Kids can be so, so brave

I walked to and from school as a kid. During warm weather, one very long stretch of sidewalk was always covered with grasshoppers. People say that kids love insects. I was not one of those kids. Along those thirty yards of sidewalk, I learned to run and duck, weaving through concourses of high-flying grasshoppers.

Don't mistake me for those despicables who tear the legs and wings off living insects. No, no, no. My fear didn't lead me to violence. I merely avoided them as much as possible.

Now enter my niece Halle. She is fearless. On her latest visit she found (and picked up!) not one, but three snails. They slithered all over her fingers and wrist, to Halle's great delight. Her younger brother, Fox, reminded me of myself as a kid: he appreciated her bravery, but kept watch from a safe, slime-free distance.

After she showed them to her dad for his admiration (and slight repulsion), she liberated them once again to go their separate ways.

I don't think I'll ever be up for playing with snails, and I still dislike the idea of a grasshopper leaping in my path. But, I might just muster up the courage to play with a few potato bugs.