Here it is. "We speak and hold firm to our truth while maintaining authentic harmonious connections with all living things." Don't get me wrong, I'm all for speaking and holding firm to my truth, it's the next part of the sentence that I'm struggling with right now. Yeah....the part about maintaining harmonious connections with all living things. That part...well...that part I think is gonna do me in!
Because I did spend some of my growing up years here in Texas, Imoved here aware of the bug situation. I have vague memories of pronounced swelling on certain parts of my body only after we realized I was probably allergic to fire ants. Then there were the asps, the black furry caterpiller that we were NEVER to touch or go near. And lastly, I DEFINITELY remember and will NEVER forget the COCKROACHES!
Let's talk about cockroaches for a minute. There are 3 types of cockroaches found in our area. All of which live within our home. The American Cockroach. The Chinese Cockroach and the Wood Roach. I have a few things to say about each and everyone of them. Here it is!
They're FOUL! They stink. They're FAST...so fast in fact that when you see one and feel the urge to step on it, it's gone before you can even blink. They are UGLY!! They exude this energy or presence that seriously make the hair all over your body stand up straight. What is that? and WHY? I really don't know. I don't feel that way when I think about an ant or a fly or a cricket. In fact, I can't think of another bug where ABSOLUTE DISGUST is the first word that comes to mind.
Oh, I have to just throw in this. A few months before we moved, Chris and I were watching the Travel Channel I think. This guy travels around the world eating food. It looked like a very intriguing show so we stopped to watch it. It seemed exciting enough to us just to watch him eat different foods but the show took a new twist when we realized he was eating BUGS from around the world. Ok, I just got finished eating a bit ago and I can already feel my food wanting to come up the wrong direction. It was just to much for me..
Back to the cockroaches. Let me just tell you. They are MANY! They are prevalent. They are HUGE and they are NOT leaving the lake house. I just don't know what to do. I think I finally reached my limit when I was pulling out my suitcases to pack for our trip to Utah and because the bags had sat there for longer than a few days, about 5 or 6 cockroaches had gather in and around and were now scattering EVERYWHERE. During the scattering process, one ran across the top of my bed and over the body and face of my dear Mabel, only to wake her up! It just is so GROSS to watch that happen and my brain is still trying to figure out why.
Chris says the way I feel is pretty illogical. After all, cockroaches can't hurt you. They just run fast and usually they run away from you! I understand all this. I promise I do. It's still just about the FEELING I get from them. My skin literally crawls. When we come home at night, all my kids storm into the house to start the cockroach killing frenzy as they turn lights on. It's like a war zone in there. Roaches running everywhere. Feet flying like rubber fly swatters. On that night, I walked into the house to find 25 dead roaches. Are you feeling my pain yet?Or...when your dead asleep and all of a sudden you feel something on your arm that is kind of tickly? You want to maybe scratch it but you're still too asleep. You feel it again and this time your a bit more conscious. All of a sudden it hits....WHAM!! You realize what you are feeling. You're instantly awake and sitting up only to watch the butt end of the cockroach rushing down your arm and off your hand. I can't even write this story without my toenails curling.
Here's the dilemma. I know what our mission statement says. My heart, my idealistic look at the world through rose colored glasses heart, wants to see a cockroach, explain to it that it does not belong in our house and gently pick it up and kiss it good bye while I send him out the door. Unfortunately, for my family we tried this at first until Chris finally let me know that my idealism was KILLING our family.
Then we moved onto essential oils that I diligently sprayed every night around every crack and crevice in the house. This seemed to keep them at bay for a while but never stopped them from coming. I became desperate and starting talking to people about it. EVERYONE....I'm not exaggerating here.....everyone told me the ONLY way to get rid of roaches was to use chemicals. Roach killer. (Let me rephrase that....everyone who lives in Texas told me to use chemicals. All my extremely loving idealistic friends in Utah told me to talk to the roaches and they would go away. Well, I tried that. The roaches response was merely, "Um, we are doing our jobs here. This house is falling apart so if you want us to leave don't provide such great food!")
Boric acid is our next move. Supposed to be safe for humans, bad for cockroaches. I have researched up and down for alternative methods that actually work. None so far. I would definitely love it if someone has a fool proof method that I haven't heard about so if you do....don't hold back.
Until then I am staying at my parents or my mother in laws waiting for my mosquito netting to get here. You read right. Mosquito netting. It turns out I can put up with knowing the roaches are there, I can even let somr of them reside in our home, but I WILL NOT put up with them crawling on me at night.
My mom and I sat in front of the computer 2 nights while tears flowed down my cheeks when I realized I could purchase mosquito netting and sleep peacefully without fear of being touched by roaches. (Sorry a bit of an exaggeration there!) The saddest part of it was I wished I had thought to get it 3 months ago instead of sleeping with the sheet covering my whole body including my face and head.
So, while I work on myself and my complete acceptance and love for the cockroach. For what they do for my compost. For what they do for Mother Earth...I will be applying any and all of the methods I spoke of above. Please know, that I am actually praying for that love because ultimately....I do long to live harmouiously with them....with their foulness and all.
The last 2 posts, I know, have been a bit complainy. I don't plan to make all of them, or even most of them for that matter, that way. The heat and the cockroaches just happen to be my 2 biggest obstacles right now both of which...I am VERY excited to say, seem to be changing for the better. I have had a few friends state they would like me to go into more detail of my daily life. So there it is. I know your all jealous. I would be. Until next time.
Abundant peace to all,
Rachel
