What do monsters under our kids’ beds and the future have in common?

I’ve had some fascinating conversations with people since starting this journey 39 days ago.

They all start with a variation of the same question, “How’s it going without a cell phone?”

I’m noticing a trend…that isn’t their real question. That’s the surface-level question that eventually leads to a deeper one.

As the conversation continues, the person sitting across from me gets uncomfortable. More uncomfortable than talking to a stranger in an elevator.

They might not verbalize it, but I can see them running ‘what if’ scenarios in their head. What if this goes wrong? What if such and such happens?

Eventually, they land the plane and ask the question they’ve wanted to ask since the beginning: “Aren’t you scared of the future or what might happen without it?”

You see, the future doesn’t cause us anxiety. It’s our thoughts on some ‘what if’ scenarios that may or may not happen.

Monsters under the bed are to kids as the future is to adults.

Both only exist in our imagination and produce unnecessary anxiety.

We leave our kids’ rooms after reassuring them there is nothing under the bed or in the closet.

It may be time for our kids to come into our room and reassure us that the future isn’t real.