There will be no roaches in Heaven. Not my version of Heaven anyway.

I was going to blog about something spiritual, deep and important to everyone's life.  It was going to be something about "whatever we loose on Earth is loosed in Heaven"...that kinda thing.  But, I can sum that up in one paragraph and then go on to what I am really interested in today...roaches.  Here's the summary (one should always get the important spiritual things done first...'seek ye first'...remember?)

Anyway, in Matthew 16:19,  Jesus is talking to Peter and says "whatever you bind on earth will be bound in Heaven".  I interpret that to mean that we are supposed to turn our problems over to God and not hold on to them so as not to "bind" them on Earth, but let God handle them and see His power released on the situation here on earth...no matter what it is.   I used to think that it meant that if we were mad at someone on earth, then we didn't have to talk to them in Heaven, but I have since revisited that idea. I don't know how Heaven will be, but I hope my irritation with certain people I know will not prevent me from getting to Heaven. I'm pretty sure it won't.

However, on to the pressing matter of roaches.  It has been 20 days since I last posted a blog.  During those 20 days, I have been diligently trying to relearn how to be a home health RN.  I went back to work full time and although I am enjoying the paycheck, I am learning that change and adjustments are part of life, and they're not always fun. Getting out of my comfort zone has not been easy.  I am treading water though so no one has to do career CPR on me just yet. It helps to have weekends, and I just LIVE for Saturdays.  There is nothing like waking up and the first thought in your head is, "Ah, today, I don't have to be anywhere.  It's a beautiful day."

So, how does this all relate to roaches?  Well,  when you work in home health either as a nurse, physical therapist or, God love you, a bath aide, you go into stranger's homes and provide whatever care your ordered to do there. This means that you see how they live.  You see their mental illnesses...like hoarding, and I don't care how clean you think your house is, if you are a hoarder, you have roaches.  Mostly because hoarding means that you don't declutter, and you can't clean what you can't see so if you can't see the floor, you can't see the roach colonies populating your residence.

You see people as they really are. Let me paint a picture for you.  Let's just say that somewhere in America, there is a nice little old lady about 88 years old who lives with her husband who is also about 190. In their tiny little 2 bedroom home, built in the year 1932, they have a rickety wheelchair ramp leading to the front door. About 10 flower pots full of pink, white,  purple and blue artificial flowers line the ramp.  Three wind chimes hang from the porch that you are hoping will support your weight as you knock on the door.  The eerie sound that comes from the chimes gets louder as you approach the house. And, let's not forget the gnomes.  Never forget the gnomes with their faded red paint on their pointed little hats.  You're met with an army of gnomes and that added to the chimes makes you question your career choice.

But you knock on the screen door anyway hoping that it won't fall off the hinges as you knock.  How much paperwork would that be back at the office?   The "yippie" dogs are the first to alert the home owners of your presence.  You hear a frail voice in the house say,  "just a minute!" After about three long minutes of waiting at the door,  it opens slowly and four little Chiwawas nip, snip and sniff at your feet.  You're just thankful they're not Rottweilers.  Although that's happened to me too, but that's another story.  SO, now, you're in the house,  you go through the usual niceties, "How are you? blah blah blah. "  You're looking for a place to sit your nurses' bag (which contains your stethoscope, bp cuff, thermometer, and all the other 'accoutrements' nurses have to carry).  You put your trash bag or "barrier" on top of a big cardboard box which is the only flat service you can find.  You'll have to wash your hands too because that's protocol even though your hands were probably cleaner before you walked into the house. You're trying not to stare at all the clutter and cardboard boxes and trash cans that would make someone with a propensity to go dumpster diving think they'd found Nirvana. But, you wash your hands in the little bathroom and as you look over to the faucet handle, there sits the king of the roaches...His little antenna and body looking straight at you waving in the air.  It's as if he's saying, "What is your purpose for invading my home?" You quickly remind yourself and the roach who is boss as you flick him on the floor and step on him.  You're adrenaline is up anyway because you've been freaked out by the gnomes so your reflexes are lightening quick.

You move on and do your assessments and afterward, just before you leave, you step on a roach or two just to do your part to control the insect population.  Not that it makes any difference, but it makes you feel better. Through his oxygen nasal cannula, he laughs and says, "Did you kill one? I hope so."  Cause, you see, people know they have roaches.  Some people just don't care because they've given up hope that it could ever get any better. People know they have "their stuff" which we often call clutter.  To them it is normal.  I can't judge them.  I can just treat them. Someone with different definitions of clutter could easily come into my house and determine that I am a hoarder of say, s'mores. Oh well, we all have our issues.

The central core truth is that some people just have different opinions of what is acceptable to live with and what is not acceptable.  If this old couple chooses to allow roaches to live with them, then that's their business.  All I can do is suggest that roaches carry diseases and that they might have a healthier lifestyle without them.  I can't make them want to buy Raid....but they can buy gnomes...maybe they think the gnomes will scare the roaches off.  Unfortunately, that theory seems flawed.  Maybe that ties in to the whole "loosing it in Heaven" thing.  Maybe when I see situations like that, I should pray God will kill the roaches. I don't know.  I do know I'll be nice and try to help them anyway I can. Unfortunately, most people don't want help because they don't see they have a problem.  It's a strange, strange world, and I can't fix it.  But I can make suggestions to buy Raid.  Great.  That's helpful.