Benefit in Everything

Once there was an old farmer who had been planting and reaping crops for many years. Then one day, his horse ran away. When his neighbours heard about his horse they came to visit him. "Such bad luck" they said sympathetically. "Maybe, maybe not?" the farmer replied. The next morning the horse returned with three wild horses. "How wonderful!" the neighbours exclaimed. "Maybe, maybe not?" replied the old man. The following day his son rode one of the wild horses… he was thrown and broke his leg. The neighbours came to offer the farmer sympathy for this unfortunate event. "Maybe, maybe not?" answered the farmer. The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army, on seeing that the son's leg was broken they passed on by. The neighbours congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out. "Maybe, maybe not?" said the farmer.

I often find myself coming back to this story---it reminds me that rather than quickly judging a situation… to choose to wait and see. Somehow ‘in waiting’ I find that I can just watch and enjoy the magic of life unfold in front of me, instead of feeling one minute high and one minute low. I now try to stay constant and to wait and see what's next. Is it possible that there's benefit in everything?

OTIS