Good luck? Maybe.

Bad luck? Maybe.

Once upon a time, a peasant had a horse. When the horse ran away, the peasant’s neighbors came to console him for his bad luck. He answered, “Maybe.” 

The next day, the horse came back and with it, six wild horses. The neighbors came to congratulate him on such good luck. The peasant said, “Maybe.” 

The day after, his son tried to ride one of the wild horses. But he was thrown off and broke his leg. Once again, the neighbors shared his misfortune. The peasant said, “Maybe.” 

The day after, soldiers came to conscript the youth of the village. Because of his son’s broken leg the soldiers passed him over. When the neighbors came to congratulate him on his good fortune, the peasant said again, “Maybe.” 

As we see in this story, good luck and bad luck are ever changing, like two sides of a coin flipping back and forth. Whatever we encounter, we need to view it with equanimity, not judge it, and accept it with flexibility.