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The Cockroach Theory Of Life
The difference between reaction and response makes all the difference
Many years ago, I saw the movie Victor/Victoria. In fact, this is one of my favorite films, given its all-star cast, brilliant comedy, and memorable musical scenes, plus, of course, the romance.
One of the scenes that never failed to make me laugh was the scene where a down-at-luck Victoria brings a cockroach in her handbag to sneak into her salad to avoid paying for her meal. She is so sure of her scheme that she offers to treat her new friend, Toddy, to his meal as well.
The scene includes some witty banter between them and a cynical Parisian waiter, but the highlight occurs when the escaped cockroach decides to climb up a woman’s leg.
Chaos ensues. The woman pitches a screaming fit, and then another person feels the cockroach and starts screaming, and soon the whole restaurant is up in arms. The police end up being called.
This reminded me of a real-life scene which happened very differently.
When I was a child, we were renting a small apartment in Queens, New York.
At one point Mom discovered a cockroach. Instead of screaming and pitching a fit, she crushed it. Then she called the landlord and told him that he had better…
