10/13/25
There was an old farmer who had worked his crops for many years.
This farmer loved two things more than anything else: his son and his horse.
One day, the gate was left open and his beloved horse ran away.
Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit.
“Such bad luck,” they said sympathetically.
“Maybe”, the farmer replied.
The next morning, the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses.
The neighbors saw the new horses on the farm, came over and exclaimed, “How wonderful!”
“Maybe”, replied the old man.
The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown off the horse, and broke his leg.
The neighbors heard the son scream and again came to offer their sympathy for his misfortune.
“What terrible news”, the neighbors said.
“Maybe”, answered the farmer.
The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army.
These young men would be on the front lines and would face certain death in battle.
Seeing that the son’s leg was broken, they passed him by.
The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out.
“You’re so lucky”, they proclaimed.
“Maybe”, said the farmer.
“Good luck, bad luck, who knows?”
The point of this story is that we truly don’t know what the future holds.
When something happens that we perceive as “good news”, it may not turn out the way we hoped.
When another thing happens that we perceive as “bad news”, it may lead to something much better.
The best way to respond to any circumstance is to remain in a state of equanimity, meaning we establish a sense of peace within ourselves, no matter the external circumstances.
We acknowledge that the future will play out in a way that we could never fully anticipate, so it’s best to stay neutral and not get too high or too low.
We learn to be okay with whatever happens.
From this state, we are much more capable of responding with clarity and skill.
Rooting for you,
Jay (encouraging you to be like the old farmer)