Lessons from outer space, Columbia and Seoul, or Cockroaches and how to be brave
Say what you want to say! 🎶
Often months go by without us seeing any cockroaches. And then all of a sudden, they seem to be everywhere.
Judged and haunted by a cockroach
I found one in the kitchen sink on Tuesday. A BIIIIIIG one! As wide as two of my fingers and as long as my index finger.
I dosed it with a generous spraying of Doom. But then it didn’t die. It flipped over on its back, legs twitching and proceeded to look me straight in the eye – judging me defiantly for the torture I inflicted. And then after its death many hours later, I felt haunted by it.
🫶 Koreans in outer space: I probably felt haunted because of something the commander said in the romcom series, When the stars gossip. She said that if you’ve been to space, you’ll know that we’re all equal – and she’s not talking about humans, she’s talking about all living things, which by implication include fruit flies, mice and cockroaches.
Not judged and haunted by a cockroach
Thursday morning, I found another one – in a pot without a lid. I quickly covered the pot and then relocated this very-much-alive cockroach outside into one of the potted plants.
I didn’t feel judged or haunted by this one, although I did wonder:
Will it find its way back inside?
What eats cockroaches?
Loners versus herds
Even though I don’t like them, I must admit that I prefer the big ones: They’re usually alone – cockroach bachelors/bachelorettes or single mothers, maybe?
The smaller ones are never alone:
A group of cockroaches is called an intrusion.
And when they cause problems, an infestation.
When I was living in a bachelor’s flat in Pretoria, the intrusion/infestation would have their track and field indoor events on my kitchen worktops every night. Switching on the light would be the signal: On your marks! Get set! Go!
A song about a cockroach
Wait, what?! The La cucaracha song is about a cockroach?
🪳How did I not know that?!
🫶 Koreans in Columbia: I found out when I watched Bogotá: City of the Lost – the one character was nicknamed La cucaracha because he always managed to get out of situations alive. BTW: Crime thriller is not my regular genre, and I wouldn’t recommend it, too much senseless killing. Definitely not a feel-good movie.
As … as a cockroach?
If you were to choose the cockroach as your spirit animal – a symbolic animal that represents your inner qualities and strengths – you would probably be a person who is
Resilient & adaptable
Nocturnal
Able to hold your breath underwater for up to 40 minutes
🫶 Koreans in Seoul: The male lead character in the romcom series, Melo Movie, may well be as resilient and adaptable as a cockroach, but I found him frustrating for another reason:
He disappeared without a trace (his brother was hurt in an accident, and he had to take care of him). Five years later he returns and wants to resume the relationship – but he doesn’t tell her what happened. He just stays silent. 🤷
Fortunately, this was just the beginning of the series. He and everybody else learn to speak up and express their thoughts and feelings during the rest of the show.
How will other people know if you don’t tell them?
It reminded me of Sara Bareilles’ song Brave:
You can be the outcast … or you can start speaking up.
Nothing’s gonna hurt you the way that words do when they settle ‘neath your skin, kept on the inside …
Show me how big your brave is: Say what you want to say! And let the words fall out. Honestly, I wanna see you be brave!
Hope you’ll be showing yourself how big your brave is this week.
Bravely yours,
D