My 30 Things: 1 down 29 to go! (#No14)

It’s been 16 days since turning 30 and although I have put a lot of plans in to place I hadn’t actually completed a challenge yet, so why not start with one of the worst? Confronting a fear was always going to be a tough one, but I had the thinking of get the hard ones out of the way. Get the pain over quickly, a bit like pulling off a plaster – fast with no hesitation. So this led to a text message being sent to a very good friend of mine asking if I could hold his snake! This prompted a reply where the clarification of what snake I wanted to hold was made clear! Then the day and time was set – no going back.

I am not sure where my fear of snakes comes from, but I have always had one, along with a fear of spiders and sheer drops (I know that one is crazy especially as I have managed to throw myself out of a plane and off the side of the mountain!). The glass floor of the spinnaker tower terrifies me! Anyway, snakes are unpredictable and fast and I think that is where the fear lies.

I decided not to tell anyone in case I bottled it and so it was I found myself walking through ice and snow to my friend’s house to confront my fear. Now my friends, Tom and Emily have had their snake Clippo, a corn snake for years, however my fear has been so much I have not even been able to look into her tank-thing. I really was expecting a snake the size of a grass snake, so got a shock when Tom got her out. I know in the grand scheme of things she really wasn’t that big, actually quite small but when you are scared of something it really doesn’t matter how big or small it is! Immediately my heart began pounding as I watched her slither over Tom’s arms and wrap herself around his neck. There was no way I was going to do this. Eventually I managed to stroke her and was quite surprised at how squidgy and smooth she was. However stroking wasn’t enough and with a gradual hand over, Clippo soon made her way on to my arm. I am not going to lie, I was terrified. She felt heavy yet fragile and I was worried I would hurt her. She was probably just as scared as me. However I did it, it might not have been for long and as you can see by the photographs it was definitely long enough! My thanks must go to Tom and Emily Duffell who were so patient and encouraging with me and allowing me to hold their snake. Also thank you Matthew Payne (@Mpayno04) for giving me the challenge of confronting a fear - I did it! However the star was Clippo who did not go anywhere near my face and did not poo on me – thank you Clippo!

I don’t know if I feel more confident around snakes, I definitely won’t be holding more any time soon. However I might actually be able to look into her tank to say hello and not be quite as scared. Confronting a fear is not easy, and it really is a mind over matter challenge; however it’s a challenge nonetheless. If this has inspired you to confront a fear then do it. The relief and exhilaration you feel afterwards is amazing, although it did take a while for my heart rate to slow and my legs to feel less like jelly. I do feel inspired myself to maybe have another go at the Spinnaker tower floor, well maybe.

So I am off the mark – 1 down and 29 to go!