I heard this story on a talk show and thought to share it with my readers – to demonstrate that, sometimes, things we judge as “bad” may well turn out to be for the best.
There is a 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. ……..”We’ll see,” the farmer replied.
The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses.
“How wonderful,” the neighbors exclaimed. …… “We’ll see,” 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 on his misfortune. …..”We’ll see,” 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. …..”We’ll see” said the farmer.
When I first heard this story I thought we could think of divorce as the horse. Better yet, consider a husband as the horse! When we divorce our husband(s), we think that’s bad.
Then, the women I work with begin to develop new lives, and the next thing they know they have (pick one or more): a new career, supportive friends, interesting outside activities, new interests to pursue, things they love to do, and more. Those things are good.
Sometimes a client finds that her ex is in a relationship with the woman he was with during their marriage. That is bad.
Then I help that client realize that she no longer has to put up with her ex-huband’s bad behavior. That is good.
Another client finds herself in a constant struggle with her ex over the divorce, money, and lists of other things. That is bad.
Through the struggle, my client begins to realize how strong she is. That is good.
My point here is that when life comes up with something “bad”, try to say “We’ll see…” You might be surprised how the “bad” can actually turn into the “good”!
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