Overcoming Life’s Challenges
One day a donkey fell into an old well. From a distance, the rancher heard the donkey crying out in hope of being rescued. Hearing the donkey in distress the rancher ran to the well. After examining the situation he concluded that the donkey was too old to survive a rescue attempt. Lacking an alternative solution, the rancher decided to fill the old well with dirt and bury the donkey. He reasoned that this would end the donkey’s suffering. The rancher enlisted the help of a neighbor, and they began shoveling dirt into the hole and onto the donkey. Immediately, the donkey realized what was happening. He cried out even louder, yet the determined rancher and his neighbor just kept shoveling. For the next few minutes he continued to make awful noises but soon, to their relief, the noise stopped and everything grew quiet. After a while, the farmer looked down into the well. He was absolutely astonished by what he saw. The donkey was still alive, and progressing towards the top of the well. He discovered that by shaking off the dirt instead of letting it cover him, he could keep stepping on top of it and the floor level would rise. Soon the donkey could step up over the edge of the well, and happily, trotted off. From time to time, life shovels dirt on top of each of us. The trick is to shake it off and use it to take a step up.