Predicting the Future

(air whooshing) (button clicking) (gentle chimes) Headspace Studio. (gentle music) Hi, everyone. It's Sam here. Welcome to Radio Headspace and to Friday. So I've been thinking a lot about our relationship to uncertainty, just how uncomfortable it can make us and how fascinated we can be about knowing or predicting the future. When I was younger, I used to pray to the universe to guide me and show me what direction to take. The lure of a certain right path was so strong. My relationship to the unknown has changed quite a bit since then. We develop trust in ourselves as we commit to our own growth and trust that we will somehow be able to greet what arrives next with gentleness and acceptance. This trust is reinforced by our daily practice, as we choose to show up to witness our minds with openness, inviting curiosities, joys and regrets, to show up just as they are. This is a perspective that we can also take into our everyday lives to break up the monotony of routine and challenge the assumption that we know how the day will turn out. One way to begin this practice is to remind yourself that every moment is a new moment. If you have children, you may predict how they will respond, but you can also remind yourself that they're constantly changing and growing and that they may surprise you. I had a moment like this with my stepdaughter, Clara, recently. The other day, we were having a cozy dinner at a Thai restaurant, and I asked Clara who she felt most comfortable around. And then I asked her to rate how comfortable she felt with each person in her life. She hesitated and went back to her phone. So I started to think about the question myself. I told my husband that I feel most comfortable around him. I told him that I trust that he'll always try his best to understand me and that he has my best interest at heart and that he'll be honest and forthright about how he feels with me and that all of these qualities make me feel really safe. While we were talking, I noticed Clara had put down her phone and started listening as I listed other people in my life, giving them comfort ratings and explaining why I had chosen that number. I was pleasantly surprised when Clara mentioned her best friend as the person she felt most comfortable with, and she started talking about other people in her life. It was one of those winning parenting moments and it led to a much deeper conversation throughout the evening. (gentle music) I think we're all on a journey, learning how to relate to the uncertainty inherent in life with less worry and more ease. We can even begin to relate to the unknown with a sense of relief, feeling grateful that we can't know what will be years, months and moments from now. And if uncertainty...