The Mule In The Well

Here's an old parable that seems pretty darn apropos for today...

One day, a poor farmer heard his mule braying. He searched and searched only to find that the mule had fallen down the well. The farmer didn't have the money or resources to save the mule or the well. So to put the mule out of it's misery, he called on his neighbors to help haul dirt to bury the mule in the well.

At first the mule panicked. Every time he felt the dirt hit his back, he became hysterical. But he soon realized that he could shake off the dirt that landed on his back and then he could step on it to get higher. "Shake if off and step up," the mule thought. "Shake if off and step up."

Soon the mule was high enough that he could step out of the well on his own. What he thought would bury him became his blessing.

I got two things out of this parable. 1) If life's heaping dirt on you, shake it off and use it to leverage yourself upward. Focus on the light to aim higher then shake it off and step up. And 2) Even a jackass can be successful if he uses the resources available!