I like to think I am a fearless I-AM-WOMAN-HEAR-ME-ROAR kind of female, but there are a few areas where I lack courage. And at 42 I am so done with being lame.
My pretty fall hydrangeas that I cut from the garden yesterday?
They harbored a huge brown spider bigger than my thumb, nestled happily behind one of the leaves.
I spied it in the middle of dinner last night. Mark went to get it with a napkin and the great big arachnid jumped down and scurried across the table, causing this supposedly strong modern woman to jump up and scream like a stereotypical scaredy-cat GIRL.
What is it about spiders, and by the way, mice, that skeeve me out so much?
Fear of a little spider? LAME. Fall 2013 Self Improvement Goal: do not scream or freak out like a stereotypical little girl when I see nasty, long legged, beady-eyed, scurrying insects or rodents.
In addition to having a “THING” about some of God’s small creatures, I also have a fear of the LAWN MOWER. You would think that since I owned and operated lots of heavy machinery in my old frame shop, and adore my compound miter saw, nail gun and tools, I would LIKE the lawn mower.
But no. In fact it has taunted me for quite a while.
I’m not sure if my fear is grounded in the fact that the lawn mower is a powerful and dangerous piece of equipment, or a deep-rooted trepidation that if I learn how to use the lawn mower, mowing the lawn will become MY CHORE. And people, I don’t need any other things to do around here, thank you very much. I’m sure you can sympathize.
In theory I KNOW how to use the lawn mower and use it SAFELY. In the 16 years of our marriage, mowing the lawn has always been Mark’s thing, because he likes to do it. Since Mark’s new job keeps him super busy, in the last year or so, the lawn became our teenage son’s job, but right now between school and football, the lawn would be 10 feet high by the time he has a chance to mow it. So long story short, in an attempt to just get done what needs to get done, twice I have tried to mow the lawn. Both times, it stalled and I couldn’t get it started again, so……I just left it until my husband came home.
I know – I know! – I’m so lame!!!!! My apologies to my gender. Wait until the husband comes home?? Because what, I can’t figure it out myself? ****insert very loud sigh here****
I am a girl raised by single mom who learned to do LOTS of things around the house that she didn’t necessarily WANT to do, because hello, they had to get done, and who else was going to do them? She conquered all sorts of fears and learned how to do things that my dad had always taken care of. No whining, no waiting for someone else to do it, no talk, ever, of not being able to do something because she was a woman – what???? She was the embodiment of the Nike JUST DO IT ads.
And I am her daughter. So. Call it fear, laziness, or sheer exhaustion over being in charge of all the fun and not-so-fun chores and projects around a house, whatever it is, I have been thoroughly disgusted with myself for many months over my lack of lawn mower mastery. Note: no one in my family has ever ASKED me to mow the lawn, or insinuated that I should do it. This is an internal battle.
I WANT my kids to see these kinds of chores are NOT GENDER SPECIFIC (and yet, I just want someone else to do them.) I WANT to master that stupid lawn mower (if only because it taunts me.)
Fear of the lawn mower? LAME.
I read the manual cover to cover like the nerd I am. I figured out how to load it up with gas. How to lift the blade before going in reverse. How to take off the baskets that collect the grass and dump the clippings.
So…..if I can figure out the lawn mower…..I’m thinking this bad boy won’t be all THAT hard to wrangle. Right?
Santa brought this baby sewing machine to Hannah when she was in third grade and taking sewing classes. If my third grader can use it, I should be able to figure it out, right?
Fear of the sewing machine? SO SO SO LAME.
Today is the day to get over my sewingmachineaphobia, starting with this free online course for beginners.
Tell me, do you have any phobias that you’ve overcome???????
Lobster Meets Peach says
Love this post! You go girl!!! I can't think of any fears I have over-come but I am not as easy to gross out as I used to be. Baby will do that to you;)
Jackie says
Very nice post! Good for you for overcoming lame fears!! LOL!! I won't be jumping on this train. I love beinf girly. I don't kill spiders and I will NEVER cut the grass!! 😉
Beth of designPOST Interiors says
Terrified of spiders and I refuse to get over it! I also hate raw meat, yuck. Good luck with the sewing machine!
Cassie @ Primitive & Proper says
YES! be empowered! you can!
Dana Frieling says
You're funny! I love mowing the lawn since no one can come behind me and immediately mess it up, i.e. instant AND prolonged gratification.
NanaDiana says
LOL, Lisa. I really detest spiders, too! Can't stand them. We spray for them because they are awful here by the water. I do all the mowing and think hubby has only mowed this almost acre two or three times since we have lived here. I LOVE my John Deere. lol Wish I lived closer I would give you some super simple sewing lessons- xo Diana
BlueClearSky Elizabeth says
Good for you for figuring it out! The sewing machine manual will be your best friend. I find most people get stuck threading it so that is half the battle.
makingitmyhome says
spiders will always be scary
pam {simple details} says
I'm totally ok with spiders, snakes and mice, but if a grasshopper hops in my direction I go ballistic! So irrational, I know! I've never mowed a lawn and don't really care if I conquer the mower. 🙂 I think you're awesome for just doing it!
Jenny says
I had to laugh while reading this post, Lisa. I'm not a fan of spiders either, but I do enjoy mowing the grass (did I just say that out loud?). We bought a zero turn mower when we bought this house, and it's really fun to get out there and mow.
HOWEVER, I did ride that mower through a big old spidery spider web, and leaped off of it faster than a spider can scurry! I really hope no one saw me…
As for the sewing, I wish we lived closer to each other, as I share your sewing-a-phobia. I try to go in all relaxed, but it always backfires and leaves me cursing it up and down. My mom is great at sewing – must invest her expertise! I'm going to have to take a peek at the online class!
Susan Maclean says
Can't advise you about your grass, nor your sewing, but spiders? Such Beautiful creatures WHO EAT FLIES!!! Their webs are a source of wonder to me, and have you ever seen baby spiders hatching from a nest? – you could spend hours watching! OK OK, they do move fast, but if you can get a tumbler over one, and a sheet of card under the tumbler, you can get them back outside with no problems…. and remember, they are always more scared of you than you are of them (that's why they move away so fast, haha!)
Carmel - Our Fifth House says
ha – i would have been freaked by the spider too! And good for you for conquering the lawn mower. I mastered the edger not too log ago – but I have no interest in learning to use the mower. I'd rather dig out all of our grass and put down gravel – ha!
Vel Criste says
You go girl!!!!Mowing the lawn is not something we do at all. Initially my hubs wanted to buy the mower, but I said with our jobs, It would be impossible for either of us to do it, so we pay $30/week for someone else to do it. I admire you too for tackling sewing, that's one thing I could never do, So excited with all the possible projects you'll be making once your ready!!!!
Elizabeth @ The Little Black Door says
I fear sewing machines and spiders so I'm with ya. You are pumping me up though. I need to give that machine another try. Spiders however, will never win a place in my heart! 🙂
Andrea says
Cracking up reading this! I share all of your fears. And to make it even worse, we have a push mower. What a wimp I am. I think you can take on that sewing machine and so it who is boss!