Which Fly Are You?

Which fly are you? Are you trying to get in through the window or out?

One day I went to Krystal to eat alone. I know that sounds strange, but I love to eat alone. It gives me a chance to think without being interrupted by idle conversation. So I was sitting in Krystal, looking out the window, and I noticed a fly literally beating himself to pieces against the window trying to get in. Of course, my first though was "Wow. Stupid fly." What made me really start to think though was when I saw another fly a couple of feet away doing the exact same thing. Only he was trying to get outside. I was amazed at how these two flies, which were no further than a foot away from each other, were doing two completely opposite things. I was also amazed at how they didn't even notice each other. They both thought that what they were doing would get them exactly what they wanted, assuming for a moment that flies actually have goals (and thoughts). In a way, we're a lot like those flies. We beat ourselves up trying to find happiness. For some people, happiness is finding the "right" person, being state champion, sitting first chair, having higher grades than everyone else, or reading that ridiculously thick book that's been sitting on your shelf ever since you bought it two years ago and told yourself you could have it finished in a couple of weeks if you tried hard enough. (Okay, so that last one is mine.) We throw ourselves at these things that we think will make us truly happy. Some people manage to achieve what they wanted to do, just like the fly that found his way into Krystal. Once he got in and flew around for a while, he realized that it wasn't as great as he'd hoped. It was just a restaurant. It was exciting and mysterious at first, but that feeling faded away. Now he's desperately trying to get back out to the big, mysterious, exciting world where he was to begin with. The people that have beaten themselves into their goals until they achieve them have taken the excitement and mystery away from those parts of their lives. What happens after you find the "right" person? You miss out on the excitement and mystery of dating all the wrong ones. What happens after you win the state championship? That big, shiny trophy that you dreamed of collects dust in a trophycase that no one bothers to look at. What happens after you get first chair? There is no more challenge for you. You become the challenge. What happens after you get higher grades than everyone else? All of a sudden you have lots of new best friends that turn out to be all the compulsive cheaters in your class. What happens after I finally read "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"? (Nothing, because the next thickest book is the Bible, and I'd have to pray for a lot more patience to get through that.) I will have spent hours of my life reading a book that I won't be able to remember in a few months. I'm not saying that setting goals and achieving them is bad. Success is wonderful, and everyone should have goals, but don't try so hard that you forget to enjoy life. The road between setting a goal and achieving it should be like a joyride but with some obstacles in between. Don't have tunnel vision when it comes to life. Stop for a while and enjoy what's going on around you. If you don't, you might find yourself pounding against the window trying to get outside back to the big, mysterious, exciting world where you were to begin with.

Author's Note

For all you Northern folks, Krystal is the Southern version of Whitecastle, only better. : )

Reviews

[sherie carter]

haha, I LLOVVVEE that you explained what Krystal is in your author's note! that was cute :)
and i adore this story.
i remember reading it once when you first read it, and it makes perfect sense :)