"Maybe"
I love this story.
There is an old farmer who has 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.
"Maybe," the farmer replied.
The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. "How wonderful," the neighbors exclaimed.
"Maybe," 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.
"Maybe," 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.
"Maybe," said the farmer.
Yesterday, while traveling home from speaking at Agent Reboot in Columbus, I was texting my niece. She injured her knee and was supposed to be going in for surgery today.
She told me she might be getting tissue for her ACL replacement from Chris.
Chris is her older brother, my nephew, that passed away in car accident a few years back.
This seemed a little odd to me and I couldn't make sense of it but as long as she came out of the surgery ok, that is all I cared about.
My brother texted me this morning and said Caitlyn was finished with the surgery and was doing great. And in fact, Chris's tissue was used to repair Caityln's ACL.
Christopher was an organ and tissue donor. My brother told me that Chris had helped 53 people in 8 different states and two other countries. Today was the 54th and last person that he would help. And that person was his little sister.
Life is not black and white
It is too easy to see life as black and white, good or bad. But it's not that at all.
It's a gray. It's "maybe."
There is uncertainty in your life and business and the farmer knew this. Events that seemed bad or good in the moment where just a "maybe" to him. He knew he was too close to the situation to define it as good or bad just yet.
I miss my nephew everyday. I literally catch myself every day staring out the window or looking at a picture, remembering a good time, feeling sad about the loss or wondering "what if?"
But...
I know I'm too close to the situation to have a good perspective on it.
Here is what I do know.
My nephew has helped 54 people in his death, one of them being his little sister.
Reality does not need to make sense.
There is nothing more imporant than family.