Growing up, I was never one to enjoy the bug life. Call it societal conditioning, as movies and media ingrained the heebeegeebees coursing through my veins at the sight of all critters big and small. My mother’s arachnophobia was passed down to me, then successively through my son’s screech of horror in the presence of spiders. I am trying to change this.
As I strive to be at one with my natural habitat, I become more intrigued by the miraculous creatures around me. I sit and observe the spider, the cockroach and the snail. I am in 'awww' of the ants as they march with determination, carrying bits of leaves and flowers twenty times their size.
And then there is the Mosquito.
Here is one bloodsucker I am having a hell of time finding acceptance for. Costa Rica has a swarm of mosquitoes I can’t seem to shake. Travelling with only two Neembodybars was a mistake. It is the only thing that works and I ran out. My family loved it too.
Apparently, these bloodthirsty flies smell sweat, lactic acid, uric acid and octenol, and are attracted to Blood Type O. So the unfortunate 10-20% of us, get bitten more than others. My painstaking ritual has resorted to cloves of garlic. I slice open the repellent and rub and crush them into my skin. It works for about an hour.
I have ordered a mosquito net for sleeping, and of course more Neembodybars. I hear Vitamin B patches work. Essential Oils are also on my list. Bananas are a treat of my past and I just heard of CKT, a treatment involving muscle testing and tapping. I am willing to try anything.
My concern has less to do with the horrible diseases they spread, and more to do with the incessant itch, discomfort and scabbing. They bite me on my arms as I am applying x-cream (for the itch) to my legs!
I don’t know if I will ever be at one with this fly species. I just want to be rid of them!! Not very Zen, I know. Why can't I be more like the Zen Buddhists, who sit quietly, getting bitten without reacting like a maniac?!
Does anyone else have this problem? Any recommendations?
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