“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious.”
Albert Einstein
Perhaps Einstein was reflecting on the great mysteries of the cosmos but I have come to appreciate the quiet every day mysteries that shape a human life. These include mysteries like why music can make me cry, or how ocean waves can stop time, or how you can hold the gaze of a newborn and see eternity.
The thing about mystery is that it invites us to live without complete explanations. It offers us a door to wonder and curiosity, whispering gently, “Hey, you don’t have to figure it all out.” Mystery reminds us that even though the world is obsessed with control, not everything can be solved. We do not have to have all the answers. We can allow the mystery to be.
What I am discovering is that inviting mystery into my life might be one way to invite joy into my days. If I recognize that life can’t be ordered around, that life needs to unfold at her own pace, that she is a mystery, then maybe I can finally learn to notice and appreciate that which is evolving in the moment. Maybe the moment becomes my invitation to joy.
Equally important, if I can accept mystery, maybe I can find an antidote to anxiety. If I can stay open to what’s next instead of demanding and planning what’s next, then I can make room for surprise, delight, and tranquility. The unknown becomes not a threat, but perhaps a wonder.
Mystery doesn’t erase adversity or calamity. But it can soften our response. It calls us to be curious instead of afraid. If we can breathe in uncertainty, we don’t need to know what’s next to experience the goodness and joy in the world. What we do need is to stay open to life just as it presents itself. Maybe we can go so far as to trust life. It’s a big ask, to set down what we think we need, to set down our fears, to trust that life is delivering to us what we need.
That’s quite a challenge for most human beings. This one especially.
Good one, Gracie. Without mystery, there can be no joy of discovery. Without mystery, the world can seem dull and colorless. Our minds were designed to run on at least mid-grade mystery.
This is such a beautiful reflection. It reminded me that not everything needs to be figured out to be meaningful. The idea of mystery as an antidote to anxiety really struck me—how freeing it is to let go of needing control and instead stay open to wonder. Thank you for this gentle reminder to trust life as it unfolds.