I used to have crazy nightmares with them, and they would gravitate inside my shorts and I’d weep from fear lol. Now I play with the jumping spiders and have fixed my relations to their appearance. Relatable piece!
Such an intriguing piece. I was especially impressed by how your exploration of spiders evolved into a deep reflection on respect. Learning more about their fascinating world was a wonderful bonus. Thank you for this meaningful read.
The problem is you non-Australians smear too much Vegemite on the toast. The way you are supposed to do it is you apply mostly butter to the toast and then add a few dabs of vegemite. You need to dab. DAB!
Great read! My daughter won’t kill spiders. Her kids are terrified of all bugs! 🐞
I do hate to admit, but I woke up one morning to find my entire dining room ceiling covered in tiny baby spiders…up on a stool, I had to kill them all…I’m sorry. It was me or them evicting me from home! Tough choice! lol
I’ll still kill them if they look menacing, I just feel way more guilty about it. A long time ago I smushed this big spider with a huge abdomen with a slipper and when I smashed it a whole bunch of baby spiders popped out and crawled everywhere. I ran haha
They actually fascinate me a lot. This was very well done. Good representation of them. I love how intricate they make their webs and how they know where to step in it and where not to.
I love your piece bro, is great! I've always liked spiders, maybe because Spiderman is my favorite superhero, or maybe because I've always been fascinated by their webs, they are works of art if you see them outdoors in a forest after the rain
Hey Austin! Okay, I won't pick them up by hands, because of their alien nature, but I won't harm them. I refuse. They're the best pest control there is. I'll pick them up with a piece of junk mail or something and put them outside, or in a corner
Yes exactly they kill other bugs, that is a redeeming quality. They do look like Venom or the alien from the movie “Alien”. Also, I don’t get how they can have poor vision if they have so many eyes.
I love this piece—it's almost uncanny how much your story mirrors my own journey with spiders. I was definitely a spider smasher as a kid (and used to have vivid nightmares about them dropping from the ceiling above my bed, so you can imagine the panic). I’d actually go sleep in the bathroom sometimes, just to escape! Over time, though, I went from fear to fascination, and now I've found myself rescuing tarantulas from folks who bought them as novelties but didn’t really want to keep them once the thrill wore off. At some point, spider relocation even became a weirdly important part of my own spiritual path. I still can’t claim to be perfect—if one crawls on me, all bets are off—but I do my best to respect their place in the world.
Your line about feeling like the spider was checking you out made me laugh, because I’ve totally been there. I also love the way you describe their intelligence and the folklore side of things. Thanks for writing something that makes me feel a little less alone (and a little less weird) in my evolving relationship with spiders.
I’m glad you enjoyed it! My change in perspective has a lot to do with my Aunt who won’t kill anything. Knowing she feels all life is sacred challenged me to think about it differently. I do still think living things invading your home is grounds for their destruction in most cases, but I think twice now.
I really appreciate you sharing tha, your aunt sounds like a gentle influence, and it’s beautiful how those quiet examples can ripple out and shift how we see the world. I had a similar turning point when I began exploring Buddhism and its reverence for all life. It opened me up to seeing even the tiniest creatures differently. I’m still not perfect with it, but like you, I think twice now and that pause feels meaningful in itself.
Yes my Aunt is Buddhist. I also read a book called Zen Mind Beginners Mind by Shunryu Suzuki that was amazing and made me think differently about certain things. I highly recommend it.
I’ll admit: I came in fully prepared not to read this, because spiders trigger the ancient “absolutely not” part of my brain. And yet—against my will—I did read it, purely because YOU wrote it. Which feels thematically appropriate, since the piece itself is about reluctantly staying with what creeps us out long enough to notice its intelligence.
There’s a great, dry humor running underneath the unease: the bathroom becoming a negotiated border zone, the spider as an uninvited but strangely observant roommate, the moral calculus of “relocation unless startled, then RIP.” By the time you get to folklore, diving bells, and spiders outperforming you in the food-chain ethics department, the joke lands quietly but hard: the real discomfort isn’t their danger, it’s the mirror they hold up to our reflexes. I still hate spiders—but now I hate them thoughtfully, which is more than I expected going in.
I used to have crazy nightmares with them, and they would gravitate inside my shorts and I’d weep from fear lol. Now I play with the jumping spiders and have fixed my relations to their appearance. Relatable piece!
That sounds horrible. I would weep too lol
😭🕉️👌
Such an intriguing piece. I was especially impressed by how your exploration of spiders evolved into a deep reflection on respect. Learning more about their fascinating world was a wonderful bonus. Thank you for this meaningful read.
You’re welcome!! Thanks for reading! I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🕸️🕷️💫
Pleased to see the Australian icon the Redback made the top pic.
I had a couple of close calls as a youngster, but I have yet to feel their wrath.
Do you come from the land down under? I must decline any offers of a Vegemite sandwich.
The problem is you non-Australians smear too much Vegemite on the toast. The way you are supposed to do it is you apply mostly butter to the toast and then add a few dabs of vegemite. You need to dab. DAB!
Great read! My daughter won’t kill spiders. Her kids are terrified of all bugs! 🐞
I do hate to admit, but I woke up one morning to find my entire dining room ceiling covered in tiny baby spiders…up on a stool, I had to kill them all…I’m sorry. It was me or them evicting me from home! Tough choice! lol
I’ll still kill them if they look menacing, I just feel way more guilty about it. A long time ago I smushed this big spider with a huge abdomen with a slipper and when I smashed it a whole bunch of baby spiders popped out and crawled everywhere. I ran haha
Ahhh hahah I’ve never tried it. I don’t think it’s available in the US. I will keep that in mind for the future though lol 🤣
Gosh really… I have arachnophobia…. What the heck of an image to scroll into… 🫣🤣
My apologies. They are like tiny alien robots of death
I'm sure one can make me have a heart attack without warning
What an interesting read! Learned so much, I never knew there are spider that live underwater in their waterproof homes.
I love the line "life is interested in iteslf", probably why we are so curious to find out what lies out there in the universe.
Thanks!! Curiosity killed the cat. AI will kill the human. I’m sure it will decide not every living thing is a threat, just humans. Silver lining?
Hmm maybe? Or is that too dark. Are we siding with the marvel villains?
🤣 Perhaps
They actually fascinate me a lot. This was very well done. Good representation of them. I love how intricate they make their webs and how they know where to step in it and where not to.
They’re pretty cool to watch. Did you know their legs have no muscles? They bend them using hydraulic pressure, that’s why they move like robots lol
I wasn't afraid of spiders, cockroaches and lizards ever because I have fear of some human beings 🥺💔
I believe you’re right to feel that way. Humans are infinitely more dangerous than all other creatures combined.
I love your piece bro, is great! I've always liked spiders, maybe because Spiderman is my favorite superhero, or maybe because I've always been fascinated by their webs, they are works of art if you see them outdoors in a forest after the rain
Hey Austin! Okay, I won't pick them up by hands, because of their alien nature, but I won't harm them. I refuse. They're the best pest control there is. I'll pick them up with a piece of junk mail or something and put them outside, or in a corner
Yes exactly they kill other bugs, that is a redeeming quality. They do look like Venom or the alien from the movie “Alien”. Also, I don’t get how they can have poor vision if they have so many eyes.
I love this piece—it's almost uncanny how much your story mirrors my own journey with spiders. I was definitely a spider smasher as a kid (and used to have vivid nightmares about them dropping from the ceiling above my bed, so you can imagine the panic). I’d actually go sleep in the bathroom sometimes, just to escape! Over time, though, I went from fear to fascination, and now I've found myself rescuing tarantulas from folks who bought them as novelties but didn’t really want to keep them once the thrill wore off. At some point, spider relocation even became a weirdly important part of my own spiritual path. I still can’t claim to be perfect—if one crawls on me, all bets are off—but I do my best to respect their place in the world.
Your line about feeling like the spider was checking you out made me laugh, because I’ve totally been there. I also love the way you describe their intelligence and the folklore side of things. Thanks for writing something that makes me feel a little less alone (and a little less weird) in my evolving relationship with spiders.
I’m glad you enjoyed it! My change in perspective has a lot to do with my Aunt who won’t kill anything. Knowing she feels all life is sacred challenged me to think about it differently. I do still think living things invading your home is grounds for their destruction in most cases, but I think twice now.
I really appreciate you sharing tha, your aunt sounds like a gentle influence, and it’s beautiful how those quiet examples can ripple out and shift how we see the world. I had a similar turning point when I began exploring Buddhism and its reverence for all life. It opened me up to seeing even the tiniest creatures differently. I’m still not perfect with it, but like you, I think twice now and that pause feels meaningful in itself.
Yes my Aunt is Buddhist. I also read a book called Zen Mind Beginners Mind by Shunryu Suzuki that was amazing and made me think differently about certain things. I highly recommend it.
Hmmm…that book sounds familiar 🤔. Thank you for sharing about it. I feel inspired to seek it out.
I’ll admit: I came in fully prepared not to read this, because spiders trigger the ancient “absolutely not” part of my brain. And yet—against my will—I did read it, purely because YOU wrote it. Which feels thematically appropriate, since the piece itself is about reluctantly staying with what creeps us out long enough to notice its intelligence.
There’s a great, dry humor running underneath the unease: the bathroom becoming a negotiated border zone, the spider as an uninvited but strangely observant roommate, the moral calculus of “relocation unless startled, then RIP.” By the time you get to folklore, diving bells, and spiders outperforming you in the food-chain ethics department, the joke lands quietly but hard: the real discomfort isn’t their danger, it’s the mirror they hold up to our reflexes. I still hate spiders—but now I hate them thoughtfully, which is more than I expected going in.
I no longer believe you to be human
Really dude???
Send me a DM and call my phone if you’re human.