One morning, an ant came out of his home and was excited to see that springtime had finally arrived. His neighbor, the grasshopper, being excited as well decided to celebrate the warm weather by dancing in sun all day. The ant, however, only took a little bit of time in the sunlight and then began to work by collecting grains and storing them in his home. Days went quickly and the grasshopper played and danced in the sun while the ant continued to collect grains and only take one break throughout the day.
Exasperated, the grasshopper asked the ant "Why don't you play outside with me all day? The weather is wonderful and you work too much!"
The ant replied, "I cannot play all day, I am storing food for the winter when there won't be anything to eat."
The grasshopper laughed and said, "Winter is a long time from now, enjoy this weather now! It's beautiful out and we can worry about preparing for the winter later!" he continued to play and dance while the ant worked dutifully everyday.
When colder weather came around, the grasshopper didn't find a single grain of food to eat and realized his mistake. The ant, who worked all summer decided to take the grasshopper in for the winter and share his food. The grasshopper, indebted to the ant, finally saw his foolishness and knew that when springtime came again he would work and play.
Sometimes, we look at the short-term future and we forget that what we do now is what effects us in the long-term. Having a balance of enjoying the short-term, while also taking into account the work that we have to put in for our long-term is what makes for a healthy combination. We have to work hard now, so we can have the ability to play later.
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