I don't know what I can't do
One thing that I like about growing older is that I don't think I know everything. In fact I know I don't know everything and sometimes I think I don't know much of anything. This takes a great deal of pressure off me. I don't have to act like I know everything and no one expects me to know everything.
One thing that I don't know is what I can't do. That's a good thing. It opens up a whole world of possibility for me. There is a whole world of things I can discover. For instance, last spring I decided to take up running. Why not? It's good exercise outside in the fresh air. I don't know that I can't run, I never tried it. So I did try it and I liked it. As soon as it warms up a bit more and it is light out early in the morning I'm going to break out the running shoes and go.
I always thought I had a black thumb, so I never tried to garden. Then I realised that I have never tried to grow a garden. If I haven't done it how do I know that I can't? So when we moved into our house, we planted a garden. (It helped that there was one already started.) You know what happened? The plants grew! They were tall and strong. We had tomatoes, peppers and lovely flowers. It turns out that I don't have a black thumb and that I can grow plants. How would I have known unless I tried. Would I have tried if I thought I couldn't do it?
Sometimes I think there's too much focus on what can't be done. I can understand that, if you look at the news there is so much trouble everywhere that it's overwhelming. It's so big you can't do anything about it. The question is, what can we do?
If I plant flowers in my yard and someone sees them, they might be inspired to plant something. Maybe it will make them smile and feel better on a bad day. How do I know it won't happen if I don't do it. If someone sees me running or exercising they might be motivated to take better care of themselves. It's obvious I'm not a marathon runner or a gifted athlete, I won't know unless I do it.
I won't know if the food I donate will feed someone who will do a lot of good in the world. The money I give to the animal rescue organization could be used to care for a future therapy animal who makes a big difference to some one's life. I don't know if any of these things will happen if I don't try them.
Now, you might be thinking that this is crazy. I'll never know if any of the above things will happen no matter what I do. That's true. Maybe the things I do have no effect at all, but what if they do? I won't know if I don't try. I don't know what I can't do. That means until proven otherwise I can do anything.
One thing that I don't know is what I can't do. That's a good thing. It opens up a whole world of possibility for me. There is a whole world of things I can discover. For instance, last spring I decided to take up running. Why not? It's good exercise outside in the fresh air. I don't know that I can't run, I never tried it. So I did try it and I liked it. As soon as it warms up a bit more and it is light out early in the morning I'm going to break out the running shoes and go.
I always thought I had a black thumb, so I never tried to garden. Then I realised that I have never tried to grow a garden. If I haven't done it how do I know that I can't? So when we moved into our house, we planted a garden. (It helped that there was one already started.) You know what happened? The plants grew! They were tall and strong. We had tomatoes, peppers and lovely flowers. It turns out that I don't have a black thumb and that I can grow plants. How would I have known unless I tried. Would I have tried if I thought I couldn't do it?
Sometimes I think there's too much focus on what can't be done. I can understand that, if you look at the news there is so much trouble everywhere that it's overwhelming. It's so big you can't do anything about it. The question is, what can we do?
If I plant flowers in my yard and someone sees them, they might be inspired to plant something. Maybe it will make them smile and feel better on a bad day. How do I know it won't happen if I don't do it. If someone sees me running or exercising they might be motivated to take better care of themselves. It's obvious I'm not a marathon runner or a gifted athlete, I won't know unless I do it.
I won't know if the food I donate will feed someone who will do a lot of good in the world. The money I give to the animal rescue organization could be used to care for a future therapy animal who makes a big difference to some one's life. I don't know if any of these things will happen if I don't try them.
Now, you might be thinking that this is crazy. I'll never know if any of the above things will happen no matter what I do. That's true. Maybe the things I do have no effect at all, but what if they do? I won't know if I don't try. I don't know what I can't do. That means until proven otherwise I can do anything.
Not only do I not know everything, but I realize that the more I know the less I know.
ReplyDeleteI thought I didn't know about making videos for youtube. Then I made a video for youtube, and I found out that there was lots more to learn about making a good video, so my net fund of ignorance went up. Or did it go down? I'm not sure.
Nice blog; thank you
I think most people do more than they think they do. Sometimes being brave in your own life means doing small things that add up. Thanks for making me think about this today! Very interesting.
ReplyDeleteYour column made sense to me because I believe we can make a difference in our world. I don't need to see results directly, but it's great when I do...like when someone smiles at me and says hello it makes me smile and want to say hello back. Added bonus - it make me feel happier. I'm all for happy!
ReplyDelete