Totally Buggin'

Have any of you ever heard the phrase, “crickets bring good luck”? Well, don’t worry if the answer is no, because neither had I when these events came about in my life. Before I dive into this tale, let me hit you with some historical context.

According to folklore specialist Jeanne Ewert, crickets have been a symbol of good luck throughout Asian and European cultures for centuries. Crickets also played an important role in the mythology of some Native American groups such as the Cheyenne and Cherokee. The latter of which passed down legends wherein crickets were seen as valorous creatures who fared well in their endeavors in spite of their compact stature. There are even entire books on insect mythology within various cultures that discuss the role of the cricket--I have somehow made it nearly halfway through my twenties without ever knowing the sentiment that “crickets bring good luck”. Anyway, now that you’re equipped with some background information, let’s get into the actual story- don’t worry, unlike most of my posts-its short, sweet, and funny.

A few months back, I wanna say somewhere between August and September, (I’m terrible with time frames but I know it was still warm), my friend Megan and I (yes, the Megan who runs this blog) were talking outside of The Curious Quill before work. I think we had stepped out so I could take some photos of her modeling our new merchandise, when she starts talking about how she really is seeing crickets everywhere and just knows some good luck is coming her way. Mind you she has been telling me this for a couple weeks at this point, mentioning it to me every time she sees a cricket. As I said earlier, I had previously never heard of crickets being lucky and was honestly still skeptical until I did some research to write this blog. No matter though, when you think your friend is making up an anecdote about fortune-bearing insects you just go with it. So, I’m nodding my head and thinking that I haven’t seen any crickets around so I hope she plans on sharing her luck with me; when I spot an insect with long hind legs, big eyes, and short antennae on the door. I look at Megan, then back at the bug.

Megan---bug. Megan---bug. Megan---bug.

I finally blurted out, “Is this the thing you’ve been talking about?” pointing at the door.

“Yeah like I said, I’ve been seeing crickets everywhere”, she replied while gesturing at the same insect.

I couldn’t help but start chuckling as I stated, “Megan that’s a GRASSHOPPER.”

We both had a good long laugh after that as she realized that even if crickets did bring good luck, apparently she wasn’t getting any.

Fast forward a week or two, I get a call from a frantic Megan who is yelling about some big black creature that got into Quill and how I have to come get it out. After she hangs up, I grab my keys and head out of the warehouse assuming I’m gonna have to capture a snake, tarantula, or maybe even a rabid Merc Daddy cat. As soon as I get to Quill, Megan directs me to the bookcase that the animal went behind- so I shine my flashlight under aaaaand nothing. I asked her how big it was, (because clearly I was overestimating), when she told me she tried to take a picture of it.

At first, I couldn’t tell what the tiny black blob on her screen was at all. Then it hit me.

I looked up at Megan and said, “You’re never gonna believe this..the huge demon critter you’re after is a CRICKET.”

We both burst into a chorus of laughter and expletives, it had definitely been a long time since irony had slapped me in the face that hard.

I don’t know how well this story will translate, it may be a “you just had to be there moment” even so, hopefully you learned a little something and maybe had a laugh.

And if nothing else, remember to always have a best friend who is willing to wrangle wild beasts for you.

Love you Megan, you make your own luck anyway.

Here’s a photo of us still laughing at the same story a month after.

Written By: Hannah, Village Exterminator