I heard an old song the other day, it used to be very popular but now it’s considered a classic. A classic, of course, is what they call things that are old enough that young people have never heard of them.

The song I heard went like this: “Sometimes you’re the windshield, sometimes you’re the bug,” This is very timeless advice because everybody knows it’s true…sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.

Everybody wants to be a windshield. Windshields zoom through life, splattering every little problem to smithereens. When you come home after a windshield day, you feel great. You are powerful, you are invincible and you are beautiful! Windshields rule!

But like it or not, we all have to take our turn being the bug. Bug days are not so much fun. Everybody has had those bug days, when we crawl home feeling like life has just splattered us into smithereens. When you have a bug day, you are tired and depressed and all you want to do is crawl into bed and hide. Unfortunately, bug days are often followed by bug evenings and bug nights. These can include a stopped-up toilet, a door slammed on your hand, or cows that get out and go on vacation. When you have a bug day, it’s usually a bug day all day long.

But as tough as it is to be the bug, it’s a necessary evil. Knowing how tough it can be to be the bug can actually make us be much better windshields. We can be kinder, gentler windshields and maybe even “bug-friendly” windshields. Having one of those rotten, grueling bug days can make us be stronger and give us wisdom and empathy for other bugs. We can offer them advice and support when they get splattered because we’ve been splattered too.

It’s tempting to develop a hard shell that is windshield resistant, but we can’t develop too hard a shell or it will become resistant to other things too, like sympathy, compassion and love.  

The best kind of bug to be is the kind that bounces. If you never bounce back after a bug day you will never get to be the windshield. Only bugs that get off the ground get to become windshields. Bugs who stay down just get stepped on.

If you’re having a bug day, take heart. Remember everybody has a bug day now and then. Hang in there, get back up and keep trudging along and soon it will be your turn to win. 

And if you’re having a windshield day, enjoy it because you probably earned it! But look out for the bugs, will you? You might be the difference between someone having a bug day and a regular day, and everybody knows a regular day beats a bug day any day!