The Ants and the Grasshopper

Set an intention to be compassionate and kind to yourself. Notice the impact of kind thoughts and words. Reflect on your emotions and how your morning affects your mood. Take a moment to breathe and do something kind for yourself. Listen to the Aesop fable "The Ants and the Grasshopper" and reflect on its message. Understand that sometimes people may turn their backs on you during grief, but you are not alone. Be compassionate to yourself and seek out supportive friends. Good morning, welcome to another healing reflection. Set an intention today to be compassionate and kind to yourself no matter how those around you behave. Notice what compassionate and kind thoughts do for you. Imagine closing your eyes and telling yourself kind words that you might say to a friend or hear from a friend. Take a moment and say to yourself something like, I will get through this, I'm doing the best I can. Notice how saying these words feel in your body. Emotions, how are you feeling right now? How has your morning been? How does the way your morning starts impact your mood for the day? If you are having a rough start, allow yourself to stop for a moment and take a deep breath. When you are ready, slowly exhale and let it out and just be present. Ask yourself what one kind action you can do for yourself that will bring you some comfort. Try drinking a cup of hot tea and enjoy the moment sipping and pay attention to the flavor, the details of the cup that you are drinking it from and choose a flavor that is pleasing to you. Action. Today's activity is to listen to another Aesop fable and notice what message this might have for you. The Ants and the Grasshopper. One bright day in a late autumn, a family of ants were bustling about in the warm sunshine drying out the grain they had stored up during the summer when a starving grasshopper, his fiddle under his arm, came and humbly begged for a bite to eat. What, cried the ants in surprise, haven't you stored anything away for the winter? What in the world were you doing all last summer? I didn't have time to store up any food, whined the grasshopper. I was so busy making music that before I knew it, the summer was gone. The ants shrugged their shoulders in disgust. Making music were you, they cried. Very well, now dance! And they turned their backs on the grasshopper and went on with their work. Immoral. There's a time for work and a time for play. Reflect. Sometimes during grief it might feel like people have turned their backs on you, even when you have asked for help. Reflect on what this means, this lack of compassion shown by the ants to the grasshopper. How would you prefer the ants behave? Sometimes with grief the unexpected happens and you may never have expected to be where you are in this moment. You are not alone. Grief can cause us to isolate, shut people out, and even stop asking for help. In an earlier episode, I talked about the fact that sometimes people need us to tell them it's okay to call and reach out. People often want to do more and feel like they don't want to bother a person who is experiencing grief. As we wind up today, put your feet on the floor and feel the hard surface beneath your feet supporting you. Take a deep breath in, letting your belly rise, then slow and controlled, let your breath out. Now put your right hand on your right knee, then put your left hand on your left knee. Feel the pressure of your hands on your knees. Take another deep breath in, exhale when you are ready, and notice the chair that is supporting you. Is it soft, firm, or something in between? In this moment, just be. And even if you are alone right now, know that you are not alone. There are people who care and that you matter. Be compassionate and kind to yourself, and look for friends that are a little more compassionate than the ants. I hope you have a beautiful day and thank you for listening.