The Fox & the Grapes

A Fox one day spied a beautiful bunch of ripe grapes hanging from a vine trained along the branches of a tree. The grapes seemed ready to burst with juice, and the Fox’s mouth watered as he gazed longingly at them.

The bunch hung from a high branch, and the Fox had to jump for it. The first time he jumped he missed it by a long way. So he walked off a short distance and took a running leap at it, only to fall short once more. Again and again he tried, but in vain.

Now he sat down and looked at the grapes in disgust.

“What a fool I am,” he said. “Here I am wearing myself out to get a bunch of sour grapes that are not worth gaping for.”

And off he walked very, very scornfully.

…

Then a second Fox walked by. She, too, noticed the ripe grapes. Just like the first Fox, the second Fox tried and tried. However, this Fox did not stop and grow scornfull. Instead, she continued to try.

She did not reach the grapes that night.

The next day, the two Foxes saw a different tree, in a different part of the woods. This tree had grapes as well, but slightly lower on the tree. The first Fox jumped, but his jump was far too low. He walked away, knowing that he could not reach the grapes. The second Fox, seeing her friend walk away, jumped for the grapes. And was able to reach.

The first Fox turned around in surprise, hearing the grapes being snatched off the vine.

“That’s all well and good,” the first Fox said. “But I cannot jump like you, it would have been impossible for me to reach that vine, no matter how hard I tried.”

The second Fox knew it was true, for she too had failed on her first try. But she had grown from trying, where her friend had shrunk.

The next day, the second Fox went back to the original tree, and she ate those grapes as well.

Sources: https://www.flickr.com/photos/annemariekalus/4697535704 https://www.lunagrown.com/wp-content/uploads/fox-grapes.jpg