LjjSpeaks BlogPost: Do you have the persistence of a fly or the patience of a flyswatter?

Lynne Jarman-Johnson

October 5, 2010

I’ve swatted two flies this morning.  There’s a third one is buzzing around and he’s about to meet his early demise as well.  It’s not easy to swat a fly.  

You need the right tools at just the right moment. 

A rolled up paper seems to work in a pinch.  Your hand? Not so much.  

I wonder why flies gather ‘round the spot where they will most likely be swatted. They buzz near your ear until you’ve decided you’ve had enough - and it’s time for you to submit your power. You weigh more. You are bigger. You are patient.  You are stealth.

Yet - there always seems to be that one lingering fly.  The fly has no concern about her friends gathered in a pile nearby.  She continues to pester, continues to attack, continues to relentlessly dive bomb the area.

And so you wait. Armed with one of the brightest inventions on our planet - the flyswatter. According to Inventors.com the the flyswatter first made news in 1905:

Fly Swatter
In 1905, Dr. Samuel J. Crumbine, a member of the Kansas State Board of Health, set out to rid the state of a bumper crop of flies and combat the public’s indifference to the pests. While attending a Topeka softball game, Crumbine was inspired by the crowd’s chant of "swat the ball." The next issue of his Fly Bulletin bore the headline "SWAT THE FLY." This in turn inspired a school teacher, Frank H. Rose to construct a device from a yardstick and a piece of screen. The holes in the screen were essential because a fly can sense the air pressure of a solid object like a hand. Rose called his invention a "fly bat." Dr. Crumbine renamed it "fly swatter."

Other Fly Killers

Advertisement for "The King Fly Swatter" from 1905, June, issue of Ladies Home Journal.

    

The above text reads:  
    The King Fly Killer - Kills Without Crushing - Soils Nothing
    The wire being almost invisible the flies and mosquitos are quickly killed, thus clearing your house of them in only a few minutes. A prominent lady has said, " It is the most prized article in my home."

As this blog continues to formulate on this page, the fly takes another pass over my MacBook Pro.  Uggh he just landed on the lip of my coffee cup. I am now officially declaring war.

What can we learn from the fly, the fly”swatter” and the real tool that has become “the most prized article in our homes?”  

1. There will always a communication style that buzzes, mystifies, and never stops its relentless pounding of information into our senses.
2. There will always a communication style that slams the door shut hard and fast on any entry into your space. 
3. There will always be a miracle tool to use to take care of both styles.  One is the flyswatter. The other is persistence.  

Three flies greeted me this morning.  Two met the 1905 invention.  One is a persistent little bugger.  I’m just as persistent.  In this case -as in most cases - the MOST persistent AND patient will claim victory.

Posted via email from LJJ Speaks!