An old woman walked up and tied her old mule to the hitching post. As she stood there, brushing some of the dust from her face and clothes, a young gunslinger stepped out of the saloon with a gun in one hand and a bottle of whiskey in the other.

The young gunslinger looked at the old woman and laughed. “Hey old woman, have you ever danced?”

The old woman looked at the gunslinger and said, “No….I never did dance….never really wanted to.”

A crowd had gathered as the gunslinger grinned and said, “Well, you old bag, you’re going to dance now,” and started shooting at the old woman’s feet.

The old woman prospector, not wanting to get a toe blown off, started hopping around. Everybody was laughing! When the last bullet had fired, the young gunslinger, still laughing, holstered his gun and turned around to go back into the saloon.

The old woman turned to her pack mule and pulled out a double barreled shotgun. She cocked both hammers, the loud click carrying clearly through the desert air. The crowd had stopped laughing as the loud clicks reverberated around the now quiet street. The young gunslinger also heard the hammers as they locked into place. He turned very slowly and faced the old woman.

The silence almost deafening as the crowd watched as the young gunman stared at the old woman, the large gaping holes of the twin barreled shotgun aimed squarely at his chest. Those barrels never wavered as the old woman quietly said, “Son, have you ever kissed a mule’s hind-end?” The gunslinger swallowed hard and said, “No ma’am….but I’ve always wanted to.”

There are five lessons here for all of us.

1- Never be arrogant.
2 – Don’t waste ammunition.
3 – Whiskey makes you think you’re smarter than you are.
4 – Always make sure you know who has the power.
5 – Don’t mess with old women; they didn’t get old by being stupid!!!