Shake off the Dust…Don’t Give Up!

 

There was a farmer who had a donkey that he was very fond of; the donkey had served him faithfully for years and was very precious to him. 

As the donkey grew older, the farmer would allow it to go around the farm unaccompanied and it would return to the barn after some time. The donkey went out one morning and had not returned by noon – which was very unusual. The farmer was uncomfortable and decided to look for the donkey; as he moved around the farm, he heard a noise from one of the pits located at the far end of the farm. On getting to the pit, he saw that the donkey had fallen into the pit and was struggling to come out. It was crying and wailing, seeking for help.

The farmer called his sons and they tried to lift the donkey from the pit using ropes but it was too heavy. Neighbours came along to help get the donkey out but all to no avail. 

The more they tried, the more tired everyone including the donkey became. It was probably going to take a crane or the aid of a chopper to get the big old donkey out of the pit, but they could not afford either.

After trying all they could, they finally decided that burying the donkey was the only viable option… the farmer could no longer stand the anguish and pain it was going through. The earth from the pit was still close by so they all grabbed shovels and started throwing earth back into the pit. As they started the process, the cry became louder but then the donkey became quiet and everyone felt it was due to tiredness.

One of the farmer’s sons wanted to see what was happening and was shocked by what he saw when he looked into the pit. 

As each load of earth thrown into the pit landed on the donkey’s back, it would shake it off and then step on the sand. Thus, it was moving up the pit. When the son told the farmer about the development, they all started throwing in the earth with renewed enthusiasm and the donkey was lifted by every shovel of earth. Before long, the donkey simply walked out of the pit.

The farmer was so glad to have his reliable old donkey back…

How often do we give up when things are not going our way? 

Oftentimes, we resign to fate instead of pushing just a little more. Like the donkey in the story, we need to learn to shake off disappointments, failures and problems, and not dwell too long on them.

It is also interesting to note that what was meant to bury the donkey, lifted it out of its predicament! That ugly situation will only get the better of you if you allow it to. No problem is as bad as it appears. Something good can still come out of that mess. 

Your attitude to your problem is more important than the problem itself. It is what you make out of your situation that counts. If others have given up on you, do not give up on yourself. Shake off the dust…don’t give up!