“Yee-hawwww!”, I heard coming from the back of the house. Did that unique southern expression of enjoyment really just come from my German husband’s mouth?
“Yee-haw?”, I asked.
“I’m happy!”, he matter-of-factly replied.
I immediately was struck with the following thought: how often is it that we are so happy that we shout out ‘Yee-haw’, or ‘Woo-hoo’, or ‘Wow-ee’? Wouldn’t it be nice to do that every day? And why shouldn’t we—the Beauty of the Earth, and the Wonder of Life does peek out at us every day; the only question is how open are our minds and hearts to see, feel, and experience it?
It’s so funny/strange/good how Life is: though the business of selling the house and downsizing is turning into a ‘marathon’ vs. a short sprint, Chris and I recently realized (in a way that perhaps we hadn’t previously), that it’s All For The Best. It’s giving us more time to research; to not only find a coach that we suit our needs best, but also emotionally prepare for the new RV lifestyle. Things that seem ‘bad’ at first, actually have a rhyme and rhythm and lesson to them that lead to greater good. The key, however, is to view it from that lens–otherwise you miss the deeper context!
I’m reminded, yet again, of one of my favorite stories: the story of the Farmer:
There was once a poor farmer who could afford to own just one horse. He cared well for the animal, but one summer night, it escaped through a weak fence and ran away.
When his neighbors discovered what had happened, they visited to offer their condolences. “What bad luck!” they exclaimed. The farmer replied, “Maybe. Maybe not.”
A week later, the fugitive horse sauntered back to the homestead, accompanied by six wild horses. The farmer and his son managed to corral all of them. Again the neighbors descended. “what great luck!” they exclaimed. “Maybe,” the farmer replied. “Maybe not.”
Soon the farmer’s son began the work of taming the new arrivals. While attempting to ride the roan stallion, he was thrown to the ground and half-trampled. His leg was badly broken. The neighbors came to investigate. “What terrible luck!” they exclaimed. The farmer replied, “Maybe. Maybe not.”
The next day, soldiers visited the farmer’s village. Strife had recently broken out between two warlords, and one of them had come to conscript all the local young men. Though every other son was commandeered, the farmer’s boy was exempted because of his injury. The neighbors gathered again. “What fantastic luck!” they exclaimed. “Maybe,” the farmer said. “Maybe not.”
There are other versions which continue a bit further, with the young man and his father starting a business that thrives, resulting in them making a lot of money. The farmer’s response to the neighbors’ cries of good luck? You guessed it, “Maybe. Maybe not.”
And so on. 😉
I found a great website featuring different versions of this tale of not viewing things as ‘good’ vs. ‘bad’; it’s worth a read (http://www.noogenesis.com/pineapple/Taoist_Farmer.html)
And so…onward we go on our journey to, well, start our journey!