Things are rarely as good as we hope or as bad as we fear them to be.
Our imaginations exaggerate the truth.
We allow ourselves to get carried away by our thoughts and we lose perspective on what is real and right in front of us.
We begin to look past what matters, seeing only those things that confirm the stories we tell ourselves about who we are and where we fit into the world around us.
This is a tragedy because neither our hopes nor our fears will be there when we need support, comfort, or affection.
Our thoughts will not take care of us when we are sick, hurt, or lonely.
They will not mourn with us when we experience loss.
Nor will they celebrate our achievements with us.
For these things, we need people.
But, these people most likely need us as well.
When we become trapped in our own minds, however, when we are overwhelmed by our hopes and our fears, we cannot be present for or with others.
All we have are our thoughts, but that is rarely ever enough to live a fulfilling, meaningful life.