Spiders creep me out! Does that make me less of a man? Hmmm I wonder? but....
Perhaps I've found at least a partial solution. Let me explain.
I took this shot in my garden yesterday but how can having taken it help me?
What is a Phobia Anyway?
I give way to an online dictionary
"An extreme or irrational fear of or aversion to something"
Using this as a definition perhaps I don't have phobia. Let's look at the two adjectives describing the aversion
1.) extreme: I wouldn't call my aversion extreme. It's not like I run away from them screaming but when there is one in my house I want it out....now! Grab a jar, trap it and out it goes. Ok, Ok sometimes I squish them!
2.) irrational: I think maybe I have a good reason for MY aversion. Some spiders bite and some are even poisonous. When I was 10 years old my parents sent me to a summer camp. In the middle of the night one of the other boys woke up screaming. He had been bitten by a spider and a welt the size of a halved orange grew on his arm. Off to to the emergency room he went leaving the rest of us dazed, confused and scared! Don't ask if I slept that night!
So I ask, is my aversion irrational? I think not!
So Then What's my Partial Solution?
I say partial becasue I'm not expecting a miracle cure but surely I should improve! So here's what I have in mind:
- Gain more knowledge. I need to be able to identify all the types of spiders to know if they bite and whether the bite is poisonous or not.
- I need to have more appreciation. After all, some of their webs are amazing creations and when you look at them up close as in my photo above there is a lot of beauty there!
Here is The Other Side of The Same Spider!
Yes there is beauty there as well and I can admire this creature's handy work.
What Do You Say?
- Do you have any phobias?
- Have you been able to overcome any?
- Can you identify the spider shown above?
Until next time,
@kus-knee (The Old Dog)
