When I first realized that bed bugs exist, I was
scared. I didn’t know how to deal with them. I was not sure what risks they
posed and what I had to do to get rid of them. I didn’t even know how to
identify a bed bug until I researched online. Every time I detected a bed bug,
I would kill it without mercy and dispose of the body. I would search for more
of them in the vicinity and kill them all. I would hope that I killed them all,
only knowing deep inside that it is the tip of the iceberg. I used to live in
sort of discomfort, knowing that I am not alone on my bed. Slowly, I understood
that I needed to be more systematic.
I started the learning process. I browsed through to
see what problems they posed to my health and the solutions. It turns out the
main problem is nuisance if you are sensitive to the bite. I am not sensitive
to any shit, so I was somewhat comforted but still wanted to get rid of them. What
if I become sensitive later? As it turns out there are not many ultimate
solutions to the problem without setting your house on fire. Undeterred, I
cleaned my whole place and used insecticides. I bought a new bed and washed all
my sheets for the first time ever. I isolated the bed from the floor by
covering the legs with water filled bowls. It was a complete job and it indeed
seemed to work, at first.
Now I am a kind of man who wants to get things done
once and for all. Maintenance is not my thing. So when I applied the whole bed
bugs solution, I wasn’t anticipating that they would return again. I simply
assumed that they ceased to exist. But weeks went by and they are back again.
More in numbers, only to find me too lazy to get off my ass and clean again. I
knew it cannot go on forever, I had to do something which would end the war.
This time I came up with a better solution. The ultimate
solution. One that will never fail.
First, to find the root of the problem, I had to dig
deep. Not into some holes on sides of doors, but into my mind. I introspected
myself and my insecurities towards the creatures. I understood that the problem
is in my mind rather than on the bed. No one is an enemy if you don’t want to
fight them. I changed my attitude towards bed bugs. I realized that all they
want is to live. And if it involves sucking some human blood, they are not to
be blamed, it is in their nature. So I accepted them thus. I let them co-exist
on my bed. They do, probably in thousands. But I don’t feel them anymore, nor
are they annoying. If my giving up a small amount of my blood can help feed so
many lives, it should probably add some karma to my souls account, I reckon.
Though I don’t give a fuck about the karma stuff, it helps with the reasoning,
So I let it stay. When I find a bed bug these days (or a dozen), I don’t kill
it, I remember that it is part of the food chain. It is just incidental that it
is higher on the chain than I am. In addition, knowing that I am not the king of
the jungle keeps me humble.