Since we moved into our new house a month ago, I’ve killed a lot of flies. A lot. The first week, I stopped counting in the fifties. It was ridiculous. We hung fly paper, a fly screen, made sure food was put away and countertops were lysol’d daily, but they were relentless. Even still this week, in November, they’re incessant. I wonder when this infestation will end. I decided to turn my frustration into something productive and humorous. Here’s what killing flies has taught me about life this past month.
You must be patient, Daniel son!
Like many things in life, if you rush it, you’ll miss the opportunity. You’ve got to wait until the moment is just right, when the fly and swatter are in position. Don’t rush in too quickly or they’ll see you coming. Strike quickly but only after everything is lined up. So it is with some opportunities. We rush in head first without having all of our ducks in a row to find out we were not prepared which brings me to my next point.
Preparation is key.
The first week we were here, I didn’t have a fly swatter. So, I used a rolled up weekly from the grocery store. It was effective but frustrating because it just wasn’t as effective as a fly swatter. So, as in life, make sure you have the proper tools for the job before you begin.
Yelling is not pointless. Yelling feels good.
Sure, yelling at the flies doesn’t do anything about the fly problem. But it does make me feel better, albeit only temporarily. Plus, it makes me laugh when I see my toddler imitating me walking around swatting at imaginary things in midair shouting, “I’ll get you, flies!” So, what I’ve learned is that sometimes it helps to let it out. Rather than hold in your emotions, just yell at those flies. You’ll feel better. Just make sure your frustration is duly placed, and you’re not yelling at your kids when you’re actually mad at … the flies.
Accomplishment feels good.
You know that feeling when you swat at a fly in mid-air and you get it? Feels good, doesn’t it. So it is when you accomplish a goal you’ve been working toward. You prepare, you have patience, you do the work, stalking, waiting, watching, you take a swing and bam! You make contact. It’s a good feeling. And it’s a feeling you wouldn’t have had if you hadn’t taken that swing.
Take the shot. If you miss, you’ll likely get another chance.
The great thing about flies is that if you miss the first time, you’ll get another chance, because they won’t go far and will land again. So it is with many opportunities in life. There’s no such thing as only one opportunity or one open door. If one doesn’t work out, try the next one, or the one after that. One of the coolest things about opportunities (but not so cool about flies) is that there are often more where that one one came from.
A lesson can be learned from any situation, no matter how mundane or frustrating.
As you can see from my houseflies, any situation in life can be a teaching moment if we let it. I have been going nuts getting frustrated at these stupid flies, and who knew I could write an entire post about killing flies and turn it into a life lesson. I certainly didn’t. Not until I sat down and decided to turn this frustrating situation into something entertaining that we can all learn from. So thank you, flies. No go away. Shoo.
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Copyright © 2016 Katherine J. Wheeler. All rights reserved.
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Pixie Dust and Whiskey 
Delightful to escape from the news of today! Thank you for this, only you could make swatting flies into entertainment through your words.
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Thank you, Teresa! Are you singing the Shoo Fly song too? I am. Tee hee! I bet you are now . . .
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