The Story of Juan Pip

Moving to Mexico has been an absolutely amazing experience. The people, the climate, the ocean, the scenery, the fresh produce, the seafood, and so much more! So wonderful. So many wonderful experiences! All wonderful, in fact, except for one.

As my first rainy season here approached, a new neighbor moved in next door.

A tiny frog had moved into the tree right outside of my bedroom window. And, I probably would have never ever known he was living there had it not been for his incredibly loud voice.

Every evening, that frog would start his racket. Chirping out a loud "Pip" every 2 seconds, relentlessly. Every 2 seconds. For the entire night. Without pause. Without taking a break. Without end.

I remember laying there trying to sleep, my eyes wide open, feeling like I was losing my grip on sanity one shrill "Pip" at a time.

I tossed and turned. I tried sleeping with ear phones. I tried smothering my ears with pillows.

Yet, the more I tried to ignore him, the louder he seemed to get. This went on for days and days. I was tired and cranky. I was out of patience.

I dreaded the nights. I dreaded that frog.

I debated getting ear plugs and drowning out all sounds. And, I would have if I didn't want to be able to hear other things, especially, in case of emergency.

I tried to tell myself to ignore him.

Just ignore him. Focus on something else. IGNORE HIM!

But, I couldn't ignore him. I couldn't just not hear him. And, I started to hate him with a passion. I began to absolutely loathe that little frog.

Days turned into weeks. I had completely given up on trying to sleep nights. I was now sleeping during the day and working at night. I wore headphones and blasted music in my ears during the nights. I wanted to hear anything but that frog.

I started to lose touch with people because of the incredibly odd hours I was keeping.

"What do you mean you're sleeping during the day?" "What do you mean you can't sleep because of a frog?"

"Can't you just ignore him?"

I was starting to feel like my life was spinning out of control, all because of one little frog.

I decided to take a new approach. Things just couldn't go on this way any longer. Something needed to change.

So, I began learning about the little frog. Why was he doing this? What was this racket all about? Why!?

It turns out he was a Coqui frog. A male Coqui. And, he was actually making two sounds. A Co sound to ward off other males. And the shrill Qui sound to attract females.

He was just a lonely little guy looking for love.

So, I gave him a name. I named him Juan Pip. And, I made a story for him.

He had wandered and gotten lost. Now, he was in a strange land far far away(the city). He was alone in this strange place. There was only him. And, he felt incredibly lonely.

He so desperately just wanted to love and be loved.

He was filled with passion and longing. So much passion. So much, that it overflowed. He simply had to to express that passion.

The idea of finding true love consumed him. It took over his entire being.

Every night, filled with hope and passion, he was calling out for his love.

He was not giving up! He would find her! He would find her or die trying!

As the story of Juan Pip evolved so did my attitude towards him. I softened up. I started feeling a great compassion towards him. I started to have empathy for his longing, for his suffering. I started to admire his determination. I started to admire his passion.

Such a big sound coming from such a little frog. Such dedication to a hope, to a dream.

He was one determined little man!

I started to not feel quite as annoyed with him. Yes, he was loud, but it was for a reason.

How else was she going to hear him? How else would he reach her?

And, then I started to smile when I heard him start up in the evenings.

Juan Pip was up and ready to try again. He would try again tonight with all his might.

I started to wish him well. I started to root for him.

And, another thing started happening. I started sleeping at night.

Juan Pip no longer bothered me.

I was at peace.

--
I wanted to share this story to illustrate the incredible power of perspective. A simple shift in perspective can change the entire experience.

We all have a Juan Pip in our lives. We can choose to let Juan annoy and irritate us, or we can choose to try to find compassion for him.

Two things to always remember:

1. Hurt people hurt people.

2. We are the ones who cause our own suffering.

I hope you enjoyed this story.

-Akiroq Brost

Check out my other articles:
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The Difference Between Supporting Someone and Trying to Save Them.
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How I Got Rid of My Excuses and Started Living.
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What matters? A journey into Faith.
Finding your way back to yourself, reconnecting to love.