I Don't Know

I caught myself saying it again…“I don’t know”. It came in response to yet another question that started with “What do we want to do with…”. Boy, if I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard a question that started like this over the past year and a half…!In responding with my answer of “I don’t know”, I got to thinking about how many times I’ve said it as part of our simplifying journey. And it made me think about how many decisions we’ve made along the way-big ones and little ones.As we decided how to pursue opportunities that unfolded for us, we moved forward one step at a time. We looked at what we were facing, figured out the opportunity in it and then we got creative, shared our thoughts and made a decision.   And then as soon as that decision was made, we’d be presented with even more decisions! And so on… That’s what life is, I guess…a series of decisions.But looking back at all of the times I said “I don’t know” along the way, I realize now that at those times when it seemed so difficult to make decisions, it meant that they weren’t really supposed to be being made right then. I learned to trust that the right answer would come at the right time and that often, “I don’t know” was the perfect answer in that moment.So while I know that simple living is a close relative of intentional living, it is important to keep in mind that intentional living doesn’t always mean you’ll know with certainty right then and there exactly what to do or whether the answer should be “yes” or “no” (or “keep” or “sell!”). I’ve learned to move forward on this journey one step at a time and to accept that “I don’t know” is a perfectly good answer.I see now that I often exhausted myself in the past trying to force out a yes or no answer, trying to be in control at all times. I’m grateful that I move forward now with this awareness and with more energy and with more faith knowing that not knowing is perfectly okay.Next time you’re faced with a question and the answer doesn’t seem to be presenting itself, I ask you respond with “I don’t know”.  And to be okay with that answer knowing that at the right time, you’ll know whether it should be a “yes” or a “no” (or a “keep” or a “sell”). It is a process my friends.Blessings,Lisa