I stopped when I saw this painted on a fence: “Worry is a misuse of imagination.” The more I thought about it, the more I realized how much of life is spent suffering through futures that never arrive.

We imagine the diagnosis before the doctor calls.

We imagine the rejection before we ask.

We imagine the failure before we begin.

We imagine the loss before anything has been lost.

Our minds are remarkable gifts. They can create art, solve problems, build businesses, write books, and envision a better future.

Yet too often, we use that same imagination to rehearse disasters.

That is one of the lessons woven throughout many of my books, from Stillness in the Storm to High Intention. Low Attachment.

Prepare, yes.

Plan, certainly.

But do not live in tomorrow’s fears while today’s blessings sit unnoticed beside you.

Most of the storms I have worried about never came.

Most of the challenges that did come were not the ones I expected.

And somehow, through all of them, grace arrived too.

Maybe peace is not found by controlling the future.

Maybe peace is found by trusting that when the future arrives, we will meet it then.

Not now.

Not in our imagination.

But when it comes.

How much of your life have you spent carrying a burden that never actually happened?