The word for this…I don’t know. The situation? I can describe it in multiple ways. It is the feeling of void, confusion, and uncertainty when determining how to handle a situation. We have the desire to act. We remember the last time we did. It didn’t help the situation. We then have this feeling that if we do nothing and it doesn’t work out, it is only our fault.

Is this anxiety? Is it a lack of faith? Is it a pessimistic outlook on our life and how things usually transpire? I don’t know the word for this. We have these moments in life all too often. Not having a name for it can lead to most not being able to describe it. Not being able to describe “it” means there is a majority of us that are not equipped to deal with the issue. Have you ever tried to resolve an issue you couldn’t describe? Good luck.

Let’s touch on the need to take action. If you are anything like myself, you may feel the need to take action. Some people push the shopping cart in the vicinity of the other carts in hopes it will end up with the others when done shopping and then the people who push the carts into the others. Yes, the cart may have gotten there without the escort, but the chance of it not getting there was zero with an escort. This method is also how we attempt to handle life outside the supermarket.

The only difference is we don’t see the exact location of other carts and a simple push in the vicinity of where you think the resolution sits may be wrong. We could be altering the perfect trajectory of a situation and not know it. Our need to control the scenario can come from experience. If we are in a positive space in life, knowing that our actions have put us in the position we are in, it can make it difficult to let things occur. Leaving things to happen as they will sounds irresponsible to those who find comfort in control. At times, it can be better to let things happen after you have done your part.

Now, why is inaction so hard? It could have been us trusting a friend or family member to handle something we could have handled ourselves and, it was not handled. It could have been a school project experience of group work, where we realized if we want something done correctly, we should do it ourselves. It could be an unbelievable level of belief in our ability. The only issue with this stance is the world, and the way it works is more powerful than we are. The “world” can be replaced with God, “powers that be”, Karma, etc.

These higher power thoughts are why we may begin to think it’s a faith issue, but because of the other scenarios, I don’t believe it’s that cut and dry of an answer. The action takes away the strange feeling this “thing” with no word gives. The discomfort of the feeling can cause us to take unneeded action. The action was to take away the inkling, but the relief of the feeling causes us to mess with something that was just fine and on its way to the resolution we wanted.

In closing, this happens to all of us. It can feel like sports gambling or the stock market to most of us attempting to predict the outcome of a situation based on our action or inaction. Being human, after two failed attempts of one choice, we switch to the other only to have guessed wrong again. Ouch.

So, what do we do? Just like the word for “it”…I don’t know for sure. It is best to do what you feel is best for the situation. The choices of the past have no bearing on what is correct for the situation at hand. We also need to live with whatever the outcome of our pick will be. More times than not, we’ll end up on the right side of the decision of action or inaction when treating each scenario as its own. Have a little “whatever you need” for whatever this “recurring life event” is. I hope this helps you with….”it.”

Food for Thought…You Do the Dishes.