Good Luck, Bad Luck, Who Knows?

Hey, welcome back to your Daily Mindfulness. Today, we're going to talk about how to approach our moments with greater balance and ease. I'll start by sharing a short Zen story. There once was an old farmer who used a horse to till his fields. One day though, the horse escaped into the hills, nowhere to be found.

Out of sympathy, the neighbors came by and said, "We're so sorry for your bad luck." The farmer replied. "Bad luck, good luck. Who knows?" A week later, the horse returned from the hills with a herd of horse friends, and now the farmer had all of this extra help. Of course, the neighbors came by to congratulate him. "What great luck you have," they said.

Again, his reply, "Good luck, bad luck. Who knows." Several days later, as the farmer's son was attempting to tame one of the wild horses, he fell off its back and broke his leg. Again, the neighbors stopped by. "We're so sorry to hear about this bad luck," they said. His reaction, "Bad luck, good luck.

Who knows?" A month later, the army marched into the village and conscripted every able-bodied youth they could find. When they saw the farmer's son with his broken leg, they let him off and continued on. After the army left, the neighbors ran to the farmer. "Wow, what great luck you have." And can you guess the farmer's response? "Good luck, bad luck. Who knows?" I don't know about you, but when I hear that story, I get a warm, cozy feeling inside of me.

You know, so often we, we resist the negative experiences because we think they'll make our life worse or we grasp for the positive experiences thinking they will provide our permanent refuge. What would it be like to instead take the perspective of the farmer, trusting that things may be happening for reasons we can't yet understand? Sometimes the most awful things turn out to be the most important moments in our lives and vice versa. Trauma can lead to growth. An exciting new job can lead to a work-life you hate. Cancer can lead to a new appreciation for life.

A new house might lead to terrible neighbors. A breakup can lead to a new life trajectory. Instead of trying to control everything, can we move with the flow of life, seeing where it takes us and what we can learn from it? Is it good luck? Is it bad luck? Who knows. But the opposite perspective is trying to live a life in certainty, and that's an endless quest. So try to bring this perspective into your life.

As always, thank you for your practice and I'll talk to you soon. Take care.