What I Learned From A Fly
Look for signs in unexpected places, in unexpected things
Today, like usual, I went to Barnes and Noble to work on my first fantasy novel. The only available seats were the ones at the built-in Starbucks. This was fine since I needed a large table to spread out anyway. I ordered an iced tea and a sugar cookie. Usually, I would order a hot chocolate and some sandwich or bagel, but today their espresso machine wasn’t working, and none of the food particularly excited me.
When I picked up my order, I sat down on a round table and spread out my books, laptop, phone, etc. I scarfed down the sugar cookie as I hadn’t eaten much today and sipped slowly on the tea. When I was done with my cookie, I noticed a fly sitting on my table. At first, I was grossed out. I tried to swat it away, flick it, come so close to ending its life when I realized it didn’t move a muscle. It didn’t try to flee from the danger or flinch at the possibility of dying. I was quite frankly shocked at this behavior.
I checked its wings to see if they were intact and if a mere disability was why he didn’t move. However, there was nothing wrong with him. He also had all of his legs. I thought to myself:
How could this creature, so small and worlds different than I, just stand there when I try to exert my power over it?
Sure, it might not have the ability to think through the possibilities of what may happen if I did hit it, but every animal and insect has some innate ability to detect danger. As I started my night of writing, I pushed some crumbs of the sugar cookie to the side for him to snack on. The rest of the night was just my new fly buddy and me indulging in what we both love.
As my curious mind wandered, I started pondering the life of the fly and what it might have taken for him to even get into Starbucks. Was it fate? Was the door open, and it smelled the freshly brewed coffee and flew in? How long might he have been waiting outside? Waiting for the opportunity to enter a place of light and accessible food? Was his journey, his short life, something that he decided to hold his ground on?
If I could imagine myself staring up at a giant attempting to swat me away, I would imagine I would run. But as I think about this fly, I started to identify with it. Stand up for yourself, and you will most surely get rewarded. Follow your fate and watch what it will do for you. Don’t give up in the face of fear because if you did, there would be a lot of benefits and happiness you would be missing out on.
It may sound silly to take life advice from a fly. But if we don’t look for the “signs” in our lives, we may never see them or understand what the Universe is trying to tell us. Don’t give up. Keep going. Face your fears. You won’t regret it.
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