Sunday Scribblings - Mystery

Life is filled with mysteries. The future holds nothing but mystery. Even that which we think we know, that which we anticipate and hope for, is nothing more than the merging of our desires with the reality of mystery. The present is mysterious. This very moment, there is so much we do not understand, so much that we cannot understand. And the past…some may argue that the past is the only certainty we have. But I think the past holds the greatest mysteries of all. All the “what ifs” and “what might have beens” leave us stranded on abruptly ended paths, wondering where this or that path might have eventually led. And we will never know. The past has departed, replaced by the present, anticipating the future. But the mysteries of the past will never die.

Every time we take a walk through the memories of our past, we encounter the mysteries of our lives. Each moment of the past has already been lived, each one unalterable and undeniable. And yet do we not wonder? Do we not, at times, find ourselves retracing steps of previous paths and wondering where that path might have led? The endings of those paths will never be known. We can wonder, we can imagine, but we can never know. It is, in fact, this lack of awareness, this inability to know, that is the beauty of mysteries. If we could know the mysteries of our pasts, or our futures for that matter, how would we ever be able to live fulfilled in the present?

I once sat down and tried to imagine the mysteries of my abruptly ended paths. I even wrote what I imagined to be those endings, or perhaps beginnings. Of course my words were nothing more than the manifestation of my imagination. They were not words of truth or understanding. They were merely words of curiosity. But those words helped me to accept the mysteries of my past. I still wonder sometimes what my life would be like now had I decided to continue with this or that relationship, had I chosen to attend a different school at a different time, had I moved to California as once planned. But despite the wondering, despite the mysteries of my past, I know that I am right where I am supposed to be on the path of my life. There will be many more questions, many more unknowns, and many more mysteries.

Mysteries make for a life of unknown possibilities.