When you miss your big break

You might’ve heard this story before—but it’s worth hearing again.

A man’s horse ran away. “What a tragedy,” his friends said.“Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see,” he replied.

Days later, the horse returned—with a rare wild horse.“Such good luck!” they said. “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”

Then his son tried to ride the wild horse, was thrown off, and broke his leg.“How tragic!” they cried. “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”

Soon, the army came, conscripting all the young men—except his son, whose leg was broken.“Such fortune!” they cheered. “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”

This is not to say that the big break you missed was secretly a curse. Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn’t. You may never know. That crushing heartbreak might be a blessing—or not. You may never know.

What looks like a setback might lead somewhere good. And then bad. And then good. And bad?

All we get to do is appreciate and make the most of the temporary ‘positives’—and endure the apparent ‘negatives’.