The Grasshopper and the Ant

Has everybody heard the fable of the Grasshopper and the Ant?  To sum it up, the Grasshopper is only interested in having fun all year while the Ant works steadily to store food for winter. All the while, Ant cautions Grasshopper of the error of his ways, and Grasshopper continues to taunt Ant to come play.  Well, winter finally does arrive and a hungry Grasshopper who did not heed the advice of his friend or plan ahead is turned away by Ant and left to starve.  With its harsh life lessons and constant reminder that “winter is coming” it can only be concluded that the writer of this tale was either 1) a Game of Thrones contributor or 2) a farmer.  Or maybe both!  (All the more reason to watch the show…)

I believe most farmers with animals to feed through the winter understand the basic principle outlined in the story because we are completely at the mercy of the same cycle of work.  There is a lot to do! We have to use the current weather and active plant growth on the farm to prepare for winter- adding body condition to the cows, planting, fertilizing, and making and storing feed.  What I don’t understand in the story is the implication that the Ant had to give up completely on fun in order to provide through the winter, so we need to as well (or we’ll starve).  It seems that in this I have found a loophole.  If you love what you do, you can get the work done and have fun at the same time!

To some it might be more pleasurable to go on Spring Break, hit the beach, or to travel but to myself and the team here, I really believe we get true satisfaction from the pastoral landscape, the sunshine, happy critters, and a job well done.  Why can’t the attitudes represented by Grasshopper and Ant be in unison?  

Enough fun, time to get back to work! Enjoy spring,