“I am eternally grateful for the blessings,” says Joanie Weber Badyna, referring to tragedies she has endured. It’s because of these experiences she says she has learned not to “waste time” and knows how to “love without fear.” Badyna is one of many quoted in this month’s Inspiration feature, “Practice Gratitude and Change Your Life,” on page 32. Her personal challenge it seems is to find the beauty in the ugly; the good luck in the bad luck. This got me thinking: Who’s to say what is good luck? I heard this Taoist tale at mass last month:
This farmer had only one horse, and one day the horse ran away. The neighbors came to console him over his terrible loss. The farmer said, “What makes you think it is so terrible?” A month later, the horse came home—this time bringing with
her two beautiful wild horses. The neighbors became excited at the farmer’s good fortune. Such lovely strong horses! The farmer said, “What makes you think this is good fortune?” The farmer’s son was thrown from one of the wild horses and broke his leg. All the neighbors were very distressed. Such bad luck! The farmer said, “What makes you think it is bad?” A war came, and every able-bodied man was conscripted and sent into battle. Only the farmer’s son, because he had a broken leg, remained. The neighbors congratulated the farmer. “What makes you think this is good?” said the farmer.
At times it is hard to know what is good luck and what is bad. Is it bad luck to find out you have cancer, or is it good luck because it has been found? Is it bad luck to have been laid off, or is it good luck because you needed a push to take a new path? Who’s to say? Rather than guessing at what is good luck and what is bad luck and trying to discern what we should be grateful for, why not be grateful for all of it. Sure, that seems so annoyingly Pollyannaish, but, honestly, how do we know what is good and what is bad? There are so many people that by facing some tremendous tragedy have persevered and managed to change the trajectory of their lives for the better. I am certain if you ask them, they will tell you they are thankful for their blessings and their adversity—both of which led them to the lives they lead today.
Let’s try an experiment—oh, how I love experiments! This Thanksgiving, while we focus our energies on gratitude for the blessings in our lives, let’s go one step further and find it in our hearts to give thanks for the seemingly “bad luck” in our lives. Find the small blessings that exist in the job loss, the divorce, the disease. Recognize that perhaps somewhere, somehow this bad luck will lead to something beautiful, and then let it! Let that gratitude free you from the control this bad event may be holding over you, and let this freedom carry you onto the next stone on your path to personal success.
Have a blessed Thanksgiving!
