Phobias don't always make sense, but they don't have to make sense to have power over us. And really, if our irrational fears are keeping us alive, then are they actually all that irrational? Seems downright sensible to me.
However, one woman's phobia has come with a high cost.
Those creepy crawlies do have a powerful effect on people. And it's prevalent enough that it's one of the better studied phobias — did you know that a fear of spiders can be inherited from your parents?
Like, extreme overreactions. Sure, spiders have fangs and lots of legs and webs that get all caught in your hair, but for the most part, the spiders that can do lasting harm to a full grown human are few and far between.
As the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported, the woman had planned a nice, relaxing kayaking trip on the state's beautiful Etowah River. However, it all went wrong before she could even get her kayak in the water.
No, she didn't take the pic above. That wouldn't have been a sensible reaction. The sensible reaction might have been to stop and encourage the spider to find somewhere else to be.
The woman chose the overreaction, however, and surrendered the van to the spider, jumping out of the driver's seat.
So it kept right on rolling down the ramp and into the river. "She stated that it floated downstream a few feet," a Georgia state trooper said. "And within seconds, it was totally submerged. A passerby in a boat attempted to locate the van, but without success."
It's gone.
The woman's insurance company will pay for divers to find her van and tow it out of the river, but you have to think that a few days in a river is not good for a van's lifespan.
Still, here's hoping it all works out for her somehow!
