Discomfort Zone

Snakes kind of freak me out and the reptile genus - lizards, alligators, crocodiles - are fine to admire from a distance but do not ask me to touch one. Well,  that is exactly what I did on our Ultimate Swamp Tour in the bayou near New Orleans when we were there for Tulane graduation.  Our high-speed airboat took us on a thrilling ride navigated by our Cajun captain.  We stopped intermittently to see some very big alligators and to feed them marshmallows (they look like eggs to them, but I’m thinking the ‘gators figured out that they taste like sugar).  And then our crazy captain stops the boat in the reedy banks and starts thrashing around with his bare hands to find us a baby ‘gator.  He brings the tyke on board. I watch my daughter hold the small alligator with confidence and I decide on the spot to dismiss the “Don’t Do It” voice and listen to the “Oh, What the Hell” voice. “I want to hold it” I timidly tell our captain.  He hands her to me and guess what, it wasn’t so bad after all. Actually, it felt good to feel uncomfortable.  I never thought those two words could land in the same sentence but they do pair well!