I hate spiders.  Being a lover of nature, I shouldn’t say that but it’s true.  Maybe if they weren’t so spooky looking with all those hairy legs.  It doesn’t matter what the spider looks like to me; if it’s in the house, it is usually caught by my husband in a container and escorted out … immediately.  The movie, “Arachnophobia” had me curled up in a ball, knees in chest, and freaking out if something touched me (like my cat).  Even writing this, I have a case of the itchies!  Sometimes I think that squishing them would be easier, but I believe in karma.

Recently however, I have changed my way of looking at these formidable creatures.  Creepy?  Sure, but incredibly smart and beneficial.  They are great gardeners since they eat bad insects, and pretty much eat anything they can.  (I can relate.)  Spider silk is among the strongest material on earth and that’s pretty amazing!  People are actually studying their silk to see if it can be replicated.  Pound for pound, it’s stronger than steel.

Spiders generally don’t bother people unless provoked, but I would hate to do that by accident.  In many cultures, like some Native Americans, the spider is highly revered and considered a goddess.  In other cultures, it’s eaten as a meal.  Yikes, I don’t want to know how big they are!  Some have even made nursery rhymes about spiders.  Remember LIttle Miss Muffet who sat on her tuffet, eating her curds and whey?

I got to thinking about spider webs, because webs are a work of art.  Being an appraiser and lover of all kinds of art, I have an appreciation for how long and dutiful this little creature works to create his web art.  I certainly would not have the patience or perseverance to create one.  It is a lesson in volatility, watching it be destroyed by the pass of a lawn mower, someone’s leg, or a rain storm.  But the spider doesn’t give up.  It just rebuilds without complaining.  Webs are particularly beautiful when the sun catches them just right and you see every line.

See the photo I took in my backyard.

We should take a lesson from the spider.  All of life seems to be a web.  It goes in so many directions with a crossroad at each intersection.  You make a little progress, then you get stuck.  Did you know that the vertical spokes of a spider’s web are dry and the horizontal lines are sticky to catch prey?  The spider will only walk on the vertical spokes, but of course, their prey doesn’t know that.

I think the goal is to avoid the sticky parts of our own webs, lest we be pulled into a web where we have trouble getting out.  Mom always said to walk a straight like in life.  I think I’ll stay with the vertical line!

©2013 The Estate Lady®

Julie Hall, The Estate Lady®, is the foremost national expert on personal property in estates, including liquidating, advising, and appraising. http://www.TheEstateLady.com  She is also the Director of American Society of Estate Liquidators®, the national educational and resource organization for estate liquidation. http://www.aselonline.com.