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An Open Letter to Every High School Senior Waiting to Hear Back From College Admissions
On getting, and not getting, what you want
There’s a story about a farmer that’s been circulating for thousands of years. It’s worth considering as you react to whatever news you get this week or next year.
So there’s a farmer, let’s call him Joe. Joe had a horse, let’s call the horse Big Red. One morning, Big Red ran away. Word spread and all his neighbors said something like, “OMG that sux!” to which Joe said, “We’ll see,” and went back to tending his crops, best he could.
The next day, who turns up in the farmer’s field but Big Red, and he’s brought with him with two more horses. All his neighbors said, “Dude you’re so lucky!” And Joe said, “We’ll see,” and went back to tending his crops, best he could.
The next day, Joe’s son, Joey, tried to ride one of the new horses and was thrown. He broke his leg and the neighbors said, “Totally brutal, so sorry!” And Joe said, “We’ll see,” and went back to tending his crops, best he could.
The next day, the army came through village, drafting young men for war. Joey was disqualified from serving — thanks to that brutal broken leg — and all the neighbors said, “That’s amazing!” And Farmer Joe said, “We’ll see,” and went back to…
