"A Widower, a Son, and a Horse" by PNW - 4.20.17

Entry Submitted by PNW at 2:46 PM EDT on April 20, 2017

Once upon a time, there was a widower who had an 18 year old son and owned one horse. One night the horse ran away. The next day all the neighbors came around to tell the neighbor how sorry they were he lost his horse, and he responded "maybe".

The next day the horse returned, and with it, it brought five wild horses. The owner quickly corralled the horses and took them for himself. The neighbors all came around and said to him what great fortune he had...how incredible is luck...how amazing his circumstance...He replied, "maybe".

The next day his son was training the wild horses and in the process accidentally broke his legs. That night all the neighbors came around to tell the man how sorry they were his son was injured and couldn't walk. The man replied, "maybe".

The next day the government came to the man's house as they were drafting men between the ages of 18 and 25 for war. But because the man's son had broken legs, they could not draft him. All the neighbors came around that night to tell him how fortunate he was that his son was unable to be drafted. The man replied, "maybe".

The next day his sons legs became infected and the boys health began to falter. All the neighbors came around to tell the man how sorry they were the boys legs were ever broken in the first place. The man replied, "maybe".

The next day a new doctor in the town came to visit the sick boy to see if he could be helped. They instantly fell in love upon seeing each other, and they decided they would be married after the boy was better. All the neighbors came around to tell the man congratulations for his good fortune in meeting the new doctor. The man replied, "maybe".

What's the moral of the story?

PNW