Swallowing the fly….
Most of us in the developed West have a problem with over-consumption. We eat too much food, we use too much gas, we buy too much stuff…all the while abusing this earth—our island home—in the process. Although we know it’s problem, we find ourselves powerless to make the necessary changes to address it. Both in my ministry and in my family, I have been wrestling with this problem and trying to devise a way to talk about it with my own children and the children of my parish. When I realized that my over-consumption was essentially an addiction, I found a ready tool to address it in the 12-Steps. The first step to fixing our problem is to admit our addiction. After we realize it, we can take steps to change our lifestyles. After we admit our addiction, we can begin to truly follow Jesus and get a taste of the abundant life that he came to share with us. One day as I am playing on the floor with my boys I found the right metaphor to talk about our over-consumption with children. I don’t remember if we were playing with legos, cars, or blocks, but there came that inevitable moment when one of them decided that he needed to have more…just one more block or one more car. And it all quickly escalated into an arms race for more. They competed against each for more toys vying to see who could grab and secure more toys in the shortest amount of time. The brotherly play is sacrificed for more stuff and then it all dissolved into fight. After the time-outs were finished and our collective alienation was over, we reflected on what happened by reading a book my mom read to me when I was young. It’s called, “There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a fly.” It goes like this:
I know an old lady who swallowed a fly, I don’t know why she swallowed the fly, I guess she’ll die. I know an old lady who swallowed a spider, That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her. She swallowed the spider to catch the fly, I don’t know why she swallowed the fly, I guess she’ll die. I know an old lady who swallowed a bird, How absurd to swallow a bird! She swallowed the bird to catch the spider, That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her, She swallowed the spider to catch the fly, I don’t know why she swallowed the fly, I guess she’ll die. I know an old lady who swallowed a cat, Imagine that, to swallow a cat! She swallowed the cat to catch the bird, She swallowed the bird to catch the spider, That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her, She swallowed the spider to catch the fly, I don’t know why she swallowed the fly, I guess she’ll die. I know an old lady who swallowed a dog, My, what a hog, to swallow a dog! She swallowed the dog to catch the cat, She swallowed the cat to catch the bird, She swallowed the bird to catch the spider, That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her, She swallowed the spider to catch the fly, I don’t know why she swallowed the fly, I guess she’ll die. I know an old lady who swallowed a goat, Just opened her throat and swallowed a goat! She swallowed the goat to catch the dog, She swallowed the dog to catch the cat, She swallowed the cat to catch the bird, She swallowed the bird to catch the spider, That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her, She swallowed the spider to catch the fly, I don’t know why she swallowed the fly, I guess she’ll die. I know an old lady who swallowed a cow, I wonder how she swallowed a cow?! She swallowed the cow to catch the goat, She swallowed the goat to catch the dog, She swallowed the dog to catch the cat, She swallowed the cat to catch the bird, She swallowed the bird to catch the spider, That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her, She swallowed the spider to catch the fly, I don’t know why she swallowed the fly, I guess she’ll die. I know an old lady who swallowed a horse, She’s dead, of course!!
It is an absurd story, but it leaves us with some wisdom to chew on. It is a parable of our over-consumptive and addictive behavior. It presents us with an opportunity to come to our senses. Before you consume that spider…know why you’re doing it! I use this metaphor often to warn my boys. “Don’t swallow the spider,” I say. “Think before you take another toy or consume more than you need.” My friends the truth is that we all have a fly inside us, but eating the spider does not solve the problem. I invite you to share this story with the children (and adults!) in your life and begin to have a conversation about our over-consumption and what true abundant life looks like. 
The Reverend Luke Fodor is the Assistant Rector of St. John’s Church in Cold Spring Harbor, New York, where we works with children, youth and young families. Having spent nearly 5 years working at Episcopal Relief & Development, Luke works to form young people in a Christ-like pattern of loving service and empower them for God’s reconciling mission in this hurting world.