The Ant and the Grasshopper

An ant was carrying a blade of grass back to his hill when he noticed a grasshopper walking by whistling a jaunty tune. The sun was just overhead and to the ant, it seemed he had only begun his work. “How could the grasshopper already be finished with his daily chores?” the ant thought.

The ant called out to the grasshopper to stop.

The grasshopper spun around with a flourish and greeted the ant, “How are you this fine day?”

“I’m sorry to disturb your pleasant afternoon but I was just curious as to how you could already be able to relax. The sun had only nearly come up and you seem to walk about as if you have finished all of your work.”

The grasshopper laughed out loud and slapped the ant on his back, “Work? What work? You are witnessing how I live – free and full!” And with that, the grasshopper started up his jovial whistling and leaped high into the air. He began hopping and whistling in rhythm; he bounced onto a tree branch, then back onto the ground, then onto a lily pad in a nearby pond, then away into the forest leaving the ant alone and confused.

Quite some time had passed and the ant was again working hard one day, looking for a specific type of wide leaf, when he walked into a small clearing to find the grasshopper arranging leaves and jumping on top of them. He was confused because here was the grasshopper hard at work, even though he had told him he didn’t have any work.

The ant approached the grasshopper angrily, “Excuse me; I thought you said you didn’t have any work.”

The grasshopper paused his bouncing, “I don’t have any work.”

The ant pointed at all the leaves surrounding them, “What do you call this? This looks like very good leaf-flattening work to me.”

“Well, thank you, but I don't have to do this. I choose to do this!

#fables