These uninvited guests can still provide good reminders
Ants!
I came home to find that the May flash flooding had sent these tiny creatures seeking higher and drier ground…in our house!
Generally speaking, I do not dislike ants. It’s just that I don’t want to live with them. Still, as I did battle with this particular ant colony, I must admit that I garnered a few observations worth remembering:
1. Keep going. I have never witnessed an ant relaxing. Even with mammoth barriers, gels, powders, and all sorts of deterrents, they keep going. I have to admire the inherent, dogged determination of ants.
2. Always be searching. The scouts seems to always be searching, looking, sensing. They are alert and on task, ready to rally the troops if a drop of honey, toothpaste, or tasty ant food is anywhere nearby.
3. Live on a mission. While a more scientific telling of the ant story may reveal some baffling reasons for their behavior, they seem to be on a mission. Kill off the scouts and more will follow, sometimes lots more. They seem to know what they’re trying to accomplish.
So, I do admire ants after all. I just wish they would stay outside.
Worth Repeating
The work on ants has profoundly affected the way I think about humans.
-E.O. Wilson
