My husband and I have a beautiful balcony.
The other day he was eating cantaloupe out of a plastic container. At the bottom, a river of marmalade-colored juice had formed, and the precious fluid had attracted the attention of nature all the creepy crawly things of the air; All wanted a piece the tiniest sip would suffice. Curious, my husband left a small portion of the container open. One by one flies started wandering into the barely opened container.
Once inside they bathed in the glorious orange liquid. They enjoyed the sugar rush and the isolation of basking in the wealth of cantaloupe remnants. It was not until they attempted to leave paradise did a problem arise.
The flies could not find an exit. No escape appeared to rescue them. This beautiful place they so desperately wanted to enter was now their tomb.
I could not help but think the same about life. I wondered...had I ever been like these flies?
Then it hit me—debt.
Like a true American I had student loan debt. I had blindly meandered into thousands of dollars owed to the government each semester just the same as my multi-legged friends. Like the flies in search of the sugar, sweet savory nectar, I was drawn to money and financial stability unaware of the true cost of admission. In my case was indentured servitude of at least until my loans were paid off which would be a while, but in the case of the flies, their reality was much more sinister: Certain death.
I turn this question to my audience. What is your cantaloupe juice?
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