The Wasp Lesson

I got stung by a wasp on Sunday afternoon. It had been a beautiful day, until that moment; I was being incredibly productive, working on several outdoor projects. The garage door needed repairing and I was finally getting it done! Unfortunately, I was in conflict with an unknown adversary. I was getting too close to the wasp's nest (attached to the underside of my son's slide!) with power tools. I saw it fly near me, but didn't realize it was actually after me until I felt the intense pain on the meaty part of my forefinger. "Sonofagun stung me!" exploded out of me and I dropped the tools and leapt to another part of the yard. The ice cube helped but it was a big unnerving, I must admit. I sat on the couch the rest of the afternoon, milking my ego and babying my finger.

Then it struck me. How beautiful a day I had been having. Productive, happy, content, beautiful weather. And one little sting could be so powerful as to interrupt and change the whole atmosphere of the day. So, looking back on this day, what will I remember? That I had a beautiful day with gorgeous weather and productivity? This is the day I finally repaired my garage door! It works now without scraping the floor and falling off of the hinges! Or will I remember the sting of the wasp, the pain, and the surprise of the attack.

You know what? I'll remember it for the lesson of the wasp. That even though the sting is powerful, the attack intense... I can choose to relish in the good things that happened, and make even the sting a good thing. Thank you, Wasp, for reminding me that a little sting doesn't have to be the whole day. Just a moment of the day, another incident, experience, lesson. Interrupted, yes. Ruined, no.