The Tale of the Smashed Spider

So we had this thing in Costa Rica: every time you put your boots on, you had to turn them upside down and give the soles a couple hearty whacks. Any critters (snakes in particular) would then fall out and you could put your boots on, worry free. I should have headed this advice in Belize when putting on my shorts one day as I discovered that a rather largish frog had previously taken up residence. He wasn't the only one hopping around. And I should have followed those same procedures today when putting on my running shoes. Instead, I felt something wet sticking to the bottom of my sock and this is what I discovered when I pulled off my shoe. YUCK. Good thing I was wearing socks and good thing it wasn't a black widow.

I typically don't mind spiders and I'm grateful to the bug-consuming services that they provide. However, a smushed spider in my shoes gives me the heebie jeebies. I can't explain why. I know, it's not rational.