Toady Frogman was a notorious lickspittle. Feety Footman’s boots were no match for Toady’s tenacious tongue. Footman promptly promoted Toady to Private Prince and treated him to an amphibious feast. As the wisely waiter set the salty soup upon the table he remarked, there’s a fly in your soup. To which Toady replied, an apple in my tree. And surely polished. (Hale Art: Toady Frogman, The Adventures Of)

What’s all this Toady Frogman nonsense?

Slow down there feller! Like many stories, the literal is downright dangerous. If we believed everything we read we’d be kissing frogs and I read once that if… Like any story,like anything, there is potential value in the metaphors and abstractions. And like any deviation from this so-called reality, we put ourselves at risk of learning lessons fit for a world in which we do not live.

There’s a fly in my soup, said the toad.

No, that’s not what happened in the story, but this is the version you can write on your wall and post on Facebook… I just realized those are now one and the same. Close tangent, I still write ideas and words to live by on 3×5 notecards and tape them to my bedroom walls above my desk and bed. Try it next time you stumble upon a word or phrase or quote that feels strong and important to you. Don’t force it, but next time the feeling strikes – write it down and put it up. Here’s a series of variations on this first theme. I’ll make up a few to walk you to some that are more familiar.

There’s a fly in my soup.
There’s an apple in your tree.

When life gives you lemons…
…make lemonade.
…you have lemons.
…be thankful for lemons.
…sweet!

I believe in the experience of free will.

Though whether it exists by the perspective of universal law is a conversation for another time. Free will gives us the sensation of power to change – ourselves and our environment – though I believe they are essentially one and the same, another conversation for another time. We have the power either to remove our fly or make the most of it, let our lemons rot or throw them at the neighbor’s dog. He likes lemons. We have the power to be dark and sarcastic or fulffy and optimistic, to be unforgivingly reasonable or to love blindly. I have the power to suggest one approach over the other, and you have the power to continue reading or click on the ads in this website and toss Hale College a shiny new nickel to upgrade our user interface. I have the power to share the gift of my understanding and experience, and you have the power to take it or leave it. I have the power to write a story about Toady Frogman , and you have the power to be confused.

What does it mean to have a fly in your soup?

Something warm and delicious that you have just received is learnedly spoiled by some blemish or intrusion. We had expectations for soup without flies and we assume that the fly will degrade the experience whether by buggy taste or crunchy texture and indeed your experience has been challenged. But it is not exactly the fly that has challenged your experience but your expectations and assumptions about the soup and fly. Had you been open-minded about the contents of the soup, say at a fine restaurant known for its delectable preparations of insects, you would have embraced the less startling situation with optimistic apprehension. Had you been focusedly sober about the fact that you don’t know how delicious a fly tastes, you may have discovered your new favorite food. Had you been excited to find a fly in your soup, you may be fit for a princess.

We all have issues.

Some of us have silly names and are notorious lickspittles while others are nearly perfect, save for that pesky fly. If you struggle to enjoy what life has to offer, perhaps you’re asking too much, or perhaps you are failing to see your life through the lens of opportunity. Reframe your situation as an opportunity, at least to learn a lesson or simply what you’re made of. If you’re not enjoying life, perhaps you’re doing it wrong, or perhaps you’re simply seeing it wrong.

What about poor Feety Footman?

As far as I can tell, Mr. Footman is neither toad nor frog and is therefore less naturally excited about a dirty bug in his soup. Fortunately for him, he has an honest waiter and a circumstantially uplifting companion. It’s far more likely to enjoy a fly in your soup, or even simply soup, when you are in the presence of optimistic, approving, encouraging folk. Your glass-half-full friends should have a special seat reserved by your side. The people in your life who love you and encourage you to live and love and be the best you can be are the most valuable assets you will ever have. Life can serve you all the soup in the world but if you’re not a fan of our special garnish, you’ll find yourself unsatisfied.

Simply,
Wisely Waiter