge points: Think of things like having to lift your bike over a wall while not spilling the insulin, baby formula, and other essentials you’re carrying.) If I do get to see it, awesome! If I don’t, I’ll see pictures taken by a coworker who’s volunteering.
From there, Sunday morning I fly to Baltimore for a conference. I’m speaking, facilitating, or moderating in 4 sessions, each of them an unknown in how it will go (and whether the technology cooperates). I’m as prepared as I can be, and from there it goes how it goes.
Oh, this looks like an adventure! I’d never thought of bikes and disaster relief together like that. Thanks for sharing, Barb.
Safe travels to you
Enjoy your trip, Barb! The Disaster Relief Trials sound really interesting. I hope you get to see some of it.
Have fun on your travels, Barb.
The next thing I read after responding to today’s question was a poem that’s about uncertainty, in a way.
“Trust”
Thomas R. Smith
It’s like so many other things in life
to which you must say no or yes.
So you take your car to the new mechanic.
Sometimes the best thing to do is trust.
The package left with the disreputable-looking
clerk, the check gulped by the night deposit,
the envelope passed by dozens of strangers—
all show up at their intended destinations.
The theft that could have happened doesn’t.
Wind finally gets where it was going
through the snowy trees, and the river, even
when frozen, arrives at the right place.
And sometimes you sense how faithfully your life
is delivered, even though you can’t read the address.
https://www.americanlifeinpoetry.org/columns/detail/141
“. . . and the river, even when frozen. arrives at the right place.” As will I, dear Barb. Thank you for this poem of trust.
”All is well . . .
all manner of things shall be well”,
dear Barb . . . ♥
Oh, what kind of conference!
Also: Seattle is an advanced civilization 😛 I am jealous.
Transportation. I work for a state DOT.
I think life is always teaching us to BE Open…Open mind and Open Heart. In Richard Rohr’s reading today, I was reminded that we are all “children of the Cosmos.” We have to learn to get along here for the sake of the whole Universe. The only thing certain is change. On this day and in this time, may we all be open and be willing to be instruments of the kind of love that will nurture each other and our home Mother Earth.
💗
🙏
This is such a beautiful blessing
to us all,
dear Carol Ann . . .
namaste. ♥
Yes, we are all in it together.
Soon I am going to be a nurse, a job that I never would have pictured myself doing. It all came about because of the pandemic, which probably was the most uncertain time of all of our lives. I abandoned a lifestyle of international adventure for the heavy labor of hands on healthcare in the trenches. I don’t like nursing that much, but I have three years of “return to service” to complete in connection with a grant I received during the pandemic. The uncertainty of finding out where my work placement will be is intriguing to me, because I have a lot of options and I’m not sure where I will end up! A new place to live will be fun to try, or living in the same old neighborhood will be fun too, because I get to spend more time with my mom, who I haven’t seen much until I returned home during the pandemic.
Is the San Luis Valley of Colorado on that list, Louise? I have known several nurses who worked under similar circumstances for financial aid repayment. One still calls this area home. I have known Anne Marie for about 45 years.
Nope, I’m Canadian.
Blessings,
dear Louise,
on whatever path opens up to you. ♥
Thank you!
I’m a planner. Mostly because I love planning. Part of my planning includes uncertainty…knowing not all my plans will work out, go as planned or that I’ve over-planned or was not completely prepared for what I planned. But I do love a good plan. Uncertainty brings happy surprises, laughter, sometimes disapp0intment, but then new opportunities. I’m not certain I answered the question…
I prefer less planning and “wing” it with a loose outline. And I am certain you did answer the question, Katrina!
Sounds to me like you embrace the uncertainty that emerges when a plan doesn’t play out the way you expected.
Yes you did! I think that’s a good way to plan. I used to be too detailed of a planner, and living abroad forced me to let go of that.
When it comes to love and many other things out of my control I am embracing the moment and being grateful for the moment.
Love right back to you. dear Antoinette.
Thank you so much Joseph! I’m so grateful for you and all our friends here . I feel deeply loved here w you in the space . 🙏
Life is inviting me to explore the opportunity and beauty in uncertainty. For example, if I hadn’t injured my hand last year, I wouldn’t have realized that fingers, like all parts of the body, can become stiff and hard to use. This realization sparked an old interest in playing the piano, but my hand was splinted, so I couldn’t yet play. I started instead by taking voice lessons, and recently got into piano. Those two things–singing and piano–are bringing so much joy to my life now, and it’s all a result of an accident, of uncertainty, of pondering what the opportunity was in the uncertainty.
love this
❤️
🎶🎶
❤️
You see the silver lining,
dear Drea . . . 🙂
bless you. ♥
Thank you Sparrow.
Oh, I love this for you!
Thanks Sunnypatti.
What a wonderful and unexpected bonus!
Barb, thanks, it really is! I had been wanting to get back into music for years and this injury really allowed me to take that wish more seriously!
Music is the universal language. Sing, Sing, Sing your heart out!
Thanks Carol! Yes, it really is the universal language!
I am well into recovering from a fractured 5th metatarsal that occurred on Memorial Day. I have been out of the cast boot and off crutches and into serious PT for 2.5 weeks now. My uncertainty comes as I challenge myself physically and trust my foot to get a little ornery and snap back by the following morning. 😉
Wishing you a speedy recovery Mary.
All will be well, just follow the protocol. My lovely wife Cheryl did after knee replacement, she followed the path prescribed and can enjoy the mountains once again.
Take you PT seriously,
dear Mary . . .
I didn’t really believe in it,
but it saved and improved my mobility
when I received a new hip.
You go girl. ♥
Sending you healing energy, Mary ✨
I hope the PT will have you dancing!
Hope it heals without too much trouble, Mary!
Thank you all for your encouragement and good wishes!🌸
I said this earlier in the week—things are always uncertain. I breathe, I do my practices, I connect with my loved ones, and I’m grateful… Then I put one foot in front of the other.
You strike me,
dear Avril,
as a sure and steady person.
I am grateful
that you share your centeredness here . . .
it always helps me
navigate my day. ♥
So simple and beautiful. Thank you, Avril.
Avril, You have many gifts and you are willing to share them. Blessings always and all ways.
Life seems to always be asking me to embrace uncertainty. It gets easier as I continue walking my path. From all of the things that will need to be taken care of before moving to the more immediate stuff like what will I eat today? How will the traffic be when I leave for the fitness center? Who will come to class today? Will it really only be in the 70s today? I could overload my mind with questions, but instead I’ll just do my best to continue to surrender to whatever unfolds.
Happy Friday 🌦️
A Happy Friday to you SunnyPatti.
From your stories,
I gather that you face a lot of uncertainty in your life,
dear SunnyPatti . . .
you really are an inspiration. ♥
Surrender is empowering and that’s the best kind of power!
If I focus on the present I will deal with whatever-uncertainty, joy, surprise, sadness, etc.
TGIF!
https://nationaltoday.com/national-cousins-day/
I’ll send a message to my favorite cousin!
Wisdom, dear Michele.
WOW, here in the twilight of my life (I’m 79) and my wife and I just bought a 75 year old house which has only had one owner, the original one! The AC has never been serviced (we think), the carpet is the original (it kind of smells), and the roof needs to be replaced. “What the hell are we doing?” is the phrase that dominates our lives.
But, we have invited a couple of friends to a cocktail party for today, before our furniture arrives. It is BYO (as in bring your own chair and drinks) but we supply the snacks. Hope the AC works, hope it doesn’t rain, hope the fridg keeps the snacks from wilting or whatever they do if too warm.
But we are near a more capable support group of family and friends than we left behind.
This is truly inspiring, please keep us updated.
John, I hope the AC works for you. I’m not good at dealing with hot weather. I’m glad you’re closer to family and friends.
Your post made me laugh,
dear John . . .
the same thing happened
when my husband and I bought an 80 year old house
14 years ago,
when we were in our early 60’s.
Everyone else we knew
was downsizing,
and here were were,
scouring the thrift shops for furniture,
asking ourselves ‘what the hell we were doing’.
We plod along,
fix one thing at a time,
and so far,
have never doubted our decision . . .
trust the Universe . . .
all will be well. 🙂
There is nothing more real than relationship! Of this, I’ve become certain!
I just love your answer, John. I stand to be corrected, however it seems your new home and the uncertainty and challenges it may bring are going g to be energizing! I hope we hear more.🌸
I may as well embrace uncertainty. Uncertainty is a certain of life. No mud, no lotus. No dark, no light. No sorrow, no joy. Just how mundane would life be if every outcome was certain? Life is a mystery. Hang in there and follow the plot. I may be surprised at the end even though I know the end is inevitable.
Peace, Love & Light.
Yes,
dear Joseph . . .
we might as well embrace uncertainty,
because it is the glue that hold our lives together,
and keeps our lives interesting.
However,
after reading John’s post
I hope I never have to move again. 🙂
I agree. When we moved to this place in “98” it had been basically abandoned for 14 years. Our children were 10 and 8. I told them and my lovely wife Cheryl that the next time I move it will most likely be in a box or an urn. I still hope that is the case. John’s reflection brought that moment from the past front and center, dear Sparrow.
” I told them and my lovely wife Cheryl that the next time I move it will most likely be in a box or an urn.”
That’s basically what I told everyone
when we moved here. 🙂
Love your answer, Joseph. You remind me of my son and that’s a compliment. Peace be with you, always.
I think of aging. I’m 70 and I realize that I get up too quickly and get dizzy. I’m not used to moving more slowly, but it’s one of the signs of aging. Who knows what my elder years will bring. I hope there are a lot of them.
My father told me,
when I turned 50,
“don’t ever let anyone tell you
that the ‘golden’ years
are golden!”
Chin up,
dear Christina . . .
we’re all in this together. ♥
One thing I can be certain of: At some point in the day, some part of my body will make a snapping sound when I move 😂. Most often it’s my ankles, and the wrist I broke 4 years ago has something bound up that snaps when I rotate my wrist. I’m possibly past my extended warranty date!
Christina, I think it is important to have hope.