A lot is uncertain.
Often, the things that are supposed to go in a way, don’t go so.
It’s hard to accept but it remains an outstanding fact that most of the stuff in life is uncertain.
The future is malleable.
Things aren’t intended to be and stay as they are, as much as you may want them to be so.
Things change, people change, circumstances change, our perspectives change. The world is impermanent. And it will always be so.
Every planning has uncertainty. Even if we think there is no room for any uncertainty to take place.
COVID-19 crushed so many plans we may have made for 2020. But we adjusted. The persons who moaned over the “unluckiness” shadowed over them, they lost. But the ones who adapted and shaped their plans to the effects of the virus, they won. They still lost 20 pounds because they caught up on a virtual call with their personal trainer every evening. They still crafted and honed important business relationships with the help of social media. They still learned whatever it was they wished to. They adapted. It’s a winning formula.
Sometimes, things aren’t under your control (COVID-19 was no exception). During these times, you just need to appreciate the beauty of universal uncertainty and impermanence.
I was supposed to run my first ever race last Sunday. But something happened.
Before I explain what that was, context: I have never run a race before. I run long distances almost every day, for fun. I’m under 18 so I’m not allowed to run in races and half- and full marathons. But this race which was “supposed to” happen permitted kids above 14 to run the 10K. I got signed up for the race.
The day before race day, as is custom, we got our running chest bibs, and t-shirts for the race at expo. I was pumped. Ready to run my first ever timed race!
But now, here’s what happened. The day before the race, after we’d travelled an hour to the expo, gotten our running bibs, come back home, even had dinner, at 8:00 pm (8 hours and 30 minutes until race begins), we got a message from the organizers saying they had to cancel the race (due to trouble getting agreement from the city council because of the current scenario or something).
All planning was done, everything was set, I’d even gotten a COVID-19 test done before the race (since they needed a negative report), I was in the mind-set and everything, but this happened.
Fortunately, I didn’t react. I’m surprised right now when I think of it, but I was like, “It’s okay, we can’t do anything about it.”
And that was it.
Nothing in the world has the power to change your mood if you don’t let it. And especially, the things that aren’t in your control, they better not snatch your peace of mind. What’s not under your control, is not. Take responsibility at required intervals, but never, never let things outside your control, control you.
Uncertainty is the only thing you can be certain about.
Arjun Khemani 