Be Like the Donkey

We are all facing really uncertain times – times that are going into the history books, for sure. The moral of the following story is a great one:

One day a farmer’s donkey fell into a deep well. The animal cried pitifully for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, the farmer made a decision: The animal was old, and the well needed to be filled in anyway. It just wasn’t worth trying to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They each grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly.

Then, to everyone’s amazement, he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer looked into the well and was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel-full of dirt that hit its back, the donkey would shake the dirt off, and take a step up.

As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped over the edge of the well and happily trotted away.

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping-stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up.

Shake it off, and take a step up.