I'd Rather Be A Spider Than A Snail.

I don’t know what kind of snail this is. I asked one of my neighbors what they were called, and she said, “Escargot.”




One of the most fascinating things about these snails is that they have a symbiotic relationship with these miniscule little spiders who build webs around the shells of the snail.




I would rather be a spider than a snail, generally speaking. But I'm uncertain as to whether or not I would rather be this spider than this snail in this situation. To me, it looks as if the snail is the one in charge of the destinies of both. And I'm big on being in charge of the destinies, so I'm thinking that in this instance, I'd rather be the snail. However, the Tao tells me that nothing is in charge of anything, and that the snail doesn't control its destiny any more than the spider does. Which makes me want to be the spider because, you know, free transportation.




The first one of these I ever saw was on the bottom of my boot after I had stepped on it. Needless to say, it was not as pretty as this one.




This is the second one of these I ever saw. I’m posting her picture to commemorate the tragic and gruesome death of her brother. Or her lover. Jeese. I don’t know which is worse. Would it make me too much of a dork to admit I cried over accidentally squashing that damn snail? Probably. But what else is the cold anonymity of the internet good for?