I’ve had a share of tough times in life along with times of ease. Most people have. Oftentimes though we describe those times as either good or bad.
“The good ol days”
or
“They were the best of times, they were the worst of times”
I could unpack those but instead I want to focus on some thoughts I’ve tried to keep at the forefront of my mind on the more trying of days.
You may have heard this story before about the Chinese farmer but even if you have, it’s worth re-reading:
A farmer and his son had a beloved horse who helped the family earn a living. One day, the horse ran away and their neighbours exclaimed, “Your horse ran away, what terrible luck!” The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not.”
A few days later, the horse returned home, leading a few wild horses back to the farm as well. The neighbours shouted out, “Your horse has returned, and brought several horses home with him. What great luck!” The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not.”
Later that week, the farmer’s son was trying to break one of the horses and she threw him to the ground, breaking his leg. The neighbours cried, “Your son broke his leg, what terrible luck!” The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not.”
A few weeks later, soldiers from the national army marched through town, recruiting all boys for the army. They did not take the farmer’s son, because he had a broken leg. The neighbours shouted, “Your boy is spared, what tremendous luck!” To which the farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”
I’ve had many similar experiences in my life.
When I was 21 while driving through Vegas my car broke down and despite a decent amount of mechanic knowledge, I was unable to fix it. I ended up sleeping on the floor of a living room for over a month.
I also met my future wife and started dating her during that time.
Another time when I was 17 I had a business where I painted window decorations for Christmas. After a certain job the owner of the business let me know with a smirk that he wouldn’t be paying me anything. After all what would a 17 year old boy do about it?
Now 23 years later I rarely have issues with collecting payment for services from clients simply because I can 1: sniff out dishonest people better and 2: I know how to defend myself as a 40 year old much better due to even just that one experience.
Through my life I’ve been beaten badly, had my heart broken, suffered from un-kown diseases for years and many other difficulties.
I’ve also become extremely pain tolerant, learned to love deeper than I ever imagined, and absorbed gratitude for the times my body doesn’t want to cooperate.
Coincidence?
“We’ll see”
My point today is short and simple.
It would be better for ourselves if we learned to not be tossed about by “good” or “bad” things in our lives.
Our lives are just that. Breath each day we have it, freedom to choose what we eat for breakfast up to whether we go to work or hike a mountain.
Agency to choose our life, our behavior and also our attitude towards the constant consequences of mortality are what should hopefully help us wake up with a bright outlook on each day.
Obviously there will be times we feel controlled by our circumstances, but we do have the ability to choose how we want to feel, and focus on that until it becomes a reality.
I hope your week is full of great moments.
Take care my friend,
-Joseph
