I love to walk in the woods. I like to go alone, or I like to go with a friend. Its fun to take a friend and enjoy it together, or be alone and enjoy the quiet. But, when I tell some of my "cityfied" friends, their response is often "you better be careful, some girl was eaten by an alligator/had her throat cut open somewhere last week in the woods/on a bike path/etc."
Now, as to animals in Florida, I have very little fear. (Of course, the water is the exception, I cannot see through the water, and sharks can swim fast....) I have a healthy respect for alligators snakes and spiders, but I don't think I fear them. With a little outdoor sense and caution, unfortunate run-ins with animals can be avoided. Besides the fact that in Florida snakes and spider bites are rarely deadly. Australia of course is another matter, the venom in animals there can kill you before you can get to the hospital. Alligator mishaps can be avoided by knowing when they're more likely to be aggressive - like mating season (which lasts from May until June). Apparently jogging along the water's edge with your dog or chicken (what??? I read that here) is also not a good idea - I guess thats like swimming in the ocean with your dog. Apparently taking your dog out with you is like tying a worm to a fishing hook.
The people thing is a little funny, I have a friend in living in New York city and I worry about her in the big city. Having something slipped into her drink at a bar, getting mugged or worse coming home late or getting robbed. There has to be a higher concentration of people with evil intent in a big city than scattered in the woods. Sure, there could be some crazy guy in my well lit but relatively uninhabited woods well away from habitation, but what are the chances? I could have been caught in a tornado in Texas (there was once downtown while I was working there) or in a hurricane in Florida. I want to move north someday, and while there I could loose my power during a blizzard. There are lots of things in the ocean that could hurt me - medium sharks, jellyfish, red tide, but... oh, I do fear the ocean. Its too big, and the water is too murky. Damn!
So, where does this fear get me? I do not swim or go out far into the ocean - and I love the ocean, I love to walk and play around in it. Fear only cripples you. Today while I was walking in the woods I thought about everyone's worries and started to get jumpy at every little noise - and there are a lot of noisy scurrying lizards in the woods around here. Another noisy animal in the woods of Florida?
Armadillos!If I let fear get a hold of me I could not enjoy going out in the woods. It is unreasonable to think I should not go there, or not go alone. Sometimes I tell people where I am going, so, as I say, "they can find the body". What else can I do? I don't go out to the woods when its dark, and I've got my phone with me "help! arghhhhh _______"
Yes, I could get attacked, or I could crash next time I fly, and I could stay home and never do anything that has any associated risks, but would that be living?
I remember a few months ago I mentioned something to you about this as a result of a blog entry you made in regards to time spent in a secluded, wooded location. And now that I think of it the only reason I mentioned something is because of your gender. If you were a male I wouldn't have thought anything of it. If it were only animals you hade to be afaid of I wouldn't have thought anything of it weather you are male or female either. I don't see any reason to be afraid of an animal wild or not unless they are put into a situation where they have no choice but to hurt you, which should be rare. They are just as afraid of you as you of them and a gator probably won't mess with something as large as an adult human, at least on land. The ocean is a whole different world where creatures float around with mouths open and stingers loaded for what ever bumps/swims into them and I believe it is probably rare that people die from encounters with sea creatures. As far as Steve Irwin's death from a stingray barb. He probably provoked the creature as you usually see him doing for what ever reason. The main thing that concerns me with women and children spending time in secluded areas, and anymore it really doesn't have to be secluded, is people who are nut cases. But anyway I guess I sure wouldn't stop enjoying or living life to the fullest because of some isolated incidents. I would hope for anyone that if attacked, assaulted, partially eaten or what ever unknown may happen and you survive the incident that it doesn't leave any severe emotional scars.
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