The Donkey in a Well

Sometimes when you’re down and everybody’s picking on you: One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried 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. He invited all his neighbors to come and help him. They all grabbed a spade and began to shovel dirt into the well.

 

At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then 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 would shake it off and take a step up.

 

As the farmer's neighbours 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!

I love this folk tale because it reminds me to never let people bring me down and to always persevere until I've accomplished what I wanted to achieve.