The Ant’s Lesson

Monday, 20 November 2006.

A little ant crawls up my bare arm, on a surprisingly warm autumn day. The industrious little critter, diligently searching all corners of it’s little world for food.

I am not food, of course, but perhaps the ant doesn’t know that. Perhaps she just thinks of me as a large hill over which she can climb to find something edible.

Anyway, since I don’t like ants crawling on me, I flick her off my arm into the grass several feet away; however, I am immediately struck with regret: the little ant did nothing wrong, she was only doing her job in the world, to find and gather food for the winter, and didn’t deserve to be punished so.

I overreacted, and handled the situation in an ungentle manner.

Yet, I suppose we all overreact to the ants in our lives. I think, though, it’s better for me to waste the ant’s life and learn the error of my ways, than to waste my own.

Lavender, the Lonely Pink Elephant