Scary Costa Rican SNAKE (Fer-de-lance) story!🐍

I am absolutely terrified of snakes – extreme phobia and deepest fear I have (of all the fears I could have that might seem more realistic to come true , I fear the near impossible). The kind of fear that grips you so hard- even looking at a photo of a snake would cause me to have a near heart attack.

That shit has got to be a past life!

One might ask; “Well why would you move to the jungles of Costa Rica?” Believe me, I have asked that myself a lot. 😏
Snakes are plentiful here and what’s most important to note is that about 22 species of the 137, are poisonous. Only about 300 people a year get bitten.
 
So, back to me.
 
I came to Costa Rica for many reasons and I truly had to wrap my head around being ok with the snake population. Everyone I spoke to reassured me that I would probably not run into a snake. “I’ve been here 7 years and haven’t even seen a snake!” was the typical convo with ex pats.
 
But I guess the universe wanted to shake up my world ( if the allergic reaction to ant bites, scorpion biting my roommate, mouse in my washing machine after I did a load 😲 and big ass spiders in my bathroom weren’t enough) – she did throw in a few big-ass butterflies my way. 🧚‍♀️
 
As it turned out, I didn’t need to go to the jungle, i just needed to have a carport and She brought the SNAKE to me – right to my door step. What I didn’t know at the time, snakes seek shelter from rain storms (hello-it’s friggin rainy season till Nov.). Out of the 40 or so homes in La Eco Villa (check out hottie Zack Efron’s show on Netflix – Down to Earth), conscious community of tree-hugging lovers, a fer-de-lance decided to seek shelter on MY DRIVEWAY 10 feet from the front door.
The whole ‘stomp your feet and they will slither away’ is total BS. A 20 year old 4 x4 , built like an army truck, didn’t scare away this guy away.
 
As I unloaded my car, unbeknownst to me, there was a snake sleeping peacefully all tucked away from the rain 🌂 I actually thought it was a dog poop!
 
As I went to the back door of the car (I am now 12 inches away), slow-mo kicks in – I look down, snake looks up at me, I am about to take another innocent step and I watch as he begins to uncoil and, as if saying to himself; “take another step lady and your done for it” -my foot in mid step down, still hanging in the air – he lashes out at me and tries to BITE ME.
 A dead-in-two-hours-kind of bite from a Fer-de-Lance. Holy M**ther**cker I am about to become a statistic.
I jump away, high tail it into the house and proceed to have the biggest, most epic, breakdown of my life. Sobbing, hyperventilating, shaking, somatic release from head to toe at the same time.
 
Frozen with fear AND I had a pot luck dinner to go to across the street in an hour. Shit. I have to go back OUT THERE (at 6 pm, Costa Rica goes cave-like black when the sun sets).
 
 Fast forward an hour – snake is gone, my room mate won’t let me stay home alone and forces me to buck up and go the pot luck, with wine in hand, and rubber boots on my feet (I was hoping that getting smashed would help) we walked the 48 seconds to the house across the street. An eternity!
 
MORAL OF THE STORY:
I FACED MY BIGGEST FEAR…AND I DIDN’T DIE.
 
My biggest fear showed up on my door step (clearly I needed to get over this already), and forced me to look at it, experience it, embrace it, release it, and move on from it.
 
I didn’t realize all of what was wrapped up in this phobia, what was slowing me down and stopping me from truly being/doing/living and so on.
 
I got to say – the phobia is gone. Like seriously gone. Downgraded to a mild fear if I was to come in contact with one again.
I can look at a photo and not gasp for air (baby steps, ok)! I can walk freely (on the path, on a sunny day, with my flowery rubber boots – aka snake boots – have my fingers crossed behind my back and a machete in my hand (ok that part I am lying about ). Wild, eh?
 
But seriously, I felt a tremendous amount of healing take place the moment I released. Loud enough for all of Nicagraua and Panama to hear me – just saying.
 
I did write about it:
Dear Universe, I totally love and accept all the wonderful teachings you are providing me, but do you think you can lay off me for a while and show me more rainbows and unicorns?
Not the kind I see when I am on a plant medicine induced journey.🐸🍄
Just the regular, pretend life is perfect, head in the clouds kind?
Mucho f**king gracias 🙏 Ms. Universe
Said with love❤ and 🌈
Your faithful one, Odette
 
PS. I wear my rubber boots everywhere because they are pretty and fashionable with lululemon shorts – not because it is raining outside all the time and that snakes like shelter from the rain.
🐍