Buddha and the Fine Art of Spider Rescues

The funny thing about spiders is that they are nowhere to be found when you want to take a picture of one, but when you least expect it..."SPIDER!!!!!!!!!!!!" Having said that, for you insect experts out there, I am fully aware that the photo above is NOT of a spider. I managed to find a few dead ones outside on the swingset, but alas, they were not photogenic, so this little cicada helped me out today by being a willing stand-in. (Yep, the cicadas are back! And much quieter than I remember...)

But, back to my topic. I've forgotten huge chunks of what I learned in college (sorry, professors--decades ticking away will do that sort of thing), but I do remember learning (somewhere between the Nike of Samothrace and Red Dwarf Stars) about Buddhism in Religion 101. Specifically, I remember a parable about the Hindu prince (Siddhartha Guatama) who later became the Buddha, wandering one day in his fields and realizing while glancing down--with horror--that just by walking along, merrily minding his own business, he had unwittingly squashed hundreds upon hundreds of ants with each step. And so he set out to be more mindful of his surroundings and to cause less suffering to all living things. I'm not a Buddhist, but I do try to embrace those two tenets in my daily life--both tenets of environmentalism as well.

This line of thinking has led me to many a "spider rescue" in my house. I've become somewhat of a pro at it, almost on auto-pilot. When one of my children yells to me, "MOM!!! SPIIIIIII-DERRRRRR!!!" (usually from the farthest region of the house while I am occupied with something complicated that requires intense concentration), I drop everything, grab an empty cup and a stiff piece of junk mail (no shortage of those, despite "opting out"), head to the scene of the crime, and scoot the little bugger inside of the cup, roofed by the junk mail, hurrying it down the stairs and out onto the front bushes, to live the rest of its spidery life in peace outside...or until we meet again inside. (Some of these guys are both crafty and persistent.)

It's important to me to teach my kids not to kill things if at all possible, so when they freak out (as kids are wont to do) about some creepy-crawlers scurrying around in the shower or dangling from their windowsill, I try to remind them that we are a lot bigger than they are (even my six-year-old who still complains that she's growing much too sloooooooowly), and that the critters are just trying to go about their day, living their life (wisdom from my husband that I wrote about in my coyote encounter post).

I don't want to make myself out to be as pure in thought and action as the Buddha (far from it!), because I do draw the line. I can't stand it when houseflies are buzzing about, landing on every piece of fruit in sight and leaving their nasty fly poops behind. (Sorry, I know it's indelicate of me to mention fly poops.) I've become what my son calls "The Fly Ninja": I can kill a housefly with astounding precision in one laser-like swat. I'm sorry, PETA, but yes, I do kill houseflies. Mosquitoes and ticks also should seek mercy elsewhere. Other insects, though, are given a First Class ticket to a second chance. Use it well, guys!

Sometimes, I surprise even myself with what I am willing to rescue. The other evening, a moth made its way in through the front door while I was on the way out. It fluttered up to the ceiling light and then onto the wall. Usually, I hate moths, due to their penchant for sweater-eating. But, luckily for this particular moth, I felt a flicker of mercifulness. I got the cup and the junk mail letter, and then set it free again out the front door. I have to admit: It looked strangely beautiful as it fluttered off into the night.

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How about you? Do you tolerate creepy-crawlers or go Ninja-style on them? Where do you draw the line on what you will and won't tolerate for critters?Please share in the Comments section below (now powered by CommentLuv for easier use). If you are reading this post via email subscription, click on the title or go to www.JoyfullyGreen.com and you can leave a comment at the original post.

Reader's Note: See the sidebar on the main page for "Green Books for Children"--Step Gently Out by Helen Frost and Rick Lieder is a wonderful, super-up-close look at insects--and it's not just for kids.

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