A farmer owned an old mule. One day the mule fell into the farmer's well. The farmer heard the mule braying, or whatever mules do when they fall into wells.

After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathised with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving.

Instead, he called his neighbours together and told them what had happened, and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.

Initially, the mule was hysterical. But as the people continued shovelling and the dirt hit his back, a thought struck him.

He decided that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back, he should shake it off and step up onto it. This he did, blow after blow. "Shake it off and step up. Shake it off and step up. Shake it off and step up" he repeated to encourage himself.

No matter how painful the blows, or distressing the situation seemed, the mule fought panic and just kept right on shaking it off and stepping up. It wasn't long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall of the well.

What seemed like it would bury him actually blessed him, all because of the perspective from which he viewed his adversity.

The moral of the story: 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. If we face our problems, recognise that they can have a positive benefit, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity, the adversities that come along and threaten to bury us usually have within them the potential to benefit and bless us. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not giving up.

Shake it off and take a step up!