On the walk back from my mailbox the other day, I noticed a very active yellowjacket kind of spazzing out right at the opening to one of those hanging plastic traps. So of course I stopped to watch, thinking I could cheer for him when he was victorious in his escape.
It soon became apparent that he was not trying to get out of the trap ... he was scrambling like crazy to get IN!
This made me think about how hard we sometimes try to make something happen, and how frustrated we can get when our lives don't seem to be unfolding the way we think they should.
But what if sometimes it's a really good thing that we can't get our foot in the door, because it's actually a trap? Maybe that job you got rejected for included a lot of toxic office politics. Maybe that guy or girl who broke up with you had a well-hidden cruel streak. Maybe that house you failed to win in the bidding war harbored black mold behind the walls.
Perhaps when we meet an obstacle, it might be wise to take a step back and re-assess the situation rather than just doubling down on our efforts to forge ahead?
And yes, I know they bait those traps with yellowjacket attractant/pheromones, so he probably thought he would be rewarded for his noble struggle by a fertile female.
But don't we often struggle thinking we'll be rewarded, too?
And aren't we sometimes just as wrong about that as our little black-and-yellow-striped buddy?
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