It sounds like a game show that Jeff Foxworthy would host. But it’s much different.
A Jumpy Ant
I found out the weirdest thing about ants the other day. It seems summer brings a few wandering ants in to sniff out the surroundings and see what’s going on. I see two or three of them a day, oddly in the bathroom. I don’t know what it is, but they keep coming back.
But they can be annoying. I tried a few home remedies to get rid of them, but so far I keep seeing them. Sometimes I just try to scare them away. It’s a pretty simple process. I just move my foot.
They love to come up to my feet. They come super close and then I just shake my foot. This spooks them. They start running like someone threw a hot rod engine on their back and they are off to the races!
A Pointless Exercise
But I noticed something odd. When they get spooked, they seem to have no sense of direction. They run at a million miles an hour, but pretty much in a circle. They kick it into overdrive while they crank that steering wheel all the way in a single direction, do a lap and a half and then slow to a crawl. Within less than a second, they are right back where they started.
I don’t know why. I’m sure there is some scientific explanation. It really doesn’t matter. Because when I thought about this I thought “I know people that operate this same way. They put themselves in crazy situations. Then when something comes up that terrifies them, instead of running away from it, they end up running in circles right toward the thing that put them in the situation in the first place.”
What’s Your Experience?
What do you do when life throws you a curveball? Did you tackle it head on? Do you try something new and go in the complete opposite direction? Or do you end up running back to the same bad habits that caused you to be in the line of fire to begin with?
If so, consider the ant. The next time you are in a situation where things are going against you, think about the ant. Are you going to be like the ant, freak out and burn a bunch of energy running around in circles? Or will you stay calm and choose the best path for your life?
We all have things that scare us and catch us by surprise, but it’s how we handle those situations that show where we can go. We all can make wise decisions. We simply need to make sure we realize that we can. That’s when we can calmly make those wise decisions that help move us forward instead of running in circles.
