Nobody knows what the future holds. Anything could happen, if not tomorrow, then the day after. Or next week. Or maybe not at all.

Uncertainty is inescapable. Making decisions would be easy if you knew ahead of time how things turn out. The future is a vast minefield of possibilities, likelihoods, and probabilities. Predicting what will happen with any accuracy is next to impossible.

Some people handle uncertainty better than others. My mother spends a significant fraction of her time worrying about stuff that never comes to pass. After I called her on it, she clarified that when she says worrying about, she means thinking about. Same difference if you ask me.

Faith doesn’t eliminate uncertainty, but it does offer an explanation.  Everything happens for a reason. It’s all part of God’s plan, which we can’t know or understand. Somehow, someway, things work out for the best.

Uncertainty messes with my retirement plans. Certainty requires information I don’t have and can’t get — like when I’ll die and, between now and then, the return on my investments (after inflation). Other unknowns render my estimated retirement date little more than a shot in the dark.

Without uncertainty, nothing unexpected would ever happen — good or bad — and we’d all die of boredom. Taking chances, whether we succeed or fail, makes life interesting. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I need to embrace the uncertainty in my life. Every day is a gift. I need to take control where I can and let the chips fall where they will.

Like I’ve got another choice….