A Modern Fable

Once upon a time, an Ant lived next door to a Grasshopper. One day the Ant said to the Grasshopper, “We haven’t had much rain the last few years, and I’ve heard there may be water rationing some day, so I’ve decided to tear out my lawn and put in drought tolerant plants, turn off the tap when I brush my teeth and take shorter showers.”

And he did.

The Grasshopper thought, “Hmmm, if I do all that and still take a 20% cut, I won’t be able to keep my lush lawn and decorative tropical plants alive. I’m going to make sure I have a much bigger water allotment than I really need, so I’m going to water my lawn every single day, even on days it rains, take even longer showers and start hosing off my sidewalk, even if it doesn’t need it.”

And he did.

So when the drought came, the city announced that everyone would have to take a 20% cut, regardless of their prior water use. “But I’ve done everything you said to do to save water for the last two years,” screamed the Ant, “What about my tomatoes, they’ll die.”

“Told you so,” said the Grasshopper, as he watered his lawn.

2/7/09