Fleas a study in problem solving

Recently an experience occurred in my life, which as often happens, brought to mind parallels of other experiences.

Our yard became infested with fleas!

When you have a problem to solve, you go through several steps. First you have to become aware of the problem. Then you have to study the problem, calling in the most expert advice you can find, and finally you reach a consensus and a solution. With the problem still fresh in mind, you should always evaluate.

Awareness – I quickly became aware of this problem while doing yard work as I found my legs covered with hundreds of these minute creatures making a feast on my blood.

Study and consultation – infestation of fleas had never been a problem for my homestead with the exception of one brief episode. At that time, we sprayed with a chemical insecticide and quickly diminished their population to zero.

Not so, this time. Instead, my whole family found themselves engaged in war as the numbers of these parasitic insects with strong legs for leaping and sharp mouth parts for piercing the skin leaped from the yard into the house. We felt under assault. Granulated chemical insecticide, potent chemical spray, and finally, the professional exterminator were called in to do battle with our enemy.

We found ourselves relating to the monkeys we saw in a zoo several summers ago. Although the zoo keeper said they were grooming each other, their behavior observed by us appeared to be picking fleas off one another in a family ritual.

Several family members experienced insomnia during this time of pestilence as we all became hypervigilant in our real or imagined concern for the fleas. In fact, getting rid of them became an all-consuming obsession. The exterminator told us the problem area wide was worse this year than at any time since he had been in business. He even suggested we might want to move into other lodgings so he could do full battle with poisonous chemicals and not endanger our presence.

The family brainstormed. The idea that these little enemies could move us out and control our destiny to that degree was unthinkable. We decided to battle on tenaciously. At one point during the bleakest hour of the onslaught the line from an old World War II movie came to mind. “Retreat, Hell” became our motto until we recaptured that little part of the world called the LeCrone domain. Once more, we could lower the draw bridge, cross the moat and enjoy the yard.

Now for the comparison or evaluation and the lesson learned. Certainly, this adversity is minor compared to other difficulties and tragedies that our family and other families have faced. Even, as the monkey mimicking behavior brought us many laughs, we knew that eventually the battle could and would be won.

Like other battles and skirmishes we had encountered, we saw the similarities.
• We identified the enemy,
• We fought the battle together.

Although it was the common enemy that pulled us together as a unit, it was the cohesiveness that ultimately yielded triumph over the unsavory invaders.

Evaluation – Remember our support systems, especially our families, and utilizing these resources during times of stress should be remembered by all of us.

Copyright c 1990 Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D.