Day 179: Maybe
There's a Taoist/Buddhist parable called Maybe that I have loved for decades
I first heard it many years ago, and it has stayed with me ever since because I keep seeing it play out in real life.
The story is often called The Chinese Farmer.
A farmer's horse runs away. His neighbors tell him how unfortunate that is.
The farmer replies, "Maybe."
A few days later, the horse returns and brings several wild horses with it.
"What good fortune!" the neighbors say.
The farmer replies, "Maybe."
Then the farmer's son is thrown from one of the wild horses and breaks his leg.
"How terrible," the neighbors say.
The farmer replies, "Maybe."
Shortly afterward, soldiers arrive to conscript all the young men into military service, but the farmer's son is spared because of his injury.
"What good luck!" the neighbors say.
The farmer replies, "Maybe."
The story continues like this, one event leading to another, each appearing good or bad depending on where you happen to be standing at the time.
Last night I was watching an episode of Running Point on Netflix, and the ending reminded me of this story.
Throughout the episode, a basketball player's mother is portrayed as controlling, overbearing, and constantly interfering in her son's career. Everyone around them sees her as the problem.
Eventually, she is forced to leave because of her behavior.
Problem solved, right?
Maybe.
In the final scene, the player takes several pain pills before leaving the locker room.
What no one knew was that his mother had been the one monitoring and controlling those pills all along.
Suddenly, the entire situation looks different.
The people judging her only knew part of the story.
And that got me thinking about how often we do the same thing in our own lives.
We see a situation and immediately decide what it means.
Good.
Bad.
Success.
Failure.
Blessing.
Disaster.
But most of the time, we're looking at a single chapter and acting as though we've read the entire book.
The truth is, we rarely know enough in the moment to accurately judge what is happening.
I've watched this play out over and over in my own life.
Things I once viewed as devastating eventually opened doors I never would have walked through otherwise.
Some of the experiences I resisted the most became turning points that shaped who I am today.
Even a cancer diagnosis contained gifts I could not see at the beginning.
That doesn't mean every difficult experience is enjoyable.
It doesn't mean we should pretend painful things aren't painful.
It simply means that life has taught me to be a little slower to label events as good or bad before the story has had a chance to unfold.
I appreciate the wisdom in that single word:
Maybe.
Maybe this setback is protecting you from something.
Maybe this disappointment is redirecting you.
Maybe this unexpected turn is leading somewhere better than you can currently imagine.
Or maybe you simply don't have enough information yet.
I know there have been countless times in my life when I was absolutely certain something was terrible, only to look back years later and realize it was exactly what needed to happen.
Maybe you've experienced that too.
Today, if there's something happening in your life that you don't understand, something you've already labeled as wrong, unfair, disappointing, or frightening, consider leaving a little room for possibility.
Maybe the story isn't over yet.
Maybe life is still unfolding.
Maybe one day you'll look back and see it very differently than you do right now.
Today's Gentle Practice
Think of one event in your life that, at the time, felt like a disaster.
Maybe it was a loss, a disappointment, a diagnosis, a closed door, or a change you never would have chosen.
Now ask yourself:
What became possible because of that experience?
You don't have to justify what happened or pretend it wasn't painful.
Simply notice whether time revealed something you couldn't see in the moment.
Then consider where in your life you might need a little more space for the word:
Maybe.
With you,
Lynn
