NO LABEL ZONE

 

The middle ground is hard to hold on to because so much within me pulls for all or nothing thinking.  Good/bad, right/wrong, black/white, either/or, yes/no, in/out; it feels at times like an inner tug of war.  It isn’t easy to refrain from placing a label on my experience.  It reminds me of a Taoist story I heard:

There is an old farmer who had 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. "May be," the farmer replied. The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. "How wonderful," the neighbors exclaimed. "May be," 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. "May be," 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. "May be," said the farmer.

Today I choose to open my mind and heart to a bigger picture than I can currently see and refuse to judge my experiences and relationships.  Good, bad, who knows.