Shake it off and Step Up!

Shake it off and step up!

A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule.  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 sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors 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 old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back.. a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on His back.. he should shake it off and step up! 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 old mule fought "panic" and just kept right on shaking it off and stepping up! You're right! It wasn't long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall of that well! What seemed like it would bury him, actually blessed him.. all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.    -Author unknown

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When I was a teenager I used this story in a talk I gave in sacrament meeting and I have never forgotten it.  I can remember almost every night before bed praying for a good attitude and probably due to the impact of my talk.

A few months ago when Ella was having a small but large to her crisis I told her this story and both she and Alissa listened so intently to it.  Ella tends to be a bit dramatic and I'm sure I am partly the reason to blame since she was my first babe.  Anyway, we often refer to this story now when things seem rough for a minute.   For example she was trying to make a fort and the blanket kept falling.  She screamed, "IT KEEPS FALLING!  IT'S NOT WORKING!" and threw her hands down to her side.

I ask her, "Are you getting buried in a hole?"  She smiles and says, "no".  Suddenly she remembers the story and the importance of having a good attitude and not letting small setbacks hold us from success.

I'm grateful for the opportunity I was given as a young adult to give a 3 minute talk in sacrament meeting and the importance of the lesson it taught me.