Read The Money Mirror — Issue #15
The Power of Knowing
Mary sat at her kitchen table staring at a stack of papers.
Not because she was confused.
Not because she was overwhelmed.
Simply because she was surprised.
A few weeks ago those same papers had felt intimidating.
Today they looked different.
The numbers had not changed.
The accounts had not changed.
The future had not magically become certain.
What had changed was Mary.
She finally knew what she was looking at.
Later that afternoon she met Breed Holloway at their usual café.
"You seem thoughtful," Breed observed.
Mary smiled.
"I've been going through everything again."
"And?"
"I keep waiting to find some terrible surprise."
Breed laughed softly.
"Have you found one?"
"No."
She paused.
"Actually, what I've found is that most of the things I worried about were much worse in my imagination than they were in reality."
Breed nodded.
"That happens more often than people realize."
Mary stirred her coffee.
"I spent two years worrying about things I didn't fully understand."
Breed leaned back in his chair.
"Most fear grows in the absence of information."
Mary looked out the window.
The morning rain had stopped and sunlight reflected off the wet pavement.
"So you're saying ignorance creates fear?"
"Sometimes."
Breed paused.
"But more often uncertainty creates fear."
Mary considered the distinction.
"What's the difference?"
"When we're uncertain, our minds fill in the blanks."
Breed pointed toward the notebook she carried.
"Most people assume the unknown is worse than it actually is."
Mary laughed.
"I think I did exactly that."
Breed smiled.
"The human imagination is a wonderful thing."
"Except when it isn't."
"Exactly."
For a moment neither spoke.
The café buzzed quietly around them.
Finally Mary broke the silence.
"You know what's strange?"
"What?"
"I don't feel like I've solved very many problems."
Breed nodded.
"That's probably true."
Mary frowned.
"Then why do I feel better?"
Breed smiled.
"Because understanding something and solving something are not the same thing."
Mary sat quietly.
That thought settled into her mind.
"You mean knowing where I stand matters even before I make changes?"
"Very much so."
Breed took a sip of coffee.
"Clarity is often the first step toward confidence."
Mary looked down at her notebook.
For the first time she could remember, she wasn't afraid of what might be inside it.
Not because the future was guaranteed.
Not because every question had been answered.
But because she was finally willing to look.
As they prepared to leave, Breed offered one final thought.
"What we refuse to examine often becomes larger in our imagination."
Mary nodded slowly.
She understood exactly what he meant.
And for the first time in a long time, she felt something unexpected.
Not certainty.
Not confidence.
But the beginning of both.
Richard Sowa, Founder - Read The Money Mirror
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