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One day, a farmer’s donkey fell into a well. The animal cried for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. He decided the donkey was really old and not of much use anymore, and the well was dry and needed to be covered anyway. It just wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey. The farmer invited all his neighbors to help him fill up the well with the poor donkey inside. They grabbed shovels and began shoveling dirt. The donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to the amazement of everyone, the donkey stopped crying. A few shovels later, the farmer looked into the well and was astonished by what he saw. The donkey was shaking off each shovel of dirt and stepping on top of the accumulating pile. The farmer didn’t mention his findings to any of his kind neighbors, but they too were soon astonished by the animal’s feat. The donkey stepped over the edge of the well and trotted off. I received this story in an e-mail from my mentor before I received my commission, and have received it twice from others I consider as mentors since being commissioned. Coincidence? Depends on how you want to look at it -- either folks are running out of stories and jokes to forward, or someone sees the great moral in this story and wants to share it with me. I think it’s the latter. The moral attached to the e-mail reads, “Life is going to shovel dirt on you -- all kinds of dirt. Each of our troubles is a stepping-stone. We can get out of the deepest wells by not stopping, never giving up. Shake it off and step up.” For me, there is a lot more to the story. The farmer wasn’t looking out for his donkey, because he let him fall into the well. This is obvious because he knew it was an old, empty well that needed to be filled. How often do we as supervisors, colleagues and friends let others fall into wells we know are there? Everyone heard the pitiful cries of the donkey, but no one stopped to really listen. How often do we get so caught up in our day-to-day activities that we hear but do not listen to the cries of those around us? How often do we take the easy way out? The farmer didn’t ask the neighbors to help him find a way to help the donkey; he simply asked them to help him get the problem off his hands. How often do we just give up? More importantly, how often do we watch others give up without offering to support by just listening or giving a little advice? The donkey didn’t give up. He stopped crying and found a way out of the situation. I learned a very long time ago that no matter what your position is in life, someone is always looking up to you. Everyone has a gift or talent, knowledge or experience of some kind, but some never share these with others. Since I have been at Moody, my first duty station, I’ve had the opportunity to be a mentor and to be mentored. I have learned it isn’t always the person with the highest rank who knows everything, and the lowest-ranking person is never completely clueless. We all have thoughts, ideas, stories and experiences that can motivate and inspire others. This fictional story about a farmer and a donkey inspired me to think about the person I am and the kind of person I aspire to be. It is because someone cared enough to share this story with me that I am able to share it with you. It’s one big cycle, and that is how being a mentor works. By simply looking out for your mentorees and not letting them fall into wells; listening and not just hearing when they are crying out; helping them find solutions instead of putting the problem on someone else or taking the easy way out; sharing your experiences and not letting them give up; and passing along stories like these, you can give your troops something they can use that will last them a lifetime.
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