snake wranglin' 273/366

I've been cleaning the building where our church meets for about thirteen years. That's 676 weeks. Take away vacation and when I've not been sick or injured and unable to clean and there are still 600+ trips I've made, most often to an empty building. 

Today makes the second time I've had a visitor waiting for me.

Usually I'm all about company. 

But not this kind:

The last time I saw a snake at church was more than six years ago. And it was a much smaller specimen. I handled it infinitely better today. Well, actually I didn't "handle it" at all, but my reaction was much calmer. My heart was not threatening to beat out of my chest and I didn't leave the building, I stayed and finished my job. I don't know if I'm braver or just subconsciously have in the back of mind that it is a possibility so it didn't take me by surprise as much. It also helps that it was a far corner room  I didn't have to return to and last time it was in the middle of the hall right outside the door of my supply closet. 

I called a couple of men but no one was able to come immediately. I sent a photo to two of them. One responded to the picture with this advice: (jokingly, I think)  "Ok 1. go outside 2. pour gas 3. light  match" with "We will rebuild" as the closing thought. He followed up with a second text: "We've always said the church is more than a building." The other responded with "That's a good one!" I texted back "If you say so...I still don't want to make any closer relationship with it."

I laughed and considered going back into the room and trying to get close enough to see if it was alive because it didn't move the first time I saw it. I thought maybe, if it was dead, I could gather enough courage? gumption? to pick it up and dispose of it. I weighed that fleeting thought against the reality that if it moved I might have a mess in my jeans and decided "Nah. We all have our gifts. Snake wrangling is not one of mine." 

Before I headed home I went to check on the snake. Someone was going to stop by to remove it from the building soon. Mr. (at least I hope it was a mister and not a missus with babies slithering somewhere close) Mr. Snake was nowhere to be found. Kind of makes me wish I'd grabbed it and tossed it outside. And if someone I love or a child had been there, I might have had enough adrenaline pumping to pick it up and get rid of it, dead or alive. But that wasn't the case. 

Now I'll be on high alert the next few weeks when I go to clean...