This is what we are supposed to do, isn’t it? When something bad happens to us, the only way out is going right through it with the biggest positive attitude we can muster, accept our reality and go on hoping that things will turn for the best. And as what we think about we attract, things WILL eventually turn out for the best. As the saying goes: “if life gives you lemons, make lemonade!”

Have you ever heard of the moral of the Farmer’s Donkey? It is a great story that shows us the two options we have in difficult circumstances. Here it goes:

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. He was astonished at what he saw. With each 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 happily trotted off!

Moral: 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!

Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells by never giving up. Click To Tweet

Interesting, isn’t it? And it’s so easy sometimes to just let sadness, stress or anxiety win…

A different version of the tale goes on:

The donkey later came back, and bit the farmer who had tried to bury him. The gash from the bite got infected and the farmer eventually died in agony from septic shock…

Moral from today’s lesson: When you do something wrong, and try to cover your ass, it always comes back to bite you .

We hope this story gave you a lot to think about. And whatever the ending you choose, remember: