The following story is believed to come from the Taoist tradition:

A long time ago, a farmer’s horse ran away. The neighbors said, “Oh what bad luck, to lose your only horse!” The man said only, “Good luck, bad luck, who knows?” Some time later, the farmer’s horse returned, followed by a herd of wild horses. “What good luck you have,” his neighbors said. “Good luck, bad luck, who knows?” he responded. One day when his son was attempting to break one of the wild horses, he was thrown off and broke his leg. “What bad luck!” said the neighbors. The man’s reply was the same: “Good luck, bad luck, who knows?” But when the army came through the town and took all the young men to fight in a war, they left the son with the broken leg behind. “What good luck,” the neighbors said. “Good luck, bad luck? Who knows?” was the farmer’s reply.

At first, you might think this farmer is delusional, or perhaps has smoked whatever it is he’s been growing on the back forty.

Upon further reflection, however, you can see the wisdom he brings to each “good” and “bad” situation. This wisdom is not lost on me and, perhaps, it also resonates with many who have gone through some rocky times in their lives.

The fact is, life tends to be a great leveler — with a way of leveling the extreme highs and extreme lows. When we reach those celebrated pinnacles of achievement, life often reminds us of our fragility and insignificance. Conversely, when we’ve been kicked to the curb and feel we’ve failed miserably, life can take us in new and exciting directions that would not have been explored otherwise.

In the story, the farmer is telling us that one cannot really judge the “goodness” or “badness” of any event until life plays it out. All we need do is reflect on that notion for a moment to recognize its eternal truth.

It all seems like very serious stuff. But actually, the farmer in this story didn’t take anything very seriously at all. His attitude was that a “bad” circumstance could quite possibly turn into a “good” one, and a “good” event would quite probably lead to a painful conclusion. So why worry too much about such things? I maintain this is a pretty healthy way to look at life, wouldn’t you? If only we could all live this way.

It may be unrealistic to expect we can permanently take this well-balanced approach to life. But what if we tried to adopt the attitude for the short-term? Imagine if we could put our worries aside for a couple of hours, trust in the leveling effect of life, and celebrate together the wonders that life offers us — both good and bad.

Say, for instance, that we assembled at Central Park, on Thursday, July 19, at 7 p.m. Who knows — maybe a blues artist like Deanna Bogart would happen to be singing on stage and playing some mean piano and saxophone. That would certainly help us forget the “ups and downs” of our lives. We’d likely enjoy it so much we’d show up again the next month, on Thursday, August 16, to hear the funky St. Louis blues of Alvin Jett & the Phat Noiz Blues Band.

Deanna Bogart has been performing around the country with her band for nearly 20 years. Downbeat Magazine calls her an “extravagant entertainer,” and The Washington Post describes her with three words: “luster, sophistication, and soul.” Whatever the descriptors, Bogart is a blues artist of considerable depth and emotional force. As a barrelhouse pianist, soulful tenor saxophonist, singer, and songwriter, she does it all with an unflagging energy. A born performer, Bogart has one wish, that “on my death bed at 107, with people I love gathered around me, my last words would be ‘Man, what a good gig last night!’” Don’t miss her performance on Thursday, July 19.

If you want to hear some hard driving blues, be sure to see Alvin Jett and his Phat Noiz Blues Band on Thursday, August 16. An East St. Louis native, Jett has played blues in the St. Louis area for 25 years. His quartet tours regionally to the tune of over 200 concerts annually. Phat Noiz was a finalist group in the 2006 International Blues Challenge, sponsored by The Blues Foundation.

So there you go — two great opportunities to just sit there, with a sandwich in one hand and a beer in the other, get all mellow, and mutter the mantra: “good luck, bad luck, who knows?”

Life is just too short to get hung up on all the grizzly details. Sometimes it’s nice just to sit with a quiet mind, listen to good music, and watch life coming at you kind of level.

For the past 23 years, columnist Randy Reyman has been performing on the Kirkland stage as Principal Trumpet with the Millikin/Decatur Symphony Orchestra.

This article originally appeared in the June/July 2007 issue of Decatur Magazine.
It may not be reproduced or redistributed in whole or in part without the publisher's consent.
© Copyright 2007 Decatur Magazine - First String Productions. All rights reserved.