That’s right, June bug’n. Not to be confused with dune bug’n. Throughout Oklahoma, the grub worms are on the rise, have grown wings and have invaded every streetlight known to man.
They may lack the fancy paint job, but they still look like oversized ladybugs to me. For the most part, they are harmless, but can give you a scare if they ever land on the back of your neck. Get one down your shirt, and you are sure to look like you are shucking ears of corn. There is just something creepy about those prickly legs crawling across your skin that makes even a grown man scream like a little girl.
There is a reason they call them June bugs. Like clockwork, they appear about the same time every year. Not one or two, not a couple hundred-but thousands of June bugs show up every year, you guessed it, in June.
One particular June growing up, I remember sitting on the front porch of my parents’ lake house. We spent the evening taking turns churning homemade ice cream. As the sun set on the water, night-lights began to draw all types of little buzzers to the festivities.
I love homemade ice cream, but I hate having to swat airborne pests just to get my spoon into my mouth. As soon as I had my bowl loaded down, I headed for the couch to enjoy my dessert in peace.
It was then that the taunting began. My brother found it funny that I would allow a few country critters to detour me from the otherwise tranquil great outdoors. His goal was to shame me back to the porch. The teasing ensued, and my posture grew poorer as I melted deeper into the couch. Say what he may, this is one city boy who was staying put.
And then it happened. There was a brief break in the sarcasm, then a loud yell, followed by spitting and pitiful gagging noises. It seems that while my brother proceeded to focus on my business, he failed to keep his eyes on his bowl of ice cream. As he delivered a spoonful of dairy to his taste buds, he was unaware of the June bug buried in the ice cream. The pop and subsequent crunch were the first signs to him that maybe the couch wasn’t such a bad idea after all. The last laugh was all mine. It wasn’t long before the deck was cleared and the June bugs were left to compete for the best position under the porch light.
When we feel taunted and teased by annoying people, we are tempted to take matters into our own hands. Nothing would bring greater satisfaction than to dish out some sweet revenge. During such times, I try to remember the June bug and Romans 12:19, “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord.”
