I am about to tell you a cautionary tale and hope you all pay very close attention to the important moral of this story that may very well save your body and soul.

There once was a colony of ants who were busy harvesting grain during the scorching summer heat just east of Davis near to Winters. If you're not familiar with the town of Winters, it is the sweet, small town that stole Davis's precious Palm's Playhouse.

The ants' 12 hour toil was exhausting and at the end of the day they ate some of their grain, stored the rest in the cellar, and went early to bed. The Grasshopper, on the other hand, woke up around 11:00am, played a few video games, checked his facebook posts, ate a spicy fly salad sandwich, and of course chased it down with a delicious glass of freshly squeezed Moth juice which as you all know is 100% organic.

He then lay out on his hammock and rocked the afternoon away rubbing his legs together to make the most incredible music until nap time at 3:00pm. The elder ants looked on this behavior with disgust for they knew this ant would not survive the harsh 20 degree below zero winter in Davis without stored food. This was how the summer progressed: Ants toiling and the Grasshopper relaxing and playing his beautiful soul music.

Of course, the dreaded 20 below zero winter weather of Davis did arrive and the ants retreated to the warm sanctuary of their home, built a toasty fire, and settled in for the winter. The Grasshopper retreated to his grass hut which, of course, wasn't very warm, and he was soon out of food. The ants heard a loud knock on their door and there was the Grasshopper. Please dear friends, can you spare a few grains of wheat for a poor, hungry and lonely grasshopper?

The head elder replied, "You want us to share our food that we worked tirelessly to harvest while you did nothing? Why don't you try eating your music?" And with that they slammed the door.

MORAL: IF YOU DON'T PLAN FOR THE FUTURE, YOU JUST MIGHT NOT HAVE A FUTURE!!!!!!

Wait: I'm not comfortable with that ending so let's return to that knock on the door.

The ants heard a loud knock on their door and there was the Grasshopper. Please dear friends, can you spare a few grains of wheat for a poor, lonely grasshopper?

The elder replied, "You want us to share our food that we worked tirelessly to harvest while you did nothing? Why don't you try eating your music?"

As the elder was about to shut the door a small voice came forth from the littlest ant, "Wait! I, for one, enjoyed the grasshopper's beautiful music. It made my days of toil much more bearable. I think we owe him a great debt."

The colony thought about that and connecting antennae agreed with the wisdom of this wise, young ant. So they invited the grasshopper in for the winter and were entertained with stories and songs that kept their spirits uplifted.

MORAL: A LIFE OF ALL TOIL IS TRULY A LIFE WITHOUT JOY!!!

On the first day of spring there was a soft tapping on the door and when opened the colony gazed upon the most beautiful monarch butterfly. "Well, hello Sugar," she purred to the grasshopper. Are you ready for our annual migration? Yes, ma'am! And with that the grasshopper hopped onto the back of the butterfly and off they flew to the Bahamas where they spent the spring sipping Pina Coladas, sucking on sweet grasses, and making music with a local Reggae Band.

MORAL:

WHILE IT IS IMPORTANT TO FEED OUR BELLIES, IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO FEED OUR SOULS!!

~ Ed Lewis