I'm sucha Grasshopper!!

The last few weeks the story of the “Grasshopper and the Ant” keeps tumbling around in my head. I remember the story not because I read it in a book, but because I saw the Disney cartoon. In the cartoon, the grasshopper fiddles, sings, and eats the leaves off trees while the queen of the ants warn him that he'd better prepare for winter too. But the grasshopper continues fiddling and singing. When winter finally comes, the grasshopper becomes almost frozen from the cold. He can no longer play his fiddle. In desperation, he knocks at the tree where the ants live and begs them to let him in. The queen ant gives her “I told you so” speech and ends with “Take your fiddle...” and after the long pause she says “and play!” So in the end, the grasshopper earns the warmth and food of the ants by playing his fiddle. I am reminded of this story because I am like the grasshopper in the story. I am never prepared for winter. I always put off things until the last minute. And, if things don't get done, it's usually okay; I'll do it another time. Because after all, isn't time what there is so much of? However, the older I get, and living here in "the country" I'm finding that there doesn't seem to be the time there once was. And with winter quickly approaching I know I need to focus and get things done in order to be prepared...But my grasshopper ways are really hard to overcome, especially when it's so nice outside and the dogs want me to play!