“The rest is still unwritten…” – Natasha Bedingfield

I can hear the chuckles right now for referencing a Natasha Bedingfield song, perhaps easily her most famous, “Unwritten.” Lest we forget, though, that the future is still, in fact, unwritten. People may believe in Fate or Destiny, but trying to understand the threads that may well bind us to such esoteric concepts are nigh well invisible. It’s quaint to say, this is my Fate, or this is my Destiny, but what is it that we may actually say when we say these words? What do they really mean? Are we in fact completely out of control of what will ultimately happen to us? 

To say you oversee your own fate, or your own destiny; what does that mean? There are only so many causes you can control, and for every effect there is a cause, as seemingly invisible as some causes may be. There are so many chain reactions of effects in our modern daily lives that confuse and baffle even the finest minds of our generations. It’s hard to break down everything around us, perhaps even impossible for a single mind to comprehend in any meaningful way. Even in the lives of those of us that think there’s nothing particularly special about any of our days – it’s all a matter of perspective, really, as I’ve said before.

There are plenty of “free will” choices that we can make, and it is how persistent we are in consistently and actively making choices that define our personalities. There are those of us that decide that being spontaneous is simply a function of our living as is breathing. We’re each wired a bit differently; perhaps, cross-wired in some cases (myself included). We’re all going to have a bit different take on the walk of life (or the run of life or the crawl of life depending on your personal preference of pace). You may find beauty in something which I can find none, and likewise. It is how we react to the processed data that our senses collect for us that defines the setting and actors in our life story. 

Too many people act either too passively or too aggressively in regard to their surroundings. There is so much chaos inherent in the nature of our universe, just as much as there is order, and finding a balance between those two is remarkably difficult. Most of us cage the chaotic elements that are inherent in every one of us inside, hoping that we can just lock them away for good, but it’s not that easy. There are too many irrational, illogical actions that we make that we often can’t explain; it’s because we try too hard to tame the beast, that in trying to do so we actually find ways to set it free at the most inopportune times.

What I’m saying is that we may look at ourselves in our respective mirrors and not see anything particularly noteworthy. But if you look inside yourself, you’ll find there really is a lot more going on. Stop and really think for a minute what you’re really seeking in life, even if you think you are absolutely content, and more than likely you’ll find something still lacking. It’s just human nature to want something more. We can say that we just need to count our blessings and be thankful for (read: be content with) what we have right here and now. But what does that mean? What compelling story does that tell? The stories we want to hear are those that just aren’t content, that want, need, something greater. That may seem selfish, and there are certainly plenty of selfish reasons and motivations to want more. But there are justified and perfectly logical reasons, even in a state of general contentment, to want something a little bit better. 

So, if you find that you’re still wanting something more, join the club. Today is (hate to quote another cliche here) the first day of the rest of your life. The rest is, as Natasha says, still unwritten…

~ Amelia Desertsong, August 20, 2024