A while ago I told a friend that sometime I would share why insects (and spiders in particular) became so meaningful to me. It goes back to my time as a teenager when I was very lonely and struggling with substance abuse and depression.
One day I went to have a shower and I found a spider in my tub. I was going to wash it down the drain but then I remembered the song and how the itsy bitsy spider crawled back up the waterspout so I decided to take it outside. The next day it was back. I took it outside again. Then the next morning it had returned. This became a dance we did until I got tired of it and finally decided to let the spider be. I scurried it into the corner when I had a shower so it wouldn’t get hurt. Eventually I started talking to it. I began looking forward to coming home and telling it about my day. I was sad when the spider finally did go away.
This became a spiritual experience for me. I learned that no matter how lonely or scared I am, life surrounds me, and to me all life is God. Bugs, and spiders in particular, still appear at hard times in my life and I greet them all like friends. I see spiders especially as good omens. I talk to all the bugs I find in my home like I would any human.
This experience spurred on my interest in entomology. I still like learning about bugs, they’re fascinating. Like how a spiders silk is stronger than steel for its size. At one time I wanted to pursue environmental sciences with the hopes of going into entomology, however I struggle with school so I changed my focus and pursued the arts instead.
I don’t know who the artist of this painting is, but life is everywhere if we only take the time to notice it. We are never truly alone.
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