Lessons from a Donkey

I wish I knew who to give credit to for this, but since I don’t let me just say that whoever came up with this is a pretty smart cookie😊

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, so it just wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey.

The farmer invited all his neighbors to come over and help him.  They each 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 looked down into the well and was astonished at what he saw.

As every shovel hit his back, the donkey did something amazing.  He would shake the dirt 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!

The moral…life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt.  The trick to getting out of a hole 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 holes just by not stopping, never giving up!  Shake it off and take a step up!

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 This was a pretty smart donkey, right?  Cartoons, stories, etc. can often make out the donkey to be rather “dumb”, but they are actually highly intelligent.  There is a lot we can learn from a donkey….

* Donkeys have an incredible memory - they can recognize areas and other donkeys they were with up to 25 years ago.  (Can you do that???)

*A donkey will not do something it considers to be unsafe.  (Listen up, all you daredevils!)

* Donkeys have a reputation for stubbornness but this is due to their highly developed sense of self preservation. It is difficult to force or frighten a donkey into doing something it sees as contrary to its own best interest or safety.     (Another valuable lesson!)

* Training a donkey relies upon showing him or her, by words and action, that they can trust you to protect them from harm. They learn what it is we want them to do if we take time to show them.  (Shouldn't we think of this with our children & grandchildren?)

* A donkey is stronger than a horse of the same size.   (Always remember: dynamite comes in small packages; you may think you are small & insignificant but you can accomplish great things!)

(Thanks to this website http://www.mikesdonkeys.co.uk/facts.html for these interesting facts)

Life is full of surprising and interesting things IF we just take the time to learn about them😊

Each new day is an opportunity to learn, experience,

cherish, love, & celebrate.