The Story Of The Farmer And His Donkey

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the framer tried to figure out what to do. Finally he decided¹ the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway and it just wasn't worth to retrieve² the donkey. So, he decided to bury it!

He invited all his neighbours to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel³ and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly, then slowly he quieted down till nothing more was heard.

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 neighbours 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 trotted⁴ off!

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 by not stopping, never giving up, shaking it off, and taking a step up!

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred⁵.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Trust in God.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

1 decided
adj.决定了的 ，坚决的；明显的，明确的
参考例句：
This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。 There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别 。

2 retrieve
vt.重新得到 ，收回；挽回 ，补救；检索
参考例句：
He was determined to retrieve his honor.他决心恢复名誉。 The men were trying to retrieve weapons left when the army abandoned the island.士兵们正试图找回军队从该岛撤退时留下的武器 。

3 shovel
n.铁锨，铲子 ，一铲之量；v.铲 ，铲出
参考例句：
He was working with a pick and shovel.他在用镐和铲干活。 He seized a shovel and set to.他拿起一把铲就干上了 。

4 trotted
小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走
参考例句：
She trotted her pony around the field. 她骑着小马绕场慢跑 。 Anne trotted obediently beside her mother. 安妮听话地跟在妈妈身边走。

5 hatred
n.憎恶 ，憎恨 ，仇恨
参考例句：
He looked at me with hatred in his eyes.他以憎恨的眼光望着我 。 The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists.老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨 。