The many faces of a blessing
I once read a Chinese folktale, The Lost Mare, and it has resonated in my mind ever since. As the tale goes, a boy living in northern rural China had a prized mare. One day, the mare disappeared. The boy was inconsolable. His father, a very wise man, said to him, “Son, you should not cry. How do you know the loss of the mare is not a blessing?" Sure enough, a few months later, the mare turned up, bringing with her a stallion. The boy was elated, but this time, his father cautioned him, "Don’t be overjoyed. How do you know this isn't a curse?” Sure enough, when the son took the stallion for a ride, he fell off and broke his leg. He came back home and complained to his father, who replied, “Remember what I said before. Don’t be sad. This could be a blessing.” Indeed, when war broke out with the neighboring nomads, almost all the young men from the village were enlisted and died in battle, but the boy with the broken leg stayed behind and was saved.
Sometimes hardships turn into blessings, and sometimes blessings become hardships. Who knows what lies ahead? Always keep your feet on the ground, no matter how high your wings reach, and, in the darkest of times, never give up the faith. After every dusk, there is a dawn.
Be well...
