“Uncertainty is the only certainty there is, and knowing how to live with insecurity is the only security.” ~John Allen Paulos
I used to love uncertainty. I wandered my way all around this country with little more than a suitcase and a journal. Committing to anything felt limiting, suffocating even.
One day I realized it wasn’t enlightenment that pushed me to embrace the unknown; it was a paralyzing fear of creating something certain. You can’t disappoint people when you don’t form relationships with them, and you can’t fail when you never start.
One day I decided to do the scariest things I could imagine: settle into one place, get a steady job, and start forming real relationships.
This lasted for a while until the economic meltdown rocked my world. Now I’m back in a place of uncertainty, like so many other people.
Almost everyone I know has had to make at least a few changes to their life because of the economy. People have lost their jobs, homes, and in some cases, their sense of identity.
It’s both terrifying and exciting to have a blank page in front of you. Sometimes we need reminders to see it as the latter.
Here’s how I’m learning to let go without losing what I felt I’ve gained these past few years: (more…)