Shaking Off Dirt, Stepping Up

A farmer's donkey fell into a deep well. The farmer, deciding the animal

was old and the well needed filling anyway, gathered neighbors to help cover it

with dirt. The donkey cried horribly at first, but then grew quiet. With each shovel

of dirt, the donkey would shake it off and take a step up. Soon,

it stepped over the edge and trotted away, showing that with persistence,

even a seemingly hopeless situation can be overcome by turning obstacles into progress.