Viktor Frankl, a wise man who lived through very hard times, taught that even when we can’t control what happens to us, we can always choose how we respond. That choice is our greatest freedom.
Let’s turn the key… and step inside.
Diego the Donkey was tired of being told what to do.
“Carry this load!”
“Walk this way!”
“Don’t stop!”
Every day was the same. And every day, Diego muttered,
“I have no choice… eeee-awww?”
One morning, Diego trudged down the road with his neighbor, Bruno the Donkey. Diego expected Bruno to start grumbling right away—he usually did.
But instead, Bruno said something strange.
“Diego, I used to complain all the time. But today, I’m going to try something different. I’m going to choose to be positive, no matter what happens.”
Diego snorted. “Positive? On this dusty, boring road? Ha! You’ll see. We have no choice but to suffer.”
Bruno just smiled. “Let’s find out.”
The road stretched ahead, and before long it tested them.
They came to a wide, sloppy puddle of mud. Bruno stepped in first. SQUELCH! Mud splattered up his legs.
“Ha! Listen—this puddle makes music!” he laughed. SPLAT! PLOP! SQUISH!
He began to sing: “Clip-clop-splat, clip-clop-splat!”
Diego followed. SQUELCH! His ears drooped.
“Ugh! Disgusting! My hooves are ruined! Why does this always happen to me?”
Bruno hummed. Diego grumbled. Same puddle. Different choices.
They kept walking until the road climbed into a steep hill.
Bruno leaned into the climb. “Slow and steady. Step by step,” he encouraged himself. His breath grew heavy, but he smiled. “Each step makes me stronger.”
Diego dragged his hooves. “This hill is impossible! I’ll never make it!” He plopped down halfway, panting.
“See? I told you—we don’t have a choice. Life is just hard.”
Bruno kept climbing until he reached the top, his tail swishing with pride. Diego stayed stuck in the dust. Same hill. Different choices.
Just when they thought they were done, the air filled with buzzing. A swarm of flies surrounded their ears.
Bruno swatted his tail but chuckled.
“Buzz-buzz-buzz! You sound like a silly donkey band.” He hummed along, turning the swarm into a song.
Diego whipped his tail furiously. “Buzz off, you pests! Life is so unfair!” He stomped in circles, braying louder than the flies.
“Eeee-awww! I can’t stand this!”
Bruno laughed. Diego raged. Same flies. Different choices.
At last, the road leveled out. Bruno stretched his back and smiled.
“Hard, yes. Messy, yes. But I made it—and I chose how.”
Diego slumped beside him, covered in mud, out of breath, his face scrunched in a frown. He glanced at Bruno, calm and cheerful despite looking just as muddy and tired.
And then it hit him.
The road hadn’t treated them differently. They faced the same puddle, the same hill, the same flies. The only difference was the choice Bruno made.
For the first time, Diego wondered,
“Maybe I can try that too. Maybe… I do have a choice.”
Viktor Frankl taught that even when life feels unfair or out of our control, we still hold one powerful freedom: the freedom to choose our response.
Two donkeys can walk the same road—one grumbling, one laughing.
The road doesn’t change. But their experience does.
And it’s the same for you:
You can’t choose if it rains at recess… but you can choose to complain or to splash in puddles.
You can’t choose what’s for dinner… but you can choose to frown at broccoli or to munch it like a dinosaur chomping trees.
You can’t choose every obstacle in life… but you can always choose your attitude.
That choice is your greatest power.
