Kimberlee K.

The unknown is not my favorite place.

In fact, it is arguably my least favorite place in the world.

I like to be in control. I like to know what to expect. I like to prepare for any and all outcomes so that I have a better chance of actually enjoying myself.

Now, sometimes, I realize, the unknown can be exciting. When you book a flight to take a new trip, or sign up for a class, or go on a date, or move to a new city, or get hired at a new job. In these cases, the unknown takes on the form of possibility and you can anticipate all of the positive things that are going to come out of it. You might feel nervous, but you understand that walking into the uncharted territory will just take some adjusting, and that soon, you will be in a new home, a new good place to call your own.

But other times, you are thrust into the unknown without being given an option. And rather than talking yourself through an adjustment period, you are forced to wobble through a dark tunnel you can’t see the end of.

In these seasons, it is hard to wake up each day with a positive, possibility-based mindset, and especially difficult not to wallow, catastrophize, or panic.

It has been a determinedly difficult part of growing up for me: to realize that no matter how many plans you make for your life, you will still encounter the unknown over and over and over. And that it will often be the latter of the two aforementioned unknowns—the one with no definable end—that comes knocking at your door.

But what makes both versions of the unknown similar, is that there is always going to be good up ahead. Amongst the new, nerve wracking, question marked filled unknown, there is going to good. Amongst the hard, awkward, lonely, grief filled unknown, there is going to be good. Amongst the plans to take in the dazzling new, there are going to be bursts of unexpected magic. Amongst the panic that everything is about to go wrong, there are going to be things that go unexpectedly right.

So the next time you find yourself walking into the unknown, either by choice or by circumstance, just remember that there is good waiting up ahead. And while it might not make the journey and the pain make sense, it will give them purpose and make the days ahead more meaningful. Each trip into the unknown makes you stronger, braver, and more resilient, and being thrust into the unknown gives you the courage to later cast yourself into it.

So keep moving forward, step by step, the good things are waiting for you, anxious for you to turn the corner and discover them.

—

Alexa, play “Into the Unknown” from the Frozen II soundtrack.