The Farmer's Donkey

By: Author Unknown

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal
cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out
what to do. Finally he decided the animal was old and the
well needed to be covered up anyway, it just wasn't worth
it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him.
They all 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 finally looked
down the well and was astonished at what he saw. With
every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was
doing something amazing. He would shake it 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 up
over the edge of the well and trotted off!

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!