I once had a friend who was in desperate need of a job. She had been laid off and she was running out of money fast. They were hiring for one position where I worked so I encouraged her to apply. We both thought it would be fun to work together. She got a first interview and then a second interview and I was sure she would soon be hired. I remember the day she called me in tears because she didn’t get the job. She was devastated. The company had decided to go with a male candidate instead. I couldn’t believe it; she was certainly qualified with more than ten years of experience. I decided I should meet the guy who “stole” this job from my friend so I made a point to seek him out and introduce myself. I was sure he would turn out to be some cocky college kid with a serious attitude problem. How wrong I was….
Have you heard the story of the man who spent every penny he had to buy a horse, only to have the horse run away? All the neighbors said, “Oh, that’s bad.”
But the man said, “How do you know it’s bad, maybe it’s good.”
Then the horse returned bringing with him a second horse, doubling the man’s fortune.
All the neighbors congratulated the man saying “Oh, that’s good!” And the man said, “How do you know that’s good, maybe that’s bad.”
While riding one day the man’s son fell from the horse, severely breaking his leg, and the neighbors said, “Oh, that’s bad.”
But the man said, “How do you know that’s bad, maybe that’s good.”
A year later the war began and the army drafted all the able-bodied men to be soldiers. The man’s son was left home because of his disabled leg. This story could go on forever but I am sure you get the point. To know if a situation is good or bad you really need the benefit of time. My grandma called it “hindsight 20/20.” I call it foresight.
Can you imagine the choices we would make if only we had foresight as a superpower? Forget the flying cape, foresight would be better. We’d know which investments to make—seriously did you think a blanket with arms called a “Snuggie” would be a top seller last year? In my day a snuggie was something you wanted to avoid at all costs!
We’d know which houses to buy, which jobs to take and so on— we would never make a mistake. I think foresight should be right up there with the invisibility cloak, also a favorite of mine.
By now you’re probably wondering whatever happened to my friend? Heartbroken and unemployed she turned to shopping for comfort, ended up in serious credit card debt, borrowed a boat load of money from me and never paid it back. I seriously misjudged her character.
And what about the guy who “stole” her job? As it turned out he was handsome, smart and funny, so I married him. Who could have seen that coming? Happy Anniversary, Mike! (13 down, 37 to go.) Meeting you was fate. Becoming your friend was my choice. But baby, falling in love with you was beyond my control.
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