slugs and snails and puppy dogs' tails

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When you're a tiny toddler, experimenting with the world in a totally fearless way, you can actually munch on slugs and pull the legs off spiders. You don't think about it; you just get on and do it. There's none of this Yikes, that's a scary looking hairy spider moving at stupidly fast speeds across the floor there, won't somebody please KILL IT! or Eugh, I just touched that slug and it was all slimy and now I'm going to cry, won't somebody please KILL IT! No, you are ignorant of the alleged dangers of the world and in your ignorance your life is bliss. As a child you may discover that actually you hate these creatures. Spiders chase you round your bedroom and your still fearless and brave kid brother puts worms in your hair. There are always other people to help you, catching the spider that turned out to be a big clump of your hair in the halls at uni, or doing the gardening so you don't have to because it's not your house, you just live there. And then you get all grow'd up and you have your own place. All of a sudden you have to learn to tolerate nasty, evil creatures. You have to pop your big girl knickers on and be brave, imagine you're Xena the Warrior Princess or Carol from The Walking Dead. My garden is a wildlife haven and today I wore my big girl knickers and laughed in the face of the slugs and snails and puppy dogs' tails {or spiders, if you prefer} who tried to pounce on me and devour me with their sharp little razor teeth and suffocate me with their slime ... And now my garden looks so lovely and tidy.