Pregnant Friends…

x would be able to hold both her joy and anticipation, along with her sorrow and compassion for you.

You would be able to hold your grief and envy, along with your joy and pleasure for x.

And all would be openly felt in turn and turn around, and you could speak freely about all perspectives and honour each of them.  You’d laugh and cry together, and feel compassion for the other and their difference.

And your friendship would continue, knowing that Life deals unequal hands.    And things happen in the future that we cannot foresee, and you may end up feeling the blessed one.

See also sent me this

Anthony de Mello, SJ: Equanimity

“There is a Chinese story of an old farmer who had an old horse for tilling his fields. One day the horse escaped into the hills and when all the farmer’s neighbours sympathised with the old man over his bad luck, the farmer replied, “Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?”

A week later and the horse returned with a herd of wild horses from the hills and this time the neighbours congratulated the farmer on his good luck. His reply was, “Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?”

Then, when the farmer’s son was attempting to tame one of the wild horses, he fell off and broke his leg. Everyone thought this very bad luck. Not the farmer, whose only reaction was, “Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?”

Some weeks later the army marched into the village and conscripted every able-bodied youth they found there. When they saw the farmer’s son they let him off. Now was that good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?”

Extract from Anthony de Mello: Writings Selected with an Introduction by William Dych, S.J pp 42-3, Orbis Books, New York 2002