Hello! I hope you are having a great week :) Please enjoy this story about a donkey who wants to sing.
The Donkey & Grasshoppers
Translation by George Fyler Townsend via Project Gutenberg
A Donkey, having heard some Grasshoppers chirping, was highly enchanted; and, desiring to possess the same charms of melody, demanded what sort of food they lived on to give them such beautiful voices. They replied, “The dew.” The Donkey resolved that he would live only upon dew, and in a short time died of hunger.
I know, sad face :( Townsend doesn’t include a message at the end of this fable, so here’s mine:
Be yourself! When we try to be like other people, we perish. When we embrace our own unique identity, skills, and personal journey, we thrive.
I’ve seen this fable translated as “The Ass and The Cicadas,” but Mr. Townsend chose to interpret it as “The Ass and The Grasshoppers.” I find grasshoppers cuter than cicadas, so I ran with that for very superficial reasons. Also “donkey” is cuter than “ass” so I changed that too, lol.
5 Things I’ve Been Into Lately
If you like home renovation shows, I highly recommend Your Home Made Perfect on Hulu! It’s based in the UK, which I guess makes it feel more interesting than a US-based renovation show? I’m also obsessed with host Angela Scanlon’s outfits. It’s a combo home & fashion inspiration source.
We got a juicer as a wedding gift so naturally I am juicing all the things. My favorite recipe so far is this Carrot Juice Recipe with Orange and Ginger. INCREDIBLE.
We watched Welcome to Wrexham over the weekend (also on Hulu) and I think we’re into soccer now? I mean—ahem—football. Wrexham is the Welsh team that Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney bought during the pandemic. It’s SO good, the docuseries has a lot of heart and very much embodies their creative vibes.
If you’re an ancient history nerd like me, the series Lost Treasures of Rome on Disney+ is excellent! I’m a little obsessed with the episode about Herculaneum, aka “Pompeii’s Lost Twin.” The Vesuvius eruption preserved way more stuff there than at Pompeii!!
Birds. We set up a feeder and bath in the backyard and now my favorite thing to do is spy on them through the window as I have my coffee. I’m a bird person now.
Freebie Zone
If you didn’t download this coloring page last time, grab it! I’ll be posting a new freebie come next email so get it before it’s gone. And please, share your creations with me! You can tag me @lizvolpi on Instagram or just reply to this post/email. I’d love to see how you brought it to life with color.
Epilogue
I hope you liked this fable! I looked for some historical context but sadly, Scholarly Journal Wikipedia (lol) did not deliver this time. But, I do like the message of honoring our own skills instead of trying to be like someone else. Only then can we prosper! I hope you take some time this week to love your amazing, unique self and recognize how awesome you are. You deserve it! Anyway, see you in two weeks!
À tout à l’heure,
Liz