One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. 

The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer 
tried to figure out what to do. 

Finally he decided the animal was old and the well 
needed to be covered up anyway, it just wasn't 
worth it to retrieve the donkey. 

So he invited all his neighbors to come over and 
help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel 
dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized 
what was happening and cried horribly. 

Then, to everyone's amazement, he quieted down. A 
few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down 
the well and was astonished at what he saw. 

With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the 
donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake 
it off and take a step up. As the farmer's neighbors 
continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he 
would shake it off and take a step up. 

Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey 
stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off! 

Moral: Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all 
kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to 
shake it off and take a step up. Each of our 
troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest 
wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake 
it off and take a step up! 

Remember the five simple rules to be happy: 

Free your heart from hatred. 
Free your mind from worries.
Live simply. 
Give more. 
Expect less 

Author Unknown