The spider was big and ugly, and humanely trapping it and releasing it outside was not in the cards. I “whapped” it with my shoe. I am not an insect enthusiast. Trapping mice or releasing confined-in-the-window-well snakes, no problem. Bugs – ugh!
When I was a kid I was sitting under a tree in the backyard and something was bugging me. I stuck my finger up my pant leg and started pulling out a string that was annoying the calf of my leg. It was a worm! An incredibly long earthworm. At least it wasn’t a spider!
As a purse-carrying teen, I decided to get over my sincere dislike of bugs, arachnids most importantly. I bought some plastic spiders and put one in my purse, just to get accustomed to seeing it. I was hoping I would not scream when I opened my purse. It didn’t work. Startled me every time. I got so tired of being startled that I gave up that experiment.
Now, my grandmother could eliminate a June bug with her bare hands. I can still hear that scarab beetle being squished. Only years later did it occur to me that perhaps she was trying to help me become less fearful of something so small and harmless as an insect. (She probably really was just that tough!) However, once you’ve had a bug up your pants, it’s difficult to look lovingly at them, no matter how inconsequential they may seem.