Ynes Mexia

"Once upon a time there was a Chinese farmer whose horse ran away. That evening, all the neighbors came around and said, 'That’s too bad.' And he said, 'Maybe.'

The next day the horse came back and brought seven wild horses with it. And all the neighbors came around and said, 'Well, that’s great, isn’t it?' And he said, 'Maybe.'

The next day his son tried to ride one of the wild horses, and he was thrown and broke his leg. All the neighbors came around and said, 'Oh dear, that’s too bad.' And he said, 'Maybe.'

The following day the conscription officers came around to recruit people for the army, and they rejected his son because of his broken leg. All the neighbors came around and said, 'Isn’t that wonderful!' And he said, 'Maybe.'"

This story is based on a traditional Taoist parable that has been passed down for centuries and was often told by British philosopher Alan Watts.

For Ynes Mexia, the philosophy expressed in the story would have a profound personal meaning. Her early 30s were filled with despair. Struggling mentally, she often spent time alone curled up in bed at the home she and her husband shared in Mexico. Finally, following a doctor’s recommendation, she and her husband moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in search of treatment and change.