I Fear…Snake Eyes

The weather (sunny skies with a cool breeze) has been GREAT here in Pittsburgh.  Flowers are blooming everywhere.

 

  

Today, my dad was visiting so I asked him to give me a hand planting a vegetable garden.  It was small and we ran out of room, so this evening I planted pepper plants in a flower bed.

While digging holes, I felt someone or something looking at me.  Do you ever feel that way?  Like someone, somewhere, is spying on you?  Was it 80-year old Mr. Powers next door?  Did the creepy window cleaning man who was at our house earlier in the day camp out on our roof?  Is there a Sasquatch in the bushes? 

…and then I saw it…a little head with two beady eyes peeking out from under the sidewalk.   

Baahhhh!  SNAAAAAKE! 

It’s a snake! 

There’s a s-s-snake under the walk! 

SNAKE!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Mr. Backbone to the rescue, who took his good old time coming out of the house in response to me, his loving wife,  screaming for help. 

Me – I saw a snake.

Mr. BB – So?

Me – It’s there…in that hole…under the sidewalk.  It was looking at me.  I saw it.  I saw it’s head.

He then casually went to the garage for a shovel. 

We waited and watched the hole.  After a few minutes of standing there in silence, out popped the little head.  I lurched backwards and then it disappeared again, as we discussed the options for dealing with the creature. 

Me – I think you should take it to the woods.

Mr. BB – It will come back.

Me – Should we let it live there, under the sidewalk?

Mr. BB –No, because then you won’t use the back yard all summer.

Me – But I don’t want to kill it.  It’s just an innocent little snake, probably as small as a lizard.

…and then it slithered out of the hole, measuring about 2 feet long.

Me – THE SNAKE!  Ahhhhhhhhhhh!  Kill it!  Kill it!  Kill it dead!!

Looking kind of scared himself, he whacked it with the shovel, then I said a little silent prayer that it would go to snake heaven and we carried it off to the woods for a Christian burial.

R,I.P. Snake

I wasn’t afraid of the snake itself.  I was afraid of the possibility of what it would do to me…like sink it’s sharp little snake teeth into my flesh or slither into the house and wrap it’s tiny body around my neck , killing me in my sleep.  I sensed danger…and danger fed my fear.

Sensing danger keeps us safe, and it’s instinctual for us to react.  When you get scared, your  brain triggers the release of adrenaline, 8 to 20 times normal levels.  Sweat production increases.  Your heart pumps more blood to the brain.  Your lungs dilate and take in more oxygen.  Your pupils dilate making your vision sharper, like Superman.  And yes folks, your body quickly rids itself of waste to prepare itself for battle, which is why some people head straight for the potty room during a scary movie. 

It is not easy to be courageous when you face danger, but we do it.  Or, in my case, I call for help from a man with a shovel.

Have you ever been in a dangerous or scary situation?  How did you react?  

Have a WONDERFUL weekend!  In my continued quest to battle the UNs, this week’s task #4 is to Celebrate the Happiness of Someone Else.  I’m heading to a wedding and will report on all the juicy details next week.