One day, a donkey fell into an old well. The farmer couldn’t help the donkey get out. He wanted to end the donkey’s suffering, so he decided to put dirt in the well.
When the dirt hit the donkey’s face, the donkey was confused. He was hurt from the fall, and his body was in pain. He was very tired.
Everything was dark in the well. The donkey didn’t understand what was happening. He was afraid and felt alone. ‘What bad thing will happen next?’ the donkey asked himself.
Then more dirt hit him. ‘Why is this happening to me?’ the donkey said sadly. He was angry and confused.
The donkey cried louder and louder with each pile of dirt. Suddenly it stopped. The farmer felt relieved. He thought that the donkey was no longer in pain. He continued to fill up the hole.
The donkey stopped groaning and thought ‘All this complaining isn’t getting me anywhere, I’m still in this mess and it is only getting worse. I need to do something to get out. I can’t do anything about the dirt being thrown at me, but I can change my attitude. I don’t have to let others put me down. I do have a choice.’
The donkey decided to shake off the dirt and not let it affect him.
Something amazing happened. When he shook off the dirt, it no longer affected him the same way. The dirt fell down around him. He used the dirt to step up and get up on top of it.
‘All this complaining isn’t getting me anywhere, …’
The expression means that the donkey