The grass will grow back

I’ve been thinking a lot about trust in recent weeks. Largely because a situation has arisen which has demanded I examine the way in which I struggle to trust.

A walk in the parched Greenwich Park where only shaded parts of the Flower Garden sees green grass — a quaint nostalgic sight amidst a drought — trigger thinking.

Our level of trust can be seen as the level of uncertainty we’re able to tolerate. Greater toleration of uncertainty, greater trust.

To trust more demands adjusting our relationship with uncertainty. We need to get more accustomed to it. Over time, more exposure to it helps us manage ourselves in amongst it.

A bit like being out in the heat. Grass responds to the heat by concentrating its energies in its roots. Admittedly, this is made more complicated with prolonged hot weather and drought, but by and large experience has shown that it does grow back. We get accustomed to uncertainty as we expose ourselves to it more.

The metaphor is easy to capture; a little more difficult to apply practically.

Case in point: the agency bill will be paid, I’m just not certain when, or who else is involved or if they’ve done the stuff they need to. I simply have to operate amidst that uncertainty. Fifty three feels late in life to be working this out.