I am not a huge fan of bugs (understatement, understatement). Oddly enough, rodents don’t even make me bat an eyelash, I have no issues with snakes (so long as they stay on their side of the path), and we all know I have the opposite reaction to most people when it comes to sharks. However, if there is a spider within an arm’s length of my person, I turn into a shrieking, squealing, jumping-on-a-chair mess. It’s not my proudest moment.
Now, while I will never be a friend to those 8-legged critters that roam the earth (or really any of their multi-legged, armored companions), I can definitely get behind a vintage bug print dress! When I saw this one at Nicole Elaine Vintage during the Black Friday sales, almost buzzing in her novelty print cuteness and velvet trim, I simply couldn’t resist. I knew she was itching for a stroll through the park, where you might feel so inclined to kick of your heels, climb a tree, and stay awhile.
Living in Australia, bugs are a natural part of the every day, which doesn’t bode well for my fear. I simply can’t avoid them. And we’re talking spiders as big as my hand (no really, I’m serious). When we first moved here, we rented a small studio apartment for a month while we hunted for our home. My husband walked into the bedroom area (which was partitioned by a half wall), and I just heard “Oh Holy F%$@!” He then informed me there was a large spider in residence and, true to form, I promptly jumped on the sofa and didn’t go near the bedroom. To this day, I’m ever grateful that I wasn’t the one to stumble upon the beast and never actually got a look at the thing. But I do very clearly recall Mr. Dressed going into the kitchen to size up various BOWLS and POTS with which to collect and remove it. Welcome to Australia….
I wonder about fear – is it something we learn or something locked in the strains of our genetics? Awhile back I read somewhere that fear of spiders (and snakes) is actually an adaptive trait. In scientific terms, this means that way back when, the gene that encoded for an innate fear of bitey things became more common, because those who were afraid of spiders were less likely to get bitten (and thus more likely to survive) than those who weren’t. Natural selection worked her magic, selecting for a fear that would lead to a higher survival rate and a higher likelihood of reproducing and passing on the gene.
Translation: If you are afraid of spiders you’re an evolutionary rockstar.
Fear is kind of a funny thing. I for one am afraid of a great many things – fear of spiders, fear of heights, fear of failure. And yet, I somehow managed to move to Australia, jump out of a plane (on more than one occasion), and tackle a job every day where we have the phrase “publish or perish” for a reason. I guess fear can be a healthy thing – so long as we don’t let it win out or hold us back from opportunities. Sometimes you just have to push through and get the job done regardless of what might be lurking around the corner.
Today, my goal is not to give into my fear of falling into a coma mid conversation (okay, that’s not really a thing, but this jet lag is no joke!). I’m very much looking forward to the weekend to attempt to get on this time zone and start to get back into the swing of things with my very relentlessly busy work schedule.
What fear have you conquered lately?
xoxo
Outfit Details:
Dress: Nicole Elaine Vintage (similar modern or vintage here, here & here)
Necklace: Frock You Vintage (similar here)
Handbag: Anne’s Pocket Finds (similar here & here)
Shoes: Seychelles via Anthropologie (similar here, here, & here)
Lip color: NARS Jungle Red
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