For Helen, Mike Mule, and anyone else facing adversity

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This parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer's well. The water wasn't very deep, so the mule could stand on the bottom. The farmer heard the mule praying-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 of dirt hitting his back. "Shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up... shake it off and step up." The mule repeated this statement over and over to encourage himself. No matter how painful the blows or how distressing 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, stepped triumphantly over the wall of the well. What seemed like it would bury him, actually helped him, all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.

-- Gayla (privacy@please.com), August 22, 2001

Answers

Ok, Gayla, but what if they're throwing rocks??

>:)

-- helen (bonk@step.up), August 22, 2001.


Easy.

Duck ...... and bray for more help.

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Marietta, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), August 23, 2001.


Well, Helen, I guess you would be stoned. ;-) Just kidding. I didn't know they threw stones in OK, I thought that was just in the Middle East? Anyway, that's how they killed people in Bible days. Doesn't sound like much fun! (PS- Robert says you bray, is that true?)

-- Gayla (privacy@please.com), August 23, 2001.

Heck ..... I didn't they have stones in OK

.... too much dust and dirt that's been washed downhill from Calgary.

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Marietta, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), August 24, 2001.


Donkeys that b/pray and stones that become steps rather than break bones and dust flowing out with the hot air from Calgary... just an ordinary day in Alberta ;-)

-- Tricia the Canuck (jayles@telusplanet.net), August 28, 2001.


Oh shoot!

..... And here I was thinking we had figured out to duck-tape beers and suitable birthday-suited ladies to the ceiling fan in a bar under the continental divide in Braniff.....

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Marietta, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), August 28, 2001.


Robert, I thought it was in Branson?

Update on the rock throwing...employer forced me into full time hours or no job, so I worked full time hours when I'd rather work a bit less. They have a policy that people working full time hours are not REALLY full time employees with benefits unless they say so. So I'm working full time (until today, see below), but not called so or given benefits like a full time employee.

They said the tuition reimbursement program would pay for my classes -- until I turned in my reimbursement forms this week, and then they said they would not. And I've got all A's too.

Yesterday they cut my hours to less than half-time with no explanation or warning. Poof -- income is cut to something less than half of what I have budgeted. The child care arrangement I have is for a full time job. The provider can't take the financial hit by having the kid go part time.

The car broke down yesterday.

Here are the steps up: The car broke down at precisely the best location and at precisely the best time to do so. It was a cheap fix too.

My child care provider offered care while I paint the house on my (alarming) days off next weeks. I've needed this kind of free time for quite a while.

The school I attend accepts payment in whatever amounts I can afford on whatever schedule I can handle as long as the tuition is paid by the very last day of class. Is that something, or what?

I spent several hours trying politely to get information out of my supervisors regarding my hours in the future. I finally announced that there were several Help Wanted signs in town and that I would be looking into that in my sudden free time. My supervisors said somewhat cryptically that I shouldn't worry about the hours after next week. Either I'll have better hours, or -- this is the step up here -- it occurred to me to APPLY for all those other jobs in town. Until I said it, applying had never occurred to me. I forgot I wasn't a slave.

All in all, I think I'm a bit nearer to the top of the well this week. :)

-- helen (support@yer.local.mule), August 30, 2001.


Certainly appears to be progress back towards the light, up to the light, etc. .... not a light at the end of the tunnel perhaps, but out of the well at least.

Don't be too quick to fear change. Changing circumstances are certainly not always a direct path towards getting suddenly better. But changing is always required to "get better."

Staying the same is only a certainty of being stagnant ... like the water at the bottom of a well. Unless it's replenished regularly with new, it becomes no longer fir to support life.

Lots of symbology there....

Anyway Mike, you'll remain in our thoughts out here as things keep changing -

(You too helen. 8<)

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Marietta, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), August 31, 2001.


Hey, Helen.... hope things went well! Did you decide to stay or go??

-- Tricia the Canuck (jayles@telusplanet.net), September 05, 2001.

My employer magnaminously extended my hours by one-half of a shift for next week, bringing my total number of hours to slightly above half-employment. The good news is that a REAL job may open up fairly soon -- only I'll have to commute and haven't yet figured out how to get the kids home safely from school. I am not worried. If God isn't in control, DON'T TELL ME. I need to believe SOMEONE knows what's going on...

Mike Mule may soon be forced to go to work posing for calendar shots. He's trying to set up a tax-exempt organization called Feed the Mule, but he can't get a vegetarian lawyer...the fins and serrated teeth really bug him.

-- helen (hey@who.needs.food.anyway), September 06, 2001.



LOL, Helen :-)

Keep us updated on job adventures... I'll keep praying for you.

-- Tricia the Canuck (jayles@telusplanet.net), September 07, 2001.


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