The Unpredictable Journey

Embracing Life's Twists and Turns

The following has been rewritten and updated from a story originally appearing on Medium.

I first heard this impactful story at a Tony Robbins UPW seminar. Although the context in which it was shared escapes me, the story itself has resonated with me throughout the years. I'm sure it has evolved and taken on various forms with subtle changes, but here's what I remember:

Once there was an old village. In this village, there were the villagers, and there was one odd farmer who lived on the outskirts of the village. He was a little bit different. The way he thought, his philosophy of life was just something that didn’t quite sit well with the rest of the villagers.

This farmer had a horse and one day, his horse went off and ran away. That was just as he went out and bought a new saddle for the horse. This horse ran away and took the saddle with it.

The villagers, hearing of this news, went to the farmer’s farm and said: “We’re so sorry! What bad luck you have. Your horse ran away.” The farmer looked at them and said: “Maybe it’s bad luck, but who knows? Maybe it’s good luck.”

They looked at him weirdly and said: “How could it be good luck? Your horse, your only horse, ran away. What are you going to do now?” He said: “Well, we don’t know. Maybe it’s good luck, maybe it’s bad luck.” The villagers left his house scratching their heads and went back to their business.

A few days later, the horse returned to the farmer. It brought with it three wild horses. Now the farmer had his horse back, with the saddle, plus three new, untamed horses. The villagers, hearing of this news, made their way to the farmer’s house. They said: “Wow. What amazing luck you have!”

The farmer looked at them and said: “Maybe it’s good luck, but maybe it’s bad luck. Who knows?” The villagers looked at him puzzled. “How could you possibly say this was bad luck? You had one horse, it ran away, now you have that horse back and three new ones. This is amazing.” The farmer looked at them and said “Maybe it’s good luck, but maybe it’s bad luck.” The villagers left shaking their heads, not sure what to think.

Then a few days passed. The farmer’s son had to tame and train these new three horses. As he was trying to train one of them, it kicked him, knocked him down, and he broke his leg over a rock. The rest of the villagers, hearing of this news, made their way to the farmer’s house. They said: “We’re so sorry. What terrible luck you’ve had!” The farmer looked at them and said: “Maybe it’s terrible luck, but maybe it’s good luck.”

The villagers couldn’t stand this anymore. “How could you possibly say this is good luck? Your only son broke his leg. Surely this is the worst of luck?” The farmer looked at them, considered their suggestions and said: “Maybe it’s bad luck, but maybe it’s good luck.” The villagers were just aghast, and they walked away angry.

A few days later, as the son was recuperating from the broken leg, he was lying on the bed. The country officials came by through the village, and they were conscripting troops for the army, for the war that was going to be waged overseas. They rounded up all the able-bodied young men in the village to go off to die in battle. They didn’t take the farmer’s son, because he was not able to walk.

Or to put it more simply from Mizuta Masahide (水田 正秀, 1657–1723) who was a seventeenth-century (Edo period) Japanese poet and samurai:

Barn’s burnt down — now I can see the moon.

In my life, I've encountered numerous examples of this theme, but the one that never ceases to amaze me is my personal encounter with LeVar Burton.

In 2005, I won an auction for the benefit of the National Press Club to “Give your child a priceless gift: reading time with actor LeVar Burton.” After winning the auction, there was quite a delay in hearing anything back about coordinating dates or any other details. The delay was long enough that I could have wondered if this was going to be one of those promises that never get fulfilled. So I waited patiently until about two months later when we got the surprise of a personal message LeVar left on our home answering machine. (Remember those things?) Turns out he was without a personal assistant at the time, just coming back from being out of the country, and thus communicated an apology for the delay as he managed the fulfillment of the auction win himself.

I am sure when he offered his services as an auction item, he didn't expect to be burdened with the details of dealing with the winner, scheduling, handling logistics, and so on. But there we were, over the next couple of months, trading calls back and forth to arrange a visit to a school – not just for one child – for the gift of reading time with the man behind "Reading Rainbow." The visit was incredible. I do, however, remember it starting with a hotel elevator that was out of order at the time, and picking up a sweaty LeVar before embarking on a few remarkable hours as the rock star of the day for the entire school.

The auction item did not include travel expenses, and since LeVar was in the area for another event, he only requested a car service to get him from his previous engagement, along with a hotel stay, to be covered. Covering the hotel was easy – I paid for his stay when he checked out. However, the car expense was to be settled later when he received the bill for the service that had already been provided.

He had my address and even left me a message saying he would send the invoice, but it never arrived in my mailbox or via email. Sure, I had his personal phone numbers, but who am I to intrude on someone's private time for an invoice? It might seem odd, but I valued that privacy even above the firm principle of not owing anybody anything.

A Lannister Always Pays His Debts

Time passed... It was 2010 when I noticed that LeVar would be attending a local Chiller Theatre Expo. Interestingly, I couldn't explain why I came across this information, nor could I understand (and never asked) why he was going to be there in the first place. Reading Rainbow / Kunte Kinte / Geordi La Forge at a Chiller Theatre Expo? It just didn't make sense. Regardless, I saw this as an opportunity to say hello again and let LeVar know that I was still looking to pay that car service bill from 2006.

Without having tickets in advance or any experience attending an expo like this, I was unprepared for the chaos of getting to the right place at the right time. However, it all worked out, and as recognition lit up in his eyes, we had a pleasant 3-minute reunion. Of course, he had no memory of not being repaid as promised for the car service. Some might think this was a relief for me, but as "a Lannister always pays his debts," I was left wondering what on earth I should do now.

Yes, I am a Star Trek fan. Yes, I am a Reading Rainbow fan. And yes, I remember LeVar from Roots. However, what impressed me the most was witnessing the passion he poured into the simple task of reading during his visit to a school back in 2006. At that time, I had just wrapped up shooting for my first Executive Producer film credit on the SyFy movie "Jabberwock," which was in production in Bulgaria. Having recently begun a partnership in a film studio out of Vancouver, BC, I didn't even have business cards for that venture yet. Nevertheless, I took a moment to tell him what I was up to and handed him my investment company business card, hoping for a chance to collaborate in the future. Looking at the card, he mentioned there might be something to discuss, which I didn't take too seriously at the time. We said our goodbyes, and that marked the end of my first and only experience at a Chiller Theatre Expo.

At the beginning of 2011, I was pleasantly surprised to receive a call from LeVar, who explained that he wanted to bring Reading Rainbow back. This time, it would take the form of interactive digital children's books. The idea was that during the days of Reading Rainbow, TV was the primary source of entertainment for kids, but now it's iPads and other tablet devices. And so, our journey began to invest in a legacy that would start as an iPad app, launched to the public in 2012.

Starting a company almost always requires some initial investment, and at some point down the road, additional funds are needed to expand the business and help it grow and thrive. This statement holds true for our journey, which one might think would be easy, or at least not difficult, after releasing an iPad app that quickly climbed to the number one spot for Education titles on the iTunes store. However, it wasn't. Due to several failed attempts and false starts, we considered using Kickstarter as a possible solution to bring the app to other platforms and into classrooms where we knew it could have a much larger impact.

Thus, on May 29th, the Bring Reading Rainbow Back for Every Child, Everywhere! Kickstarter campaign was launched with the goal of raising $1,000,000 over 35 days. To our amazement, we met that goal in just 11 hours, setting a record for the most backers on Kickstarter to date. Having raised a total of $5,408,916 from backers and an additional $1,000,000 from Seth MacFarlane in matching funds, the company can now deliver on its promises for access and expansion.

Lessons from the Journey

As I reflect on the journey with LeVar, I can't help but draw parallels to the farmer's story. In every step of our adventure, good and bad events were intertwined, making it difficult to discern whether they were truly fortunate or unfortunate occurrences. For instance, not having a personal assistant could have been perceived as bad luck for LeVar, but it ultimately led to our direct communication and the establishment of a relationship that might not have formed otherwise.

Similarly, my inability to settle the invoice for the car service initially seemed like an unresolved issue hanging over my head. However, this seemingly negative situation brought us together again at Chiller Theater Expo—an event that neither of us would typically attend. And although I didn't have what would be considered the "right" business card when we reconnected, it opened up an opportunity for me to share my endeavors outside of film production.

Despite having developed the number one app in education, securing funding remained elusive—another setback that could be classified as misfortune. But this challenge also pushed us towards embracing crowdfunding through Kickstarter. The overwhelming support we received from backers far exceeded our expectations and enabled us to expand our mission beyond what we initially thought possible.

Like the farmer's story, these events did not follow their apparent trajectories; instead, they taught us that life is full of surprises and uncertainties. It is often impossible to predict whether a particular event will lead to positive or negative outcomes in the long run. Just like that broken elevator at the hotel—it may have caused some initial discomfort but served as another reminder that life's unexpected twists and turns are part of what makes every journey unique and valuable in its own way.

Some challenges lead to the best experiences in life, while some successes don't necessarily make things easier going forward. We have the choice to either watch others play the game or decide to step onto the court of life ourselves. Although there may not be a way to ultimately win the game of life, you can certainly improve by spending more time practicing than observing.

In the end, the business didn't succeed as planned. However, the seeds left in the ground due to the lessons learned might still grow into something unexpected in the future.

As Steve Jobs said at his Stanford Commencement address:

Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever.

Growth Through Uncertainty

In our lives, we navigate a complex web of events, each with its own potential for good or bad consequences. Yet, it is not merely the outcomes of these events that define us; it is how we react to them, learn from them, and grow as individuals that truly shapes our character. The unpredictability of life's twists and turns may be daunting, but it also offers the opportunity for self-discovery and growth.

Each event we encounter serves as a piece in the puzzle of our lives. As we look back on our past experiences, we may begin to see patterns and connections that were not apparent at the time. These connections reveal not only what has transpired but also who we have become as a result. Our present selves are shaped by the culmination of countless moments—both good and bad—that have taught us invaluable lessons about ourselves and the world around us.

As I revisit this story years after its initial conception, I am reminded that life is an ever-evolving journey. The writing itself has transformed over time, just as I have grown through my experiences—both those similar to the farmer's story and those unique to my own path. With each barn burned down in our lives, new moons rise to illuminate our view and grant us fresh perspectives.

Ten years from now, I can only imagine how much further my understanding will have deepened and how many more stories I will have collected along the way. It is through these unpredictable experiences that we continue to evolve into who we were always meant to be: resilient beings capable of embracing life's uncertainties with grace and wisdom.

So let us embrace the unknown with open hearts and minds, trusting that every experience—whether seemingly fortunate or unfortunate—will ultimately contribute to shaping who we are meant to become. And as we look up at the moonlit sky above our burnt-down barns, let us remember that even when things seem dark or uncertain, there is always light waiting to guide us through the journey of life.