I have touched and held snakes myself. I'm not afraid of the small ones. I'm a bit more careful of the big ones. Any snake bigger than six feet I would try to avoid since I'm 6' tall.

I can appreciate your fear of snakes. I even get a bit creeped out myself from snakes. It just seems so counter-intuitive for something to move as a snake does, without arms or legs. And their eyes are scary, too. I think that is by design.

I hope you get over your fear, though. They serve a great purpose by capturing and eating pests like rodents. Everything has a purpose.