September 1, 2023
“Any flying insect that walks on four feet is detestable to you.” ~ Leviticus 11:20 CEB
The little girls are insect-averse! It made for an interesting visit. Insect-averseness cut short the float on innertubes, inflated with my own two lungs, down the North Bank of the Shenandoah River. It made playing along the bank of the river a no-go, it prevented the girls from braving the scaled-to-child-size replica of the Woodstock Tower because believed there were spiders on the platform. It made our cookout miserable because any hint of a fly resulted in them screaming and running away.
I wised up after the cookout and made a mad dash to the Dollar Store to buy fly swatters for each of them. After a tutorial that included instructions and modeling, they got into the swing of things. I upped the ante with the promise of a dime for each fly they killed, if they could show me the carcass, a quarter for two flies, and fifty cents for three. The next morning Rod discovered that the girls, armed with their fly swatters, were able to bravely accompany him on a walk at Seven Bends State Park. They struck out with them like Jedi with lightsabers.
I’m not writing this to encourage insect-cruelty. But when things (objects, animals, and people) are automatically placed in the detestable column, they can become bigger and scarier than they actually are. The writer of Leviticus was referring to food purity laws, not innate badness. It is my hope that someday the girls will be able to appreciate insects, learn to differentiate between ones you need to stay clear of, and ones that are safe, as well as their usefulness in the balance of nature. As long as there is summer there will be flies. As long as people go in and out of doors in the summer, flies will get inside. Anyone who wants to make a quick dime is welcome to come to our house.
Anne
Wayfinding 