X Factor

X Factor

Think you have never used algebra since high school?  Think it was a waste of your time to learn it?   Think again.   We use algebra every single day of our lives.   We are always trying to “solve for x”.   X is the variable, the unknown part of life’s equation.   Problem is, unlike algebra, we can’t really solve for x in our everyday lives.  We have no idea what the ‘x’ is.  It could be anything.  Maybe it’s that proverbial bus waiting around the corner to flatten you when things are going well.  Or maybe it’s the lover that leaves you at the altar.  Or the job you thought you were so secure in, suddenly laying you off.   Maybe x is the lottery ticket that just won you a much easier life.  Or the man of your dreams walking into the laundromat where you are washing your delicates.   It could be anything.  Right?   Even a pandemic that pulls the rug right out from under you.

“These are uncertain times” is a phrase we are hearing an awful lot these days.   And yes, these are uncertain times.  But are they any more uncertain than usual?   Sure, we don’t know when we are going to be able to live freely again without worrying about getting sick.  We don’t know if we will still have jobs, or if our business will recover.   We don’t know when the kids are going back to school.   We are uncertain as to whether this pandemic could happen again with a different virus.

But life is uncertain, right?  There we were minding our own business doing ‘a’ and ‘b’ and then all of a sudden we got hit by a hell of an ‘x’.   A virus.  We thought we would be dealing with severe  weather, or a climate crisis, or a war with Iran.  And every day since then we have been dealing with forced isolation and climbing the walls with boredom or finding creative ways to cope with all of this.  Just like we do every day as we deal with our various x-factors.   Illness, divorce, car trouble, an unexpected pregnancy, crime, a broken appliance…you get the idea.

I guess what I am saying is yes we are living in uncertain times, but that is life.   Unless we are clairvoyant, we are always uncertain about what lies ahead.   And all we can do is live each day….damn it I don’t want to say as if it’s our last that sounds so trite.   Okay, all we can do is live in the moment and appreciate everything we have.   We can embrace ‘x’ as an adventure or we can live in fear.   It’s our choice.