Tuesday, September 04, 2007

I spend an inordinate amount of time contemplating spiders. This is largely because I am terrified of them, and have an unjustified paranoia of coming across one of the larger, hairier varieties of arachnid at any moment. I was not always scared of spiders, and in fact I can very nearly pinpoint the moment at which the fear began to creep insidiously into my life. One day I was carrying eight-leggged hairy things around on sticks to frighten my classmates; the next our emergency teacher told us the story of a lady who was bitten by a particularly nasty breed and whose hand subsequently rotted away. Bingo, there it is, the source of my phobia. Mr Falkner, a primary school replacement teacher. Of course, follow that up with years of hearing that Australia is home to most of the world's deadliest snakes and spiders, and the result was inevitable. I now worry if there will be a spider in the letterbox when I check the mail. If I step into the backyard, the knowledge that it is full of hidden arachnids is in the forefront of my mind. Even the smallest, least offensive spiders are a source of concern to me. The only ones I don't mind are the daddy-long-legs, because I can blow them away or wash them down a plughole. Although I still find it unnerving if they walk straight towards me. Shudder.

So there it is. My confession. What are you afraid of?

13 comments:

Hilary said...

I'm afraid of being the first to comment on a blog post, but for you chup, I'll do it!

I'm not fond of spiders either, nor heights, nor small spaces. An MRI was brutal for me.

I'm a big coward!

Anonymous said...

I am not actually afraid of any tangiable... My fears like me are slightly odd.

I am just afraid of anything ever happening to you...

lee said...

What aidan wrote is so very sweet.

I'm not keen on spiders, either,BUT would rather be confronted with a spider than a frog. I had a frog jump on my head as a kid -yep, that'd do it. I'm afraid of swooping plovers (sp?).I'm afraid that my health is getting away from me. I'm afraid of the possibility of being alone in old age -that was confession of the day.

Stace said...

Hilary, I'm alright with heights, but I do sometimes get a bit funny about small spaces... I remember testing tents for waterproofness, by getting into them and having somebody spray them with a hose, that was never very nice for me. However, snuggled up in bed on a cold morning - that's a small space too! - I never want to get out of there!

Aidan, I know that :) I'll always come back to you my dear :)

Stace said...

Wow Lee, that's a bunch of confessions! I kinda like frogs. As a kid I'd go down the bush and collect tadpoles, then let them loose near the house. A few months later my parents would be cursing the noise the frogs made all night, but I liked it!

Romeo Morningwood said...

Two words:
Funnel Web.

You people downunda do have the deadliest creepy crawlers in the world. The continent's isolation has produced a mindboggling amount of uber-dangerous creatures.

If I lived there, I would walk around in a personal forcefield unit. I would 'mist' my yard every morning, afternoon, and evening, with nerve gas!

Anonymous said...

Animals that are not dangerous in Australia are...
Some of the sheep.

Arachnophobia is a dreadful thing to have, my poor aunt can barly survive if she even thinks there is a spider somewhere.

We lived in Healesville for a while and we had a huge, huge, huge huntsman who would live above the front door, high enough so that no one could get him. We called him Herbert. We liked to imagine that he ate all of the nasty spiders.

I know someone who stuck an icecream container onto a hockey stick to try and catch a spider so he wouldn't have to go near it.

You could go to AA, they could help (Aracniphobics Annomous).

What am I afraid of: I am afraid of forgetting about people and people forgetting about me.

Cheers,
Andrew

Anonymous said...

Andrew: You are well and truly too unique for anyone to forget about... Your laugh alone will echo throughout history, or atleast a few more restaurants!

Stace said...

Andrew, I fail to see how you could ever be forgotten. You tower over everybody and stand out for miles, your laugh is so infectious I'm sure everyone who's ever met you is grinning still, and your friendship would be valued by anyone with half a braincell.

Cazzie!!! said...

I can swim but I have always been agfraid of drowning. Maybve it goes back to watching the Titanic as a kid? I dunno.
We had a boat, I bought the thing when we got married. I miss it, I loved going out in it, I want another one. But there is always in my mind the fear of drowning.

Cazzie!!! said...

I can swim but I have always been agfraid of drowning. Maybve it goes back to watching the Titanic as a kid? I dunno.
We had a boat, I bought the thing when we got married. I miss it, I loved going out in it, I want another one. But there is always in my mind the fear of drowning.

Jewel said...

Well, since you asked...*grin*....I don't like spiders either or snakes or bees. I think that is about it. Oh, and forceful water, like flood waters. I just don't understand when people drive their cars out into deep waters thinking they can get through. That would never be me, ever! Have a great weekend, Stace AND Aidan!

WithinWithout said...

I really have no fears that I can think of in the physical world, Stace...

Of course I'd be scared if I woke up to find myself in a lion's den, but that's different.

I can get kind of squeamish about some medical procedures, though. Yech!