One day a farmer's donkey fell into an abandoned 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; so it just wasn't worth it to him to try 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. Realizing what
was happening, the donkey at first cried and wailed horribly. Then, a few
shovels full later, he quieted down completely.
The farmer peered down into the well, and was astounded by what he saw.
With every shovel full of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing
something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up on the new
layer of dirt. 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,
the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off,
to the shock and astonishment of all the neighbors!
Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to
getting out of the well is to not let it bury you; but rather, to shake
it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is stepping-stone. We
can get out of the deepest wells by just not stopping, by never giving up!
Shake it off and take a step up!
Remember these five simple rules to be happy:
Free your heart from hatred.
Free your mind from worries.
Live simply.
Give more.
Expect less.
EPILOGUE
After the donkey trotted off, he eventually returned to his owner. He
then kicked the crap out of the Farmer for trying to bury him.
Which brings me to another moral for this story: When you try to cover
your ass, it always comes back and gets you - sooner or later.
