On a sunny day, a grasshopper was happily jumping around in a field. An ant passed by on its way home with some food for its nest.
“Come and play with me,” called out the grasshopper. “It’s far too hot to work. You can gather food another day.”
“I’m gathering food for winter,” replied the ant. “By then there won’t be any food. You should do the same.”
“Don’t be silly!” laughed the grasshopper. “There will surely be plenty of food in winter!”
The seasons changed. It became cold and started to rain. The grasshopper shivered from cold and was wet. And it was hungry. It jumped from place to place looking for some food.
At one point, it met the ant, who was sitting and eating dinner. “Where did you get that food from?” called out the grasshopper.
“I gathered it while the sun was shining,” answered the ant.
The grasshopper became sad. “You were right,” it sighed. “I should have gathered some food when I had the chance.”
And the moral is: It pays to prepare for hard times.
