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The Ant & The Grasshopper: A Pandemic Fable • Martin Green And the winner is ...

The ant and the grasshopper, as anyone who’s read Aesop’s fables knows, have two different lifestyles.  The ant is diligent, industrious, hard-working and always stores up food for the hard times ahead.  The grasshopper, in contrast, is happy-go-lucky, giddy, carefree, improvident and never looks ahead.

When the conornavirus came, the ant was prepared and followed all of the new rules and regulations.  He stayed at home, washed his hands (or would have if he had hands), kept his social distance on the rare occasions he ventured out and always wore a mask.  The grasshopper, on the other hand, behaved as usual, gadding about, never keeping his distance, of course never even considered a mask and as soon as the bars were opened joined in the crowd.

The ant and the grasshopper were in adjoining beds in the emergency room.  “What are you in for?” asked the ant.

“They tell me I have something called COVID-19.    I knew there was some virus going around but I never thought it would get me.  I should have listened to that little doctor what’s-his-name but I thought he was exaggerating.   So now I’m here.”

“That’s tough,” said the ant.    “I hope you get better.”

“How about you? Asked the grasshopper.

“They tell me I suffer from anxiety and depression.  I have panic attacks.   Sometimes I can’t even get out of bed in the morning.   They say I’ve been in self-isolation too long.

“That’s tough,” said the grasshopper.    "I hope you get better, too.”

MORAL:  hey, this is a fable about the ant and the grasshopper.   There must be a moral in there somewhere.

Lockdown at 90:
Martin Green's lockdown diary
I wrote at the end of March that I wondered what the next month would bring.  The answer was that it brought a full-blown pandemic upon the world and to the United States.   
Lockdown at 90
Martin Green 4.13.20
It had been three weeks since the governor of our state, California, had ordered that, first oldsters like me, and then everyone, choose your phrase--- shelter in place, self-isolate, stay home.

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