Big lesson from a baby snake

Aug 02, 2023

We were living in a neighborhood in Longmont, CO when ManChild and I met a snake in the gutter. It was feeling pretty pissy pants about being stopped on its journey and had lifted its head as if it was going to strike. Yikes. A few neighbors were gathered around and we found out it was not a rattlesnake but a harmless but aggressive bull snake. Everyone gave it space and it went on its way with just ManChild and I following it along down the gutter, across the street, down the ally, and into the grass where it disappeared.

And then ManChild fell down the snakey rabbit hole. So many questions. We looked up each one online to find the answers. Then came a bunch of Netflix documentaries about snakes which just led to more questions and more research.

One day the thought popped into my head: I should buy this kid a little snake. So, unbeknownst to him, I started researching and thought maybe a baby corn snake. I finally found a place in Denver and went to visit by myself. Aa nice young man pulled a baby snake out of it’s enclosure and tried to hand it to me.

Gulp. “Can I just watch it in your hands for a few minutes?” I asked in a shaky voice.

The kid was a gem, he held the snake gently in his hands and told me about them. He told me about the size of its teeth, basically just bumps. Being a baby it was even smaller around than the tip of my pinky finger and maybe 10 inches long. He said they were great pets and didn’t need a lot of care.

Fear of snakes is interesting. It’s taught to us from practically birth. It’s in the Bible for heaven’s sake! I recognized, of course, that being afraid of venomous snakes made sense and also that it was ridiculous to fear this snake! Always one to buck the system that taught me things that didn’t make sense, I took a deep breath and reached my hands out, trembling, over the counter and the kid placed the tiny snake in them. It moved quickly over my hands and started up my arm. Frozen in fear, I looked up at the kid and he said, “Put your other hand underneath his head.”

I did and the tiny snake was on my hands again: Whew. Jesus. That was terrifying. Ok, I just had to give him my hands to “climb.” My hands were still shaking but the snake was at least staying in them, still moving quickly. I look back now and realize that he was picking up on my terrified vibes!

His body was smooth and firm and cool. He liked to wind around my fingers. His little tail was always tightly wrapped around one of my fingers—well, as tightly wrapped as something that was only an eighth of an inch wide could be. As I began to feel this little being in my hands, I calmed down and he slowed his movement. The slower he went, the calmer I felt until I was smiling.

He went home with me that day (along with a lockable terrarium as my mother had said she wouldn’t visit me anymore without one lol) and ManChild was over the moon. He had no qualms about holding him and the little snake was calm as could be with him. I couldn’t wait to hold him again and feel the calm wash over me.

What was this magic? Snake magic. Every time I picked him up and he settled into my hands, using my fingers to wind around, my pulse would slow, my breathing deepened and I entered a peaceful state.

It was the craziest thing.

I think the reason it stuck with me was because it was in such sharp contrast to what society thinks about snakes.

The little snake made me take a good look at what else I was afraid of and if I needed to hold on to that fear. I have to revisit that every so often :-)