There's a line in my very favorite TV show of all, "Penny Dreadful", where the character of Dracula ( except we don't know he is Dracula yet) says, "All the broken and shunned creatures. Someone's got to care for them. Who shall it be if not us?"
The very first time I heard this line I felt my heart catch in my throat. It was as though he was speaking for me. I have always loved the creatures that no one else seems to, and if I'm being 100% true to myself, I don't know if that's because I am naturally drawn to them or if I feel so sorry that the world at large seems to revile them unfairly. Bats, spiders, coyotes...ah the poor clever coyotes, always passed by for their far more glamourous cousins, the wolves.
So I wanted to write this blog post to ask you, dear Misfits to put aside your socially accepted ideas of these creatures, your culturally nurtured distaste, and get to know them a bit better.
Lets start with coyotes since we're on the subject. What other large ( relatively) predator has managed to find a way to adapt to humans invading their space the way the coyote has? They are so common here in the Los Angeles area that we automatically know to bring our pets in at night because they can easily jump a 6 foot wall to get into your backyard. I'm talking in the middle of the city, not in the rural areas or even the suburbs. I live right here and I see them at least weekly. But consider...they are smart enough to have figured out a way to live with us, to survive amongst us. They're generally not aggressive to adult humans, they'll usually just run away from you, and to me, their warbling song is lovely. Yes, watch your pets, especially smaller ones, and your babies and toddlers, but don't hate them for learning how to co-exist with us.
Bats. One of most favorite animals. Have you ever actually taken a close look at them? They're chihuahuas with wings. Seriously. They're utterly adorable and cute. And by the way...all those mosquitos and flies you hate every Spring through Fall? They eat those. Yep...they get rid of the disease carrying critters we really need to worry about the most. So unless you live in South or Central America where Vampire bats are, you're better off having them around than not. Just don't pull an Ozzy and eat them. And don't try to play with them because some, as is true of ALL wild animals, may be carrying something you don't want in terms of germs. Not only that, they really won't like it.
Spiders. This one is a toughie for many, I know. But hear me out. The common spider that lives up in the corner of your ceiling is never going to wait for you to walk by so it can attack you. It will not secretly stalk you in the night and smother you while you sleep. What it will do is eat those little annoying bugs the bats didn't get. It will build a pretty gossamer web and live out its days quietly helping you keep bugs out of your house. It just wants to be your roommate, not your murderer. Its an artist really, have you ever looked closely at a web? Beautiful. So please, I beg you...don't react out of fear and just blindly kill them. They truly don't deserve it. I understand if you don't wish to share your house with them, but put them outside. Life is precious, even if it's not as pretty as you think it ought to be.
There are so many other wonderful unloved creatures of there, but I'll leave it at that for today. These are just a few of my thoughts about these three amazing creatures, I could go on and on...but I hope this is enough to give you some food for thought the next time you see a shunned creature out there. Maybe you'll be able to see the magic in them as I do. What are some other unloved creatures out there you wish the world would start to see differently? Let me know in the comments below. And please don't comment how you'd just kill any spider, you don't care. You'll only make me sad. Thanks!
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1 comment
I just spoke your name yesterday to Stacye. What a beautiful blog re. the bats, coyotes and spiders. I love wolves! My favorite charity is the National Wilderness/Wildlife Federation. We will see you soon with some new items, etc. Stay safe and well.