There are things in life that most of us quietly, privately, completely fail to understand — and yet we never admit it. We nod. We smile. We say "yeah, totally." And then we go home and Google it for the fifteenth time with zero results.
Here's a honest list of things that sound like they should make sense by now, but somehow still don't.
WiFi
Something invisible travels through the air, my phone picks it up, and suddenly I have access to the entire world. I have absolutely no idea how this is possible, but I'm deeply grateful for it every single day.
Modern art
Could someone please explain why a smear of paint on a canvas or a lopsided abstract sculpture counts as "art" when my kids produce the exact same thing on a Tuesday afternoon with their fingers and some Play-Doh?
How cars actually work
I vaguely remember a diagram of an internal combustion engine from high school physics. I even got a good grade on that test — purely through memorization. But what actually makes a car move? Not a clue. I get in, I press the pedal, it goes. That's the full extent of my understanding.
Wine tasting
In my honest opinion, wine culture is an elaborate performance where everyone pretends to detect blackcurrant, hazelnut, dark chocolate, morning dew, rolling hills, and the distant laughter of children — all in one sip of fermented grape juice.
Mirrors
I laugh at my dog when she barks at her own reflection. But I'm not one bit smarter about it. I know glass gets polished somehow, but how on earth does that turn it into something that shows me my own face? It still feels like witchcraft every morning when I'm doing my makeup. (Assuming I'm not a vampire.)
Electricity
I press a switch on the wall and the room lights up. I pick up a flashlight and I'm literally carrying a miniature sun through a dark forest in my hand. How does any of this work? Nobody can convince me this isn't some form of advanced sorcery.
Touchscreens
I've been using a touchscreen phone for years, and not a single day goes by where I don't quietly marvel at the fact that my finger touching glass does... anything at all. It's magic. I don't make the rules.
Sourdough
Sourdough starter is, to me, roughly as comprehensible as quantum physics. I know you keep it in a jar. I know you have to "feed" it. Apparently it involves wild yeasts and lactic acid bacteria naturally proliferating in a flour-water suspension — but why any of that makes bread taste better is completely beyond me.
Magnets
How do magnets work? One end attracts, the other repels. Fine. Cute party trick. But what invisible force is actually doing that? Someone? Anyone?
What my boss is saying
About 80% of the time, I have no idea what my boss is actually talking about in meetings, but I nod with great conviction. Same goes for when my mum calls — she talks non-stop, I mentally check out halfway through, and I still respond as if I followed every word. It's a skill, honestly.
Gravity
Why isn't everything in Australia upside down? Why don't people just fall off the bottom of the planet? I know there's a scientific answer. I've heard it. It still doesn't feel real.
Multi-lane roundabouts
Anyone who genuinely understands the correct rules for navigating a multi-lane roundabout deserves a Nobel Prize. The rest of us are just driving in and hoping for the best.
The stock market
My partner trades stocks online. Sometimes he cheers, sometimes he spirals into despair. I support him through all of it — while having absolutely no idea what is happening or why.
Baseball
My husband is Canadian and loves baseball. He has explained the rules to me more times than I can count. What I have retained: someone throws a ball, someone else tries to hit it, and then there's a lot of running. That's it. That's all I've got. After years of watching games together.
Tax returns
My friend who is an accountant insists that filing a tax return is easy. And yet she's the one who does it for every single person in our friend group, because none of the rest of us can manage it. Draw your own conclusions.
Crypto
Crypto, Bitcoin, NFTs — my dad, my brother, and my boyfriend have all tried to explain these to me at various points. The more they talked, the less I understood. My spirit animal is the Ugandan minister who once described bank transfers as: "Money moves through the air." Exactly. That's exactly what it is.
If you recognized yourself in more than three of these — welcome. There are many of us, we're doing fine, and we've gotten surprisingly far in life by nodding confidently and Googling things later.
