One day a farmer's donkey fell down into an old, dry 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 shovels and began to filll the well with dirtl.
At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly.
Then, to everyone's amazement, he quieted down.
Many shovelsful later, the farmer finally looked down the
well and was astonished at what he saw. With every throw 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,
to everyone's delight, 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!
