Once upon a time, spiders frightened me, too. Then, I kept seeing this one particular species of spider on the outside of our house and was curious about it, wondering whether it was poisonous or not. So, I went to the library (this was before the public could access the Internet) and checked-out a book on spiders, full of color illustrations.

I was so afraid of spiders that I handled the book carefully, even refusing the touch the illustrations in the book as I held it and turned the pages! LOL! Before long, I was able to identify the beastie as a harmless Garden Spider, and I read that they were beneficial to the environment. I looked for other spiders in the book that I had seen and read more about them. Before long, I had gained a better appreciation for them, how they keep populations of bugs under control, some aerate the soil by burrowing, and so forth. I began to feel better about them.

Fast-forward to several years later when I was helping a friend move. As I placed yet-another box into the back of the truck, I noticed a harmless, orb-weaver on the back of my hand, smaller than the eraser on the end of a pencil. I calmly said, "Oh! An orb-weaver wants to go with you!" The friend I was helping started shrieking and trembling, and couldn't believe I was just letting the thing crawl on the back of my hand. It was hilarious! Now, I am only freaked-out if it's a Black Widow or Brown Recluse.