Surfing the Waves of Uncertainty

When life feels scary, we don’t have to stuff down our fears, disconnect or cut ourselves off from what we feel. Rather, we can accept the feelings, throw compassion their way, and let that turbulent energy move, feelings refuse to stay in the same place ever!

A favorite meditation and mindfulness communication teacher Oren Jay Sofer speaks about working with uncertainty. He says,

“It’s about keeping an even keel when the seas are rough. If you imagine a boat in a storm, you’ll realize that it doesn’t stay perfectly level. It rocks and sways with the swells. Having a keel doesn’t mean we don’t feel moved by the changes of life. It means that when the big waves come, our boat doesn’t capsize. Maintaining perspective helps us to roll with the waves and with each swell. It brings us back to a quiet knowing deep in our heart and helps us return to upright, to find our center again.”

There are no firm edges on the waves of uncertainty. There’s nothing to grab onto, nothing to keep in place. As a matter of fact, there’s no place to be other than here and now.

We can have a seat and be the ballast in our boat riding through any storm. Peace of mind, and inner stability, cannot be found “out there”. If we drift off into fantasies about controlling everything, finding certainty, or at least finding a “better shore,” we miss the beauty of all that is right here, right now.

When we can be at ease with this moment, we can work with whatever emotions or experiences arise; this is our truest freedom. There’s no controlling life, just being with it a little more skillfully.

Discerning what we can change and what we cannot is what becomes clear when we attend to what’s right in front of us. This moment.