Message From Brien & Dre
There once was a farmer whose horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbours came to visit. “Such bad fortune,” they said, full of sympathy. “Maybe,” the farmer replied.
The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. “What great fortune!” The neighbours exclaimed. “Maybe,” replied the old man.
The following day the farmer’s son tried to ride one of the untamed horses. He was thrown off and broke his leg. The son would forever limp. “What terrible fortune!” The neighbours cried. “Maybe,” answered the farmer.
The next morning the army came through the farmer’s village to draft young, able-bodied men for the war. Seeing his son’s limp, they passed him by. “What wonderful fortune!” They said. “Maybe,” said the farmer.
It’s hard to know which experiences will turn out to be gratuitous and which will be unfortunate because everything is constantly changing.
It’s impossible to control the future. All we can control is how we meet each moment. The more we can accept each moment and trust in the nature of impermanence, the less we are emotionally thrown around by the ups and downs of life.
Earlier this year I predicted that 2020 was going to be my year. So far, I was completely rattled when Kobe Bryant died and now our business is shut down. Two Mondays ago I was completely stressed and brainstorming solutions to not become homeless. It doesn’t sound that great so far.
But I’ve been using this time to work on myself. To eat well, exercise everyday, get my 8 hours of sleep each night, read, learn, and practice my breathing & meditation. Dre and I have received tons of support from people checking-in, seeing if they can help us in any way. We have so much gratitude for everyone helping to pick us up. We’ve been using this time to work on ourselves, our business, and still trying to help others.
Life doesn’t give us want we want, it gives us what we need
And it’s our responsibility to learn how to cope, understand what we can and can’t control, and choose to become the best version of ourselves. That’s not possible without having to face adversity. There’s beauty in a struggle.