There is a Taoist story of a farmer whose horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors said to him. “Such bad luck.”

“Maybe so,” the farmer replied.

The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it a wild horse. “How wonderful,” the neighbors exclaimed.

“Maybe so,” replied the farmer.

The following day his son tried to ride the untamed horse. He was thrown and broke his leg. The neighbors came to offer their sympathy and lamented the farmer’s “bad luck.”

“Maybe so,” he replied.

The day after, military officers 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 said, “What good luck!”

“Maybe so,” said the farmer.

You may have heard me reference this story. I love the reminder to take each moment as it comes. We may label our experiences as “good” or “bad,” but often what we see as unlucky creates an opportunity or new learning experience. What we see as fortunate might create new challenges.

It has been a while since I went hiking. The town where I live is just 45 minutes from St George, Utah, but the elevation drop of over 3200 feet means that it is much warmer there in the winter. I felt a strong desire and had the time to get out in nature today. How fortunate. Maybe so.

It was a lovely hike and I met a woman who would love to start a meditation group in her neighborhood. Fortuitous meeting! Maybe so.

On the way home, someone lost a large metal something from their trailer. Several vehicles ran into it (including mine). Oh no! Maybe so.

A rear tire blew out. What bad luck. Maybe so.

UDOT and the local police were quickly on the scene. No one was injured and the refuse was quickly cleared away. Everyone was so polite and helpful. They had my tire changed in no time. How wonderful! Maybe so.

When the policeman told me there was no other damage, he kindly let me know my registration was expired. I didn’t even know. I’ve never let that happen since I’ve had a car. How horrible! Maybe so.

He told me my day had been hard enough and asked me to take care of it soon. How fortunate! Maybe so.

Last week we had an exercise to help focus attention. Another way of focusing attention is to “settle the mind.” That can be difficult when challenges arise.

Try this: Notice when you judge something (or someone) as good or bad. Use STOP (Stop, Take a deep breath, Observe your thoughts, feelings and body reactions, Proceed with awareness).

Your experience is created by what happens in the nervous system of your body. If we feel tense, we might label something as “bad.” Try to just notice the sensation. Breathe into it and give it a name (such as, “I feel tightness in my solar plexus” or, “There is tension in my forehead” or, “I feel a smile on my face”).

Is the moment good or bad? Maybe so.