Risk & Business Magazine General Insurance Services Spring 2020 | Page 20

OPTIMISM
Your
Stubborn
Optimism Is
Contributing
To Your
Success
20
O
ne day, the farmer’s horse
jumps the fence and runs off.
The farmer’s neighbor stops
by and says, “I’m so sorry.
That’s terrible news.”
The farmer shrugs and says, “Who knows
if it’s good or bad news.”
Several days later, the horse returns with
six wild horses who have followed him
home. The neighbor stops by and says,
“That’s amazing! What wonderful luck!”
The farmer shrugs and says, “Who knows
if it’s good or bad news.”
Soon after the wild horses have come
to live in their pasture, the farmer’s son
is thrown from a horse while trying to
tame it. He breaks his leg in the fall and
is bound to a wheelchair while he heals.
The neighbor stops by and says, “What a
horrible accident. I’m so sorry for your son
and your family.”
The farmer shrugs and says, “Who knows
if it’s good or bad news.”
While his son is healing in his wheelchair,
the militia marches through the town,
conscripting all able-bodied young people
to serve in the war. The farmer’s son is
spared from serving in the military. Again,
the neighbor stops by and says, “What
fortune that your son does not have to join
the army.”