Patty Mayeux Blog

I love how steady showers perk up the little faces of flowers and green up the grass and trees to a fresh brightness. The smell of rain invites a lazy snuggle with a good book and warm blanket. Rain promises new growth, replenishment, and continued life for all of earth’s living things. But rain brings mosquitoes that bite, causing itchy spots that hang around. I’m sure they have a purpose in God’s grand plan, but it’s lost on me. Mosquitoes are visible. And audible. Their aggressive buzzing in my ear sends me into fight mode, waving and cussing. I see the enemy and react accordingly. The best defense is a homemade repellent made with oil and cloves. During biting season, I smell like peace, love and rock and roll. We deal with the big bad deals of life because we must. At times our reactions to the little irritations are out of sync with the level of threat. Loud exclamations of expletives and violent swatting of hands makes me question the real target of pent-up frustration, even anger. What is lurking beneath those mosquito bites? Perhaps that is their purpose, to act as a barometer of our mental state of health and reminding us to chill. It’s only a mosquito bite.