3 Glows and a Grow

It's been a while since I've done 3 Glows and a Grow, where I discuss three things I am enjoying and 1 thing that could be improved. (Here are some past entries.)

These past few days:

Glow 1: Studying for yoga teacher training is going really well. I need to know the sanskrit names of a bunch of asanas. These, from top to bottom, are urdhva mukha svanasana, virabhadrasana, utkatasana. Luckily for me, most of these I knew in my head from hearing them at classes....but seeing them written out is a different story!

Glow 2: Buckles. He just makes me so happy. Like he'll humor me and sit there while I tie my scarf around his neck into a bow. Really he's thinking, "I really gotta pee, can you just let me outside?!"

Glow 3: We just finalized plans to live in the sunshine state for the off season! We'll be in Jacksonville, in a house a couple blocks from the beach. Excited!

And now for the grow....

I was in the middle of my shower at the gym today when something caught my attention... This guy. I really can't express to you all how much I dislike spiders. They scare me. I really don't mind bugs. Like lady bugs, dragonflies, beetles... those are all fine. In fact, not only are they fine, but I think they are kind of cute. However, there's something about a spider- its sharp, angled torso, its thin, wiry legs- that just makes me recoil. (It is worth it to point out that my dad thinks spiders are "beautiful". I don't see it.)  Oddly, as much as I dislike spiders, I can't bring myself to physically kill them. I don't like the way their bodies making a popping sound when they're squashed and I feel truly awful when I spray them with napalm Raid and they die an instant, burning death. So what to do? How will I survive deal in Thailand? 

The above pic is one my friend took. She's living in Zambia, Africa right now as she volunteers with the Peace Corps. This little guy was on the wall in her hut. I asked her what she does when spiders pay her a  visit, and she says it's a live and let live policy in her village (though said she did kill two scorpion spiders the previous week with a hoe). So, the grow this week is to work on spider tolerance. Maybe I'll adapt my friend's live and let live mantra but not without glancing back at it to make sure it isn't coming to bite me.