There was once a farmer whose horse ran away. His neighbors came to console him. "What terrible luck," they said.
The farmer shrugged. "Maybe."
The next day, the horse returned — and brought three wild horses with it. "What wonderful luck!" the neighbors said.
"Maybe," said the farmer.
The following week, the farmer's son tried to tame one of the wild horses, was thrown off, and broke his leg. "What terrible luck," the neighbors said.
"Maybe."
A month later, soldiers came through the village drafting young men for war. They passed over the farmer's son because of his broken leg. The neighbors said nothing this time. They were beginning to understand.
The lesson
We almost never know, in the moment, whether something is good or bad. We only know what happened.
Most of our suffering comes not from events themselves, but from the labels we immediately stick on them. "This is a disaster." "This ruined everything." "This is the best thing that ever happened."
The farmer didn't suppress his feelings. He simply stayed open — refusing to close the story before it was finished.
Today's lesson:
Think of something that felt like a setback in your past — a job you didn't get, a relationship that ended, a plan that fell apart. Ask yourself: did something unexpected come from it? The answer is almost always yes. Next time something goes wrong, try saying "maybe" instead of "this is terrible." Leave the story open.
That's your handful for today.
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