When I went outside the other day, I saw this spider.
It looks like it’s suspended from nothing!
It’s about the size of a quarter with its legs extended, which by local spider standards, is pretty big. Compared to humans, it’s tiny and insignificant.
Here’s a view at night. What do you notice? Besides the fact that I don’t have a great camera, I mean.
Seriously. 25 feet. What a determined little critter!
.
This spider has created a little haven for itself, sheltered by the tree next to it, hidden from most predators. It’s the perfect spot. I wouldn’t have even known it was there if I hadn’t seen it against the blue sky. No telling how long it had been there before I saw it.
Can you imagine being one inch long and having 25 feet of empty space between you and your goal? I can’t. This guy didn’t stop and think “It will be nearly impossible to achieve my goal, so I won’t even try.” Mostly because it doesn’t have a brain, so it can’t actually process complex (or even simple) thoughts. It just has ganglia that give it feedback from the environment. That’s neither here nor there. It’s still an amazing feat.
It’s humbling. There are a couple of ways to look at the indefatigable determination of this little critter.
Nothing is impossible if we just try.
Spiders could be anywhere. Even hanging over your head right now. Watching you.
Makes you think, doesn’t it.
Becoming Cliche 
hahah! awesome. we’re always walking into giant webs on our hikes down here (everglades)… errrgh. and these are big spiders. ever see a grown man do a herky-jerky dance, covered in webbing — and most likely running into MORE spiderwebs? it’s a great sight.
The best part is the heart-stopping thought “Where is the spider?!!”
Somehow, this is inspirational. 🙂
Doesn’t that little spider make you want to swing from a tree to see where you land? No? Just me, then?
I love this. Do you know what wordpress needs? A “favorite” button. So I can go back and reread my favorite posts at will. Maybe that’s what the “like” button is supposed to be… But I want a “favorite” button!
Oh, I know! I’ll start a pinterest board with my favorite blog posts. Yes.
Thanks for the idea! I think I’ll do that too! And I agree, this is a great post!
You made me smile! Thank you!
The most amazing thing I ever saw a spider do was climb up the side of my dad’s office building. I saw the little creature creeping its way up the outside of the glass walls of his office. The remarkable thing is that my dad’s office was on the 51st floor, and this particular building had no doors to the outside past the 3rd floor until you got to the roof, which was on the 64th.
Spiderman ain’t got nothin’ on actual spiders!
I LOVE spiders! They do not know the meaning of can’t. Humbling indeed is a good word. Nice post, Cliche.
Our local arachnid resident puts up a web every evening in the same spot, and by 7a he’s collected it up completely, meticulously. He’s particularly my buddy because all the other spiders leave their webs behind to hit me in the face – his has been neatly packed away and recycled for another day. One morning, I walked through a web stretched all the way across a 15 ft driveway. WOW!
I wouldn’t call them Insignificant, though they may seem so (by their comparative size). Their jobs as voracious insect eaters cannot be overstated.
We quit knocking down spiderwebs outside the house. Now fewer bugs make it indoors, which makes me very happy!
They are a great line of defense! I just don’t like when a giant orb weaver meets up with my nose while I’m walking or mowing. *shudder*
Spiders are icky – they crawl over you with their 8 legs & spin webs that get in your face & hair!
And they liquefy the insides of everything they eat and drink it like a milkshake!
Hate spiders, love the post! Good job!
Thank you!
Great. Now, even spiders make me feel guilty.
I love watching little spiders! They are my second favorite little creatures, first are the mantids (praying mantis). My husband and I actually have a little “pet” spider in our bedroom. He has two bad legs and can’t quite cling to the ceiling like other spiders, but that’s doesn’t stop him from traversing from one side of the room to the next. He just anchors himself with a string of web every few inches.
OK. I know the good points. But do they have to spin their web across my walkway? There is plenty of space. Can they leave me that one little area?
I’ve always wondered if they attach at one end and walk the strand to the other, and pull it in. Or if they LEAP that distance. Shudder
I loved this post! Well done. I have evolved in my appreciation for spiders. I have always left them alone outside, but inside I usually squashed them dead. Recently I came home after a night out, and maybe the glass of wine in me helped, but I came face to face with a GIANT spider on the wall of my bathroom. So I picked up a clear plastic container and caught it, slid a lid over the top, dumped it outside on our deck and then proceeded to scream my head off.
It was a big step for me.
Yikes. I am not a fan of quarter sized spiders despite their amazing feats. 🙂
Love this post – it’s that orb-weaver time of year here, too.
As Robert the Bruce said: If at first you don’t succeed – try, try again. For those who don’t know the story, here it is: http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/scotlandshistory/warsofindependence/bruceandspider/index.asp