"Ants Marching"

All the little ants are marching
Red and black antennae waving
-- Dave Matthews Band

I arrived back home after a week working at the annual PVAC (Performing and Visual Arts Camp) for youth, only to find hundreds of small invaders in my kitchen. Yes, the intense summer heat had forced entire colonies of Tapinoma sessile into my home. Those who know me well, know that I can stand just about any type of creature in my house, but ants do not fall into that category. Noah must have had great restraint to resist the urge to simply squash the happy ant couple on his boat when he had the chance. Anyway, even though I could have gone for the quick fix with a blast of Raid, I realized I needed a more permanent solution. So sometime tomorrow, the local exterminator will be arriving to lay the smackdown on the multiple colonies that have taken up residence within these hallowed walls. I've been told that repeat visits will be required to assure their doom. Thinking on this today, I reflected on how this parallels the journey to remove unwanted habits in one's life. Many times, we yearn for the "quick fix". However, the truth of the matter is that constant diligence is required, perhaps over an entire lifetime, to keep the enemy from regaining a foothold. And like my ants, just as soon as one is squashed, another can appear shortly thereafter. I guess even this bit of unpleasantness can be used to teach an object lesson.

May all your summers be ant-free.