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letting a spider live when its far enough away to not care

my biggest fear is bugs and spiders especially daddy long legs spiders cause they’re disgusting HOWEVER sometimes i let it slide if i find one in my room cause it’s not close enough to bother me one lived in my wardrobe for months cause it was out of the way and i would only have to see it if i got clothes out so that was fine but then it just disappeared so rip i guess unless it’s living in some corner just found one this morning in a corner under my shelves and u know what it can live! i literally can’t see it unless i bend down from a certain angle so whatever as long as i don’t see it move it’s fine

@jonesy

Mar 16, 2025

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(Controversial) I Learned to love spiders (Controversial)

I have these spiders that live in my house called flatties and I love them. They are so silly and they are always running around. They don't make webs, they hunt their prey like some kind of crab. Did you know tarantulas live 20-25 years? That's incredible. I have many tarantulas that live in my yard and they love chilling outside their hole and night every summer. Before I moved into this house I was so scared of bugs. I had no choice but to face my fears and now I like spiders. Life will change you, won't it? ps. I wanted to include a flattie picture but i decided not to out of consideration for others who are scared of bugs. so google them if you are curious!

@neigemeow

May 13, 2024

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When i was 6 i got bit by a spider and thought it was over for me

during a fire drill in first grade, a jumping spider bit me. i wasn’t doing a thing to him and i think what upsets me most is that he couldn’t assess my vibes to know i wasn’t a threat. i had a really mean teacher and i tried to tell her, but she angrily shushed me, as we weren’t allowed to speak during fire drills. i accepted my fate and figured she would be sorry later. i remember wistfully staring out the window as my mom drove me home, coming to terms with the end of my life. i didn’t tell her, for fear of worrying her. i peacefully ate my final dinner when i got home (velveeta mac and cheese, which i hated then and i still do now. but again, i didn’t want to complain as my mom would have a bigger issue at hand when she went to go wake me up in the morning.) i went to bed without a fuss. said goodbye to my then two year old sister, took a look around my room and gave a sigh. this was it. and i went to bed knowing i had lived a long, good six years of life. well, dear reader, i am here writing this 20 years later. so rest assured, i did survive. but i think my rational (?) thought in that moment helped me work through a lot of existential stuff at an early age. so i guess that’s cool.

@deardoveswings

Jul 4, 2024

Top Recs from @zenlikeme

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BEING KIND TO KIDS

I’m not a parent and do not plan to be. Kids can wear me out fast with their high energy and noise level; it leaves me very over-stimulated. But it’s pretty extreme when people say they ”hate kids” and I often feel it’s a reflection of their childhood and beliefs around how kids “should be.” That they were expected to be quiet, obedient, and out of the way by their parents when they were little. It’s fucking hard to be a kid. You’re dealing with a rapidly-changing body and underdeveloped brain, managed by flawed adults who are enforcing boundaries that you do not understand. It’s confusing and hard to manage your feelings and honestly just a lot. People are impatient with kids when they‘re brand new to the world and figuring it all out, and this is a time kids need a friend the most. Children can also be teachers to adults with how they are less habituated to the world. They teach us how to be free and open-hearted and silly and imaginative. A good practice is to be kinder and gentler with kids. If that feels difficult, start with gentleness toward your inner child. Maybe that’s the child in your life that needs your attention and kindness most.

@zenlikeme

Apr 16, 2025

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Flower report 03.22.25

I meant to post this yesterday. Absolutely beautiful morning for walk. This morning is also beautiful but in a spring rain kind of way.

@zenlikeme

Mar 23, 2025

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Deconstructing Gender

Prescriptive gender is a prison. Rather than gender being a form of self-expression, gender is treated as a pass/fail test for how well you can conform to cultural expectations. Since I was young, I remember feeling a great deal of pressure to conform to these expectations around what “men” are meant to be. You like sports, cars, womanizing, aggression, and not having feelings. I felt so distant from this ideal. I was sensitive and shy, and I preferred spending my time being creative in some way For a long time, I felt like I was failing at “being a man.” In many ways I was! Because I didn’t need to bea man. All I needed to be was myself. It’s taken me a long time to separate myself from prescriptive gender, sharpening in on which aspects of masculine energy I identify with and which I don’t. I’m not done yet. Maybe I will never fully be. The self continues to evolve over time, and I suspect aspects of my gender will too.

@zenlikeme

Mar 15, 2025