How many times do we make our way down the road of life and when we hit a roadblock that prevents us from carrying on we try to knock it down? We crash into it over and over again to the point of exhaustion.
We’re tired, we’re frustrated, we curse the roadblock, life, the road, our luck and then we turn around and go the other way.
How many times have we encountered closed doors in our lives and we quitted without stopping to think about where the key is?
Have you ever seen a fly try to get to the other side of a glass window? Have you ever noticed how it flies into the glass over and over again in attempt to get out? Have you ever seen any fly actually succeeding on it’s intent to fly across the window?
This scene inspired me to write a story for kids, “Mirta the Super Fly and Her Sad Destiny” (part of the Brainy Fables collection).
The story is about a characteristic I’ve seen in a lot of people. We can laugh and feel sorry for poor Mirta (the fly) without being aware that throughout our lives we might behave the same way when we face obstacles.
Let’s take a closer look at Mirta’s situation. If we take a good long look at it we can see that this little bug has countless wonderful, admirable qualities.
First: Mirta has the capacity to take action. She’s in motion trying to get what she wants. She’s not dumb or lazy, she’s rather ambitious and active. She definitely doesn’t have a passive or self-complacent attitude toward the problem.
Second: Mirta the fly knows where she wants to go. She wants to get outside and fly on the other side of the window. It’s clear that the fly knows what her goals and objectives are perfectly well.
Third: the fly has energy and determination. We can see her hitting the glass window, tirelessly, time and time again with strength and determination. There’s not doubt that this insect has a positive attitude and is in great physical shape.
Fourth: Mirta has “skills”. She can fly like a fly, she can stick to walls, her vision allows her to see in multiple directions y she has developed an instinct that guides her toward freedom. She can fly like a fly, she can stick to walls, her vision allows her to see in multiple directions y she has developed an instinct that guides her toward freedom.
Fifth: Mirta is courageous. Despite how dire her situation may be, she has learned to control her fears and not think about the chance of failure. She doesn’t have time to think about her fears because they take her farther away from her goal.
Here’s where I ask, how does this story usually turn out? How does it end?
Sadly, in most cases, the poor flies that find themselves in this kind of situation end up exhausted after so many blows. Confused, frustrated, and tired they give up and finally fall on the windowsill where after a short while, they die.
How is it possible that a little bug with so many qualities: determination, initiative and will to live have such an unfortunate final destiny?
What is the poor fly missing in order to get to the other side of that window?
The fly is missing what’s called “flexible thinking”.
This is the ability to come up with with alternative solutions that allow you to change strategy with the intent on meeting your end goal.
If the fly had stopped for a moment and analyzed the situation she would have realized that she was making the same mistake over and over again. Maybe she could have changed strategy, flown back a little bit and realized a new perspective: the next window over is open or maybe she could exit through the air vent that’s just a little lower, or there is an open door on the other side of the room. The problem is that the fly doesn’t have the ability to rationalize and analyze these things.
Paradoxically, we humans don’t always take advantage of our “ability to rationalize” and it can even happen that thinking too much turns into yet another problem. I think this is an important lesson to share with our kids. Let them know that in life when they find themselves in front of a glass window and they bounce off it a couple times, whether it’s at work, in their personal relationships, or their own personal development, what I recommend doing is:
- Stop – step outside of the day to day
- Analyze the situation from another perspective and consider other possible exit strategies. Ask other people if necessary.
- Decide on the action you want to take
- If the window is still then repeat the steps and try again
We often have to hit the window multiple times from different angles before we can find the open space in the window or to understand that it’s time to look for another exit. The only thing I want convey so that you share this message with your kids is that your kids will undoubtedly hit closed windows over the course of their lives. It’s part of the natural order of things but it’s important to remember that there is always an open window, there is always a possibility, there is always a way.
Mirta helps us explain the importance of “flexible thinking” to our children at home. Enjoy the story and share its message and that the development of this skill helps future generations overcome the the glass window or any obstacle they might find along the way.
Do you want to get the book of Mirta the Super Fly for your children?: CLIC HERE.
Sing and dance with your kids to the music video Mirta the Super Fly. C
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