Once upon a bright, sunny morning a

man and his young son left their farm to

make a trip into town. The boy rode atop their

donkey as the father walked alongside.

Along the road they encountered a fellow from the nearby

village. “You should be ashamed of yourself!” the

fellow said, admonishing the boy. “You ride comfortably

while your poor, old father has to walk. You have no

respect!” The boy and his father first sheepishly exchanged

glances, then exchanged places.

As the two continued their journey, they chanced upon another

fellow. “You selfish old man!” he said. “You take the easy ride

while your poor son wears himself out trying to keep up. You

should at least let the boy ride also.” Not wishing to offend, the

old man helped his son climb aboard. The pair then continued

their journey.

Before long, they came upon a woman coming from the

opposite direction. She, too, found fault with their arrange-

ment. “I’ve never seen such cruelty! You two lazy louts

are too heavy for that poor donkey. It would be more

fitting for the two of you to be carrying the animal.”

Not wishing to fall from favor with the woman,

the man directed his son to bind the donkey’s

front hooves together, then back

hooves together.

Meanwhile,

the man himself cut a long, sturdy

pole from a nearby tree. The pair laid the

animal down, slid the pole through his bound

hooves, then lifted the pole to their shoulders-the

father on one end, the boy on the other, the donkey

hanging upside- down on the pole between them.

Carrying the donkey, the pair trudged along. As they

crossed the bridge that lead into town, the upside-down

donkey saw his reflection in the water below from an angle

that he had never before seen. The animal became frightened

and suddenly thrashed about violently, causing the pair to lose

their grips on the pole. Before they could grab him, the donkey

fell off the narrow bridge into the water below. Still bound, the

donkey was unable to swim. From the bridge, the father and son

helplessly watched as their donkey sank out of sight, into the

deep water below.

Moral: After a moment of silent reflection,

the father turned to the boy and spoke:

“Son, we learned a valuable lesson today.

We learned that when you try to satisfy

everyone you end up losing your ass.”