A Story for Sleepless Nights
I’ve spent many night hours this week with an old wisdom story whispering in my ear. It speaks to me of grace, of the wisdom of patience, and of the humility to remember I don’t know anything about the future. It takes courage to make friends with uncertainty, to rest with it, even. It takes rock solid self-trust, faith in the long sweep of history and the ebb and flow of life.
This is an old oral tale in the tradition of Taoist parables, based on a version from Wisdom Tales From Around the World by Heather Forest. The original is attributed to Lui An.
Read this tale aloud, slowly. Breathe. Read it aloud again, to yourself, to others. May it comfort you, as it does me. Pass it on.
A Farmer’s Horse Ran Off
A farmer’s horse ran off. Try as he might, he could not catch it. His neighbor, who had been watching out his window, said to the farmer, “How bad for you! Now you have no horse to help you with your work!”
The farmer removed his hat and wiped sweat off his brow with the sleeve of his shirt. “I don’t know,” he said, “if it’s bad … or if it’s good.”
A few days later, the farmer’s horse returned with a beautiful wild mare it had found in the fields.
The farmer’s neighbor, envious, said, “How good for you! Now you have two fine horses! You must be glad.”
“I don’t know if it’s good … or if it’s bad,” said the farmer as he eyed the wild mare.
The next day, the farmer’s son decided to tame the wild mare. He was unskilled and impatient and the mare threw him, trampling on his legs in many places. The farmer’s neighbor, watching through his window (naturally), came hurrying out as the farmer knelt to gather his broken son into his arms.
“How bad for you,” said the neighbor. “I feel your sorrow!”
“I don’t know,” said the weeping farmer, “if it’s bad … or if it’s good.”
A few weeks later, that country went to war. All the able-bodied youths were conscripted. The farmer supported his crippled son and they stood with the neighbor, who wept as his own two sons marched away to war.
“How good for you,” choked the neighbor, as he waved his two strong sons out of sight. “Your son stays home. You must be glad!”
Again, the farmer said slowly, “I don’t know … if it’s good … or if it’s bad.”
This is a story without an end. Take from it what you will, my friend.
I love this story! I heard of it in a Native American version. Perhaps it is one of those true tales that resides in the collective unconscious of humanity…surfacing when and where we need it.
Hi Jennifer, would you recommend your pinned post as the place to start? I wasn't sure if you had any short fiction as well.