Maybe... we'll see.

There is a Taoist story of an old farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit. “Such bad luck,” they said sympathetically.

“Maybe,” the farmer replied.

The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. “How wonderful,” the neighbors exclaimed.

“Maybe,” replied the old man.

The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors again came to offer their sympathy for what they called his “misfortune.”

“Maybe,” answered the farmer.

The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son's leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out.

“Maybe,” said the farmer.

And like that, may we create a little distance between our story about a situation and what the ultimate outcome might be. Worry and rumination only lead into a spiral of suffering. We know that no event in and of itself can truly be judged as good or bad, lucky or unlucky, fortunate or unfortunate. Only time can tell the whole story (which will continue to unravel beyond our presence).

It’s difficult to be impartial to challenging situations like betrayal, loss and trauma. This work often (usually) goes beyond talking ourselves out of a reaction and encourages us to come back into the body, the felt experience.

This is the Yoga. Movement, nature, music, touch… what helps you get some space around a story or situation? What helps you to be more flexible, adaptable and forgiving? What helps loosen your clenched fist?

Can you do some of that today?