I can’t remember a time when life wasn’t uncertain. I was 2 when we first moved. Since then we have moved more than twenty times until we reached our current home. You would think one would settle down after that but life had different plans when I moved again for college and because I lived on rent I kept moving. All the while dealing with life’s problems.

The biggest takeaway from that was to travel light. I don’t carry any baggage. I don’t collect a lot of stuff. I don’t make a lot of friends and I certainly don’t commit to any relationships. That is just the way my life was so I adapted to that.

In the past it took an emotional toll on me when I had to uproot my life and move over and over again especially when things were getting good. I can’t blame the circumstances because certain decisions need to be made even if you don’t like them. Not all decisions are made with you in mind but affect you negatively. Life is unfair a lot of times and there may never be any respite. Just going with the flow is what keeps you sane.

I see others who have lived their entire lives in one place and are happy, mature and have a great social and professional life. I see they have problems too but their problems are very different from mine. Their idea of uncertainty is also different. Uncertainty is subjective.

I have longed to be established and have wanted a home base for decades. Life has never given me a straight answer when I question it. It pushed me to grow and be a thinker. Made me situationally aware and kept me on my toes. I have met so many people that when I meet someone new I can tell you exactly what kind of person they are.

During the Pandemic a lot of my friends and family were uncertain of what would happen next but by then I was a seasoned veteran on the subject. The years prior to that were of utmost struggle and the few years after that were harder. Things are letting up now but uncertainty is still a part of my life.

Some of my friends and family were turning to horoscope and shamans and faith. I was unaffected by it. My dad was the same. We went out and did our jobs regardless of what the world was like. Its a boon and a curse because people will try to question your sanity when you act aginst the norm. Doing what needs to be done is crucial.

There is a saying in my culture- “A cat who has her tongue burned from hot milk, will always be cautious of it the next time she drinks milk.”

You must face loss, bad luck, pain, envy, fear and anger in order to appreciate the better things in life. Its a natural part of human life. All the people I look up to have had struggles and life has never been certain for them. I have learned to be prepared for the worst and surprised by the best. It pays to live in the moment.

Uncertainty is not something that can be avoided but rather it can be embraced in my opinion. Life finds ways to surprise you and whether you like surprises or not its not going to stop. Ultimately it is your choice to expect the unexpected.