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Speaking of donkeys and wells, this was circulating via e-mails a few months ago:

The Parable of the Donkey in the Well

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. He invited all his neighbors to come over
and help him. They each 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
looked down the well, and was astonished at what he
saw. As every shovel of dirt hit his back, the
donkey did 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.

The 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:

1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

O.K., that's enough of that ... The donkey later
came back, caught the farmer out in the field and kicked
the shit out of him. Then he went over to each of
his neighbors farms and kicked the shit out of them too
for helping.

The REAL Moral:

When you try to cover your ass, it always comes back
to get you.