Ale for the Soul

Typically hard times get worse before getting better, at least that is the case for me.  This could mean becoming more ill before fully recovering; time slowing down waiting for that first payday after experiencing prolonged unemployment; a project that never seems to go right until that breakthrough of success arrives.  Currently I have a bed bug infestation in the apartment.  Ugh!  They migrated from one apartment to another till they finally arrived at the last "house" on the block, so to speak.  The issue came to a head Sunday night/Monday morning when they were out in full force keeping me from a much-needed night's sleep.  As a result, I called in to work knowing I would be worthless to both myself and the company's customers if I tried to work productively.  I hated to burn a personal day, but I felt as if there wasn't much choice.  Later on that afternoon, the exterminator paid a visit to diagnose the situation.  Next Wednesday, he wi...

Throughout life, I have experienced various prolonged nuisances that have kept me slightly off kilter and agitated.  Whether these issues are designed to keep me both humble and grateful for God's many blessings, I still find the underlying culprit a pain in the backside.  Recently I have been dealing with bed bugs in the bedroom of the apartment.  My next-door neighbor and I believe they came from his neighbor in #4.  In the seeming migration from one residence to another, they have made their presence known and are beginning to make life rather unsettling.  As a kid, I would often hear, "Sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite."  In my young mind, I simply believed this was a humorous phrase to say upon retiring for the evening as there were no such insects as a bed bug.  Now I have been enlightened, dispelling my once youthful ignorance.  Ridding myself of the mattress and boxspring, which were in need of replacement anyway, I began to stri...