We'll See: Steady As The Farmer

Who decides what 'terrible luck' is, anyway?

This morning, as I was driving my kids to school and they were moaning about the chem test, the bitter cold, bowling practice (that's right...), the mandatory-but-against-his-will haircut scheduled for this afternoon ... I reminded them of the parable of "The Farmer and His Horse."

The parable, in case you haven't heard it:

A farmer and his son had a beloved horse who helped the family earn a living. One day, the horse ran away and their neighbors exclaimed:

Neighbor: "Your horse ran away, what terrible luck!"

The farmer replied: "Maybe so, maybe not. We'll see."

A few days later, the horse returned home, leading a few wild horses back to the farm as well.

The neighbors shouted out: "Your horse has returned, and brought several horses home with him. What great luck!"

The farmer replied: "Maybe so, maybe not. We'll see."

Later that week, the farmer's son was trying to break one of the horses and she threw him to the ground, breaking his leg.

The neighbors replied: "Your son broke his leg, what terrible luck!"

The farmer replied: "Maybe so, maybe not. We'll see."

A few weeks later, soldiers from the national army marched through town, recruiting all boys for the army. They did not take the farmer's son, because he had a broken leg.

The neighbors shouted: "Your boy is spared, what tremendous luck!"

To which the farmer replied, "Maybe so, maybe not. We'll see."

The point? What looks like a disaster today might turn into tomorrow's blessing. And what looks like a win might come with challenges you can't see yet. 

Wealth building works like this.

The market dips, the water heater explodes, you need a new roof, or someone borrows money and never pays you back. In real time, each thing feels like "terrible luck."

But step back, zoom out, and you start to see the truth:
One event doesn't define your financial life.

Your habits, your discipline, and your long-term plan do.

The market goes down? Is this a blessing or a curse?

If you've got time to invest, historically this is where future gains hide.

You need to take money out of your investment account to fix something expensive at home?

You're protecting your biggest asset, and you've planned ahead so you're not using debt to pay for it.

A friend doesn't repay you?

Not ideal, but it sharpens your boundaries and teaches you to keep your investment strategy separate from your relationships.

The point is:

Setbacks happen. Always.

But so do rebounds, opportunities, and lucky returns.

The farmer's calm mantra is the mindset of every successful investor:

Don't judge the moment - trust the process.

Your core financial values:

- saving consistently
- investing early
- diversifying
- avoiding debt traps
- living below your means

will carry you through the ups, downs, broken legs, and runaway horses of life.

And anyway, aren't these the reasons we build wealth in the first place? So we can fix the roof, lend the money, be able to see dips in the market as an opportunity?

I think so.