This morning I woke up and in my groggy state I headed to the kitchen and clicked on the coffee maker. Standard procedure.
As I waited, half-asleep, I noticed on the wall across from me a tiny figure slithering it’s way across the wall. My eyes widened and somehow now fully awake, I walked on over, grabbing a napkin from the counter and snatched the tiny insect from the wall, killing it instantly.
I could hear the coffee peculating — it was almost done. I grabbed under the kitchen sink counter for the “409” <– a spray “bleaching” cleanser of sorts (I have no idea why they call it “409” by the way, something I should look into at some point), and with yet another napkin, I sprayed the disinfectant and wiped clean the murder scene. It’ll be like it never happened.
The coffee was done. I discarded the evidence, washed my hands and poured my coffee. Cream, no sugar. My morning back to it’s normal routine and I started reading the paper.
At some point into the article I was reading, I realized that before my morning had even really started, I had killed another living thing. How horrible is that?
I sat back in the chair and remembered an acting class I took when I first started performing. We had been asked, “How would you play a murderer?” – Everyone went into all the cliche answers of what they thought might motivate a murder. Novice actors thinking way too deeply about it and announcing how they’d have to do so much research because they themselves would just have “no idea” what it would be like (everyone making sure we all knew how “good” a person they were and how inconceivable it would be to have to play such a horrible person). The conversation always fell way into that category of a mobster or hard core criminal – cliche of course – but I remembered sitting there thinking: If you’ve ever killed a mosquito, you can play a killer. The murder? That’s just the action – knowing who the killer was, their childhood, what they do for a living, all of that is the character. To play any part, of any person, you need to KNOW who the character is, the background.
Of course, that’s exactly where the acting teacher was going. The class seemed stunned to learn they’d all “killed” at some point in their lives. In a lot of ways, it’s a horrible thought. I started feeling bad about my little slithering morning guest who I killed and cleaned up after all before putting my first cup of coffee to my lips.
Truth is, I’m sure I’d do it again. I’m not a fan of insects of any kind IN MY HOUSE. I have no problem with them out in the world, I understand their value in the Eco-system of life, but just as I wouldn’t walk around intentionally in a Lion’s den, I expect slithering little insects to stay out of my “den”, no matter how inviting it may be… or suffer the consequences.
Yeah, I’m still half asleep. I need another cup of coffee.
Happy sweet day.
Carmen
