A mule fell into the farmer's well.The farmer heard his mule praying or whatever mules do when they fall into wells.After carefully assessing(considering) the situation,the farmer sympathized with(felt sorry for) the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving.Instead,he called his neighbors together ,told them what had happened,and enlisted(asked) them to help haul(pull;carry) dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.
Initially(At the beginning) the old mule was hysterical(crying madly)! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back,a thought struck him.It suddenly dawned on (awakened;enlightened) him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back,he would 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 how distressing(worrying) the situation seemed,the old 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(beaten and tired),stepped triumphantly(successfully) over the wall of that well! What seemed like it would bury him actually helped him...
All depends on the manner in which he handled his adversity.
翻译：一头骡子跌进了农夫的井里.农夫听到骡子哀嘶与挣扎的声音.农夫很同情这头老骡子,但仔细掂量后,觉得不值得费力解救这头骡子,这口井也不值得可惜.于是他叫来邻居们,告诉他们所发生的事,让他们帮自己运土把这头老骡子埋在井里,以尽快解除它的痛苦.
开始,这头骡子哀叫不已,但当农夫和邻居们不停地把土铲落到它的背上时,它突然冒出了一个念头.它突然明白,每当一铲土落在它背上是,它可以把土抖落,使自己站高一点!
老骡子这样做了,一次又一次.它一遍又一遍地鼓励自己：“抖落它,站起来!抖落它,站起来!抖落它,站起来!”不管身子被砸得多么疼,不管处境多么糟糕,老骡子忍痛不停地抖落身上的土,一点一点地升上来.
没多久,这头疲惫不堪的老骡子成功地跨出井沿.看来,似乎要它命的东西反而救了它的命……
这完全取决于它对待厄运的态度.