Member-only story
Learn to Love
How to Stop Being Afraid of Scorpions
Allow me to begin with a confession: I am legitimately terrified of scorpions… so I learned more about them.
When I was a kid, some well-meaning relative gifted me a subscription to “Wildlife Fact Files.” I would sit cross-legged on the carpet and leaf happily through the binder, trying to memorize the scientific species names so I could someday impress Jeff Corwin into letting me talk about animals on TV with him. This pastime had a downside, though. Every time I got to the section on scorpions, I would hold it by the edges and flip as fast as I could, squinting my eyes so I could barely see. Deep down, I was afraid that even looking at the picture would somehow summon a scorpion to — I still don’t know… Sting me and everyone I loved?
I’ve gotten a little better since then. I can see a scorpion on TV without feeling a ripple of fear run its way from my tailbone up to the base of my skull. I’ve even held small scorpions at science fairs, their stingers (reportedly) too…
