The Persistent Ant that Followed

I was outside eating my lunch since the weather was nice. There was an ant the size of my fingernail that kept following me. I spotted the ant when he was climbing on my leg; he seemed to want my lunch. I blew him away hoping that I scared him.

But he came back.

This time the ant climbed on my shorts. I didn’t realize this until he reached my shirt. He was heading towards my lunch which was beside me. I blew him away again.

And he came back again.

At this point, I understood that he wanted my lunch, so I moved my lunch from one spot to another to see if the ant would follow. It did. No matter where I put my lunch, he would traverse my body as if I were a mountain. The ant went to great lengths to get what he wanted. I found it commendable.

By then I finished my lunch and was ready to leave. Never would I have thought that I’d be fighting against an ant for my lunch. Although it was one-sided, he didn’t back down.

Throughout my life, I’ve yet to be as persistent as the ant was in anything I tried. I haven’t felt like I worked hard at anything my entire life, at least not something that required me to exhaust all my resources. I was either bailed out one way or another or it was given to me.

I admire farmers because of how much work they do every day despite their circumstances, such as the weather or their health; they pride themselves on their crops and strive for the best results. Ants are no different; they work in unison to ensure the needs of their colony are met. The same applies to bees.

To have the work ethic of an ant ironically seems grand and awe-inspiring. It’s for that reason I should put myself in uncertain situations where I exhaust my resources if I want to be as persistent as an ant. Perhaps then I’ll understand how the ant felt when he was chasing my lunch.

TAKEAWAY: Strive to be as persistent and hard-working as an ant.

Here’s my inspiration for the day.