Have you ever met a mule who was a little bit of a show-off? Well, there was one named Milo, and he was very proud indeed. Milo lived on a farm where he got plenty of good food and didn't have too much work to do. He felt strong and energetic!

"My father," he’d announce with a flick of his long ears to anyone who would listen, "was a splendid, speedy horse! That's why I can trot so fast and kick so high!" He loved to prance around the farm, showing off his strong legs and his shiny coat. He would talk all about his wonderful father, the horse, but he never, ever mentioned his mother.

As the years went by, Milo wasn't quite as zippy as he used to be. He started to get a little older, and sometimes his legs felt a bit stiff. One hot afternoon, his owner needed him to pull a very heavy cart filled with sacks of grain up a long, dusty hill.

Milo started off with a confident step, remembering his speedy father. But soon, the cart felt heavier and heavier. The sun beat down, and Milo began to sweat. His speedy trot slowed to a tired plod. "Phew! This is hard work," he panted, his breath coming in short gasps.

And as he plodded, huffing and puffing, he suddenly remembered something else. "Oh," he thought with a little sigh, his ears drooping just a bit. "I also had a mother. And she... well, she was a donkey." He realized that while his father might have given him some flash, it was his mother, the steady and strong donkey, who gave him the endurance to keep going even when things were tough. He took a deep breath and kept pulling, one slow step at a time.

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