Day One: A cute little fruit fly brushes past my cheek. How cute, I think as I blow him away with a kiss.
Mistake #1 ~ Failure to recognize a problem.
A few days later: His friends join in and dance around my head. I tell them they’re starting to bug me and that they need to buzz off.
Mistake #2 ~ Failure to deal with a problem with the hope it will just vanish.
A few days later: They follow me to where I sit before my vanity. As I try to apply mascara to my eyelashes, I almost poke myself in the eye swatting at them with my mascara wand. I buy fruit fly traps on Amazon and pay the extra fee for same day delivery.
Mistake #3 ~ Believing that the problem will be immediately dissolved.
A few days later: They land on my salad and swim in my water. When I try to meditate at night, they literally fly up my nose. I slap at them with a vengeance and call them bad names.
Mistake #4 ~ Engaging in warlike thoughts and behavior to solve the problem.
A few days later: I meditate with the sheet over my face so as to not inhale the fruit flies, but peace evades me. I get up in the dark and knock over one of the traps. The sticky solution spills all over the floor and the apple cider vinegar smell, that I have come to detest, permeates the air. I fear that the nectar, that they apparently love, will seep into the cracks in the floor creating a breeding ground for the future generations.
Mistake #5 ~ Exacerbating the problem through anger and carelessness.
After I clean up the mess, I sit up in bed fanning my face and call out to Archangel Michael and his legion of angels ~ A.K.A. ~ God’s big protective force of angels!
Dear Archangel Michael, It’s me again. I hope I’m not bothering you with all my little concerns given the state of the world. Please escort, from my humble abode, the fruit flies who have taken up residence in my apartment. Help them find a joyful place to live outside! Forgive my inconsiderate thoughts and actions. Help me make peace with them and honor their existence. I do not wish to use harsh chemicals in my living space to exterminate them. May all of life be treated in a respectful and civilized manner. Help, help, help!
Oh, and by the way, thank you so much for answering my prayer when I asked you to help me have more courage while living here. I was so surprised when I opened my door and my new neighbor across the hall came out of the door wearing full sheriff’s gear! Admittedly, I would have preferred a large male though. But, when I said to her that ‘I feel safer already’ when I first looked at her, she beamed up at me with a smile of gratitude! Forgive my sexist thoughts as I know she is trained to handle all situations, and I am so grateful to have her living across the hall from me! You always come through for me Beloved Michael ~ please help me keep faith in my heart now.
The next morning: The swarms are gone. I see a little fruit fly buzz past my face and I calmly send it to its next life. There are a few more jumping around my window planters. I refill my fly traps and hope they drink themselves blissfully into the heavens.
My Earth Day prayer is that all creatures be aided to live a joyful life in their natural habitat with as little interference as possible. I vow to love all fruit flies ~ FROM A FAR!
Pen Augustin is author of Waves of Light and The Priestess Tale series. Pen loves to give messages about how we can heal ourselves and bring balance to our beloved planet. Living near the beautiful shores of Lake Michigan, she enjoys spending time in nature and communing with the local wildlife.