Last night I found another wolf spider in my house. Because I have a terrible phobia towards spiders, I decided this would be a good blog topic.

Lots of us have irrational fears. In fact, most of us realize they are irrational. I can tell myself that I need not be afraid of heights because the ladder I am standing on has operated perfectly, is on level ground, and has little chance of falling. Yet I still go weak kneed and actually increase my chances of falling everytime I get on one. I can tell myself that while wolf spiders are ugly, they are not dangerous. Yet the thought that these creatures with WAY too many legs are carrying around their babies in their hairy legs, and are ready to send them out like a virus at the first sign of danger is enough to send me into fits.

And these are my more common ones. What about my fear of water falling over my head? I can handle showers because I know how to wash my hair without being afraid, but the idea of standing under a waterfall is scary. And even more strange, my fear of butterflies. Butterflies aren't harmful, but I shudder everytime I see one. This is certainly an irrational fear. In fact, I have a general fear of things that fly. I hate birds, I dislike Frisbees, and I refuse to walk under those helicopters that spin from the ceiling that they sell at the mall. The only flying thing I can think of that I am not afraid of is airplanes.

Which leads me to another thought. I have several things which I am completely comfortable around that other people commonly fear. Snakes do not bother me. In fact, I LOVE snakes. I can't think of any reptiles that bother me. I do not like, but certainly don't fear, mice or rodents. They are irritating, but they won't send me scurrying up a chair. I am not afraid of closed spaces. I can go into tiny spaces without worrying about a panic attack. On the other end of the spectrum, I am not afraid of wide, open spaces. I am not afraid of public speaking. Instead I am exhilarated by it. I like to think that in some alternative universe, I am a public speaker of some sort.

Some therapists recommend desensitization therapy. For me, this just isn't going to happen. At least not intentionally. My house is rurally located, and we have a LOT of spiders. I have found that I am not as fearful of them as I used to be. For everything else, I see no reason why I need to become comfortable with these things. I am fine with avoiding the aviary at the zoo. There are these wonderful people called Contractor's who climb on ladders and fix your roof for you. And the places in the world where I would travel don't have waterfalls. They are either too metropolitan or too cold. I've learned to deal with them.