Sleeping with a cockroach
Oh. My. God. I have just killed my first cockroach. And hopefully last too! It was crawling in a drawer with clothes that I’d unpacked three days ago. I know it was a cockroach because it had two big tentacles from his head. Although I wasn’t sure, I must have seen it this morning too...
Having had a long shower, which also made me a few minutes late for breakfast, I left the bathroom door open and got dressed. Before leaving, I quickly grabbed my military cap on top of the chest of drawers opposite the bathroom. I was in a hurry but definitely saw something big and brown crawling across the wooden surface. Perhaps a huge fly without wings, or could it have been a cockroach?? Surely not. I don’t even know how I cockroach look. Besides, I’m in Sweden!
Anyway, during a quick break at my course, I went to speak with the hotel reception. I didn’t know if it was a cockroach I had seen. Also, I've actively been avoiding the temptation to assume... since it might put a reaction and unnecessary actions into play. A dear friend once told me: "to assume – will make an ass out of you”. It’s a silly play on words but I liked it.
On the other hand – when you plan a war or peace operation: You have to assume. Amongst many things, you always work with facts and assumptions when planning an operation.
“Planning involves projecting our thoughts forward in time and space to influence events before they occur rather than merely responding to events as they occur. This means contemplating and evaluating potential decisions and actions in advance. But! No battle plan survives the first contact with the enemy." Graf von Moltke
Well, I was determined to win the battle against the uninvited guest near my bathroom at first attempt, and change room as quickly as possible. So I told the hotel reception I had seen a cockroach in my room. It had come out after I showered – probably attracted out of his hiding place because of the steam. Yes. I nodded when they asked – it definitely had two tentacles. And yes please, I’d really like to change room and have the unpleasant event investigated. The hotel reception was sympathetic and would deal with it but unfortunately they didn’t have any other rooms until tomorrow.
So here I am. Newly showered in my hotel room and close to a flat cockroach underneath a heavy book on the floor. I’ll finish the mission with sending in the hotel staff in the morning and telling them to clean up. There’s no way I am lifting the book tonight, when there’s no hotel staff available. And thanks to my confident assumption earlier today – the hotel reception won’t be too surprised in the morning.
Of course, if this was a real war or peace operation I was talking about – I would have had more than one assumption thrown into the planning process, I’d also have some facts and several courses of actions as a result. All according to what will serve my own interests the best, obviously.
