Fox Tales

I’ve been thinking a lot about Aesop’s fox and his unattainable grapes. He tried. He failed. He walked away. To ease the pain, he decided the grapes were probably sour and not worth having. Nice move actually. He kept his self-esteem, and moved on to hunt for other grapes more accessible. And while he was hunting, maybe he had time to think about how he went about getting the grapes and came across a new method, something different to employ so that the next time he encountered high grapes, they’d be his.

As a life lesson, I think that’s pretty good. We all have natural limitations and at some point it’s a good idea to understand that, because it will help make our life journey a lot smoother. The fox, for instance, couldn’t fly. Of course, we still need to set and have goals, but it’s a good idea to understand that failure is indeed an option, maybe not one we choose, but certainly there, even with the best of intentions and the greatest of effort. What’s important is how we get up and move on after the failure.

Which is why I think it’s okay for the fox to imagine the grapes might have been sour and move on. Because what were the fox’s options? Die trying? I think that’s how you end up becoming a stalker or a bitter old man and where’s the beauty in that? I’ll tell you where, nowhere. It’s a hard thing to accept, but we’re not all destined for great things and not all the grapes are ours for the taking. I guess the question is this, does that make life any less sweet? I’ll say, no. Because I’m alive and able to find my own peace, and I bet there are still grapes to find.