Information and Advice: Some fables may be worth repeating

Part of the mission of our Aroostook Agency on Aging is to provide older citizens with information and advice. Our Agency friends are so adept at this that advice often shows a touch of classic literary fable – (sort of). You’ll see from this story:
   A sparrow spends a splendid summer on a Fort Kent farm. It finds a fine mate and raises two hatches of chicks. There are plenty of weed seeds to eat, and there are no cats on the farm. The sparrow is so happy that, come fall, it decides that it won’t fly south. After all, it reasons, why would any sane sparrow leave such a great place? Sort of like, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Come later fall, there are no more weed seeds. The little bird gets downright hungry. Come early winter, the sparrow sees its first snow. Bad news indeed.
The hunger-weakened little fellow flies south from Fort Kent over Caribou and Presque Isle. Over Bridgewater the situation becomes serious. The snow turns to freezing rain. The bird’s feathers get wet. Its wings ice up over a Houlton dairy farm.
The starving, freezing little bird spirals down onto the farmyard and loses consciousness. Under ordinary circumstances, it would die.
However. Along comes a cow walking right over the bird. At exactly the right moment, the cow drops a warm, soft plop which covers the sparrow. The sparrow thaws out and regains consciousness. It can hardly believe it’s still alive.
However. The little bird is so hungry it thinks it’s going to die anyway. It sticks its head up out of the plop. Lo and behold, all around it is more undigested grain than the little sparrow has ever seen. It eats its fill. It is warm and well fed. All is well (sort of).
However. The little sparrow is so warm and well fed it begins to sing. A barn cat hears it, trots out into the barnyard, digs the sparrow out of the plop, and eats it. That’s the end of the story.
The information and advice is this:
1. Just because someone drops a plop on you doesn’t mean he’s your enemy.
2. Just because someone digs you out doesn’t mean he’s your friend.
3. When you’re warm and well fed, keep quiet.
For information on issues related to aging, contact the Aroostook Agency on Aging at 764-3396 or 1-800-439-1789. E-mail: Info@aroostookaging.org or visit www.aroostookaging.org.