How I know I'm Not A Donkey

Once, when I was having a rough time and nothing in my life seemed as though it was going in my favor, I was pouring my troubles out to a very good friend. I remember saying, "Every time I turn around I feel like it's raining shit and I don't have an umbrella!!!" I find that my language can be particularly colorful when I am feeling put upon.

A few days later, she sent a story about The Donkey In The Well. You may already be familiar with it, but for those who aren't it goes something like this:

One day a poor farmer's donkey fell into a dry well. The trapped beast cried and brayed for hours while the farmer ran around trying to figure out what to do. (See, this is why men really shouldn't be allowed to baby sit...I mean, really, how the hell does one let their donkey fall into a well????)

At any rate, the farmer finally reached the conclusion that there was no way to get the donkey out of the well. And, as it was rather old, (sure, blame the donkey,) and the well was a hazard, (No! Really?!) it should be filled in. Finding no other solution to help retrieve the donkey, the farmer decided to bury his only donkey in the well. (Stellar plan Mr. Farmer!!!)

He called for his neighbors to help him shovel. (Umm, don't you think the neighbors could have been summoned to see if they couldn't collectively get the poor beast out of the hole???!!!) And, so more time passed as the neighbors began shoveling, raining more and more dirt down on the poor donkey.

At first, with each shovel full that hit, the donkey cried piteously louder and louder. Then, sadly after a time, all was silent in the well. The farmer decided to look to see if the Donkey was done for, (How very, very brave!)

He was amazed by what he saw, for instead of being buried under by each shovel of earth that went over the side, there the donkey stood blinking up at him. When the dirt hit its back, the donkey shook it off. As the dirt he shook off piled up, the donkey stepped up higher.

This happened repeatedly until finally the well was almost filled in and miraculously, the old donkey stepped up over the lip, shaking the dirt off its back as it trotted off.

Now, I happen to really like this story and my friend sent it at the right time. It reminded me that the world is going to dump on all of us at one time or another. No exceptions! And, there will be times in life when you really do feel like it's raining shit and you don't have an umbrella to hide under.

The question becomes, what are you going to do at those times? Are you going to stop, give in, and wait to be smothered? Or, are you going to take it as it comes and figure out the best way to move upward and through it by making the best of the situation? Either choice is yours. Either choice was the donkey's, but being a simple creature, it accepted things as they came at him and well, the rest is a good story, (No thanks to the really stupid farmer who doesn't deserve the old or any other donkey for that matter, but I digress...)

So, yeah I really like that story.

But, there's only one problem. It doesn't apply to me as I'm positive I've never been a donkey in any other life. Because if I had ever been a donkey, and most particularly that poor donkey, when I stepped over the lip of the well?

I'd have mule kicked the ever-living shit out of that Jackass farmer holding onto the other end of that shovel. And that would make for an entirely different parable.

The End.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka She Who Can Act Like A Mule, But Was Never A Donkey