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I maintain the conviction that it is forever an option to change. I believe you absolutely are able to instruct a veteran learner, as long as the old dog is receptive and ready for growth. So long as the individual in question is willing to admit when it was wrong, and strive to be a improved version.

OK yes, I am the old dog. And the skill I am attempting to master, although I am a creature of habit? It is an major undertaking, something I have struggled with, repeatedly, for my entire life. My ongoing effort … to grow less fearful of those large arachnids. Apologies to all the different eight-legged creatures that exist; I have to be realistic about my potential for change as a human. The focus must remain on the huntsman because it is imposing, commanding, and the one I see with the greatest frequency. Including three times in the previous seven days. Within my dwelling. I'm not visible to you, but a shudder runs through me with discomfort as I type.

I'm skeptical I’ll ever reach “enthusiast” status, but my project has been at least attaining Normal about them.

I have been terrified of spiders dating back to my youth (in contrast to other children who find them delightful). Growing up, I had ample brothers around to guarantee I never had to engage with any directly, but I still freaked out if one was obviously in the immediate vicinity as me. Vividly, I recall of one morning when I was eight, my family slumbering on, and trying to deal with a spider that had crawled on to the lounge-room wall. I “managed” with it by retreating to a remote corner, practically in the adjoining space (lest it pursued me), and discharging a generous amount of bug repellent toward it. It didn’t reach the spider, but it did reach and disturb everyone in my house.

With the passage of time, whomever I was in a relationship with or living with was, automatically, the bravest of spiders out of the two of us, and therefore tasked with dealing with it, while I made whimpers of distress and beat a hasty retreat. In moments of solitude, my tactic was simply to vacate the area, douse the illumination and try to ignore its being before I had to re-enter.

In a recent episode, I stayed at a pal's residence where there was a notably big huntsman who made its home in the casement, for the most part lingering. To be more comfortable with its presence, I envisioned the spider as a female entity, a gal, in our circle, just lounging in the sun and overhearing us gab. Admittedly, it appears rather silly, but it was effective (to some degree). Alternatively, making a conscious choice to become less scared proved successful.

Be that as it may, I’ve tried to keep it up. I contemplate all the sensible justifications not to be scared. It is a fact that huntsman spiders pose no threat to me. I recognize they consume things like insect pests (creatures I despise). I am cognizant they are one of the world's exquisite, harmless-to-humans creatures.

Yet, regrettably, they do continue to move like that. They travel in the most terrifying and borderline immoral way possible. The sight of their many legs propelling them at that terrible speed causes my caveman brain to go into high alert. They are said to only have eight legs, but I maintain that increases exponentially when they are in motion.

Yet it isn’t their fault that they have scary legs, and they have an equal entitlement to be where I am – possibly a greater claim. I’ve found that taking the steps of working to prevent immediately exit my own skin and retreat when I see one, trying to remain composed and breathing steadily, and consciously focusing about their beneficial attributes, has actually started to help.

Just because they are hairy creatures that move hastily extremely quickly in a way that invades my dreams, doesn’t mean they deserve my hatred, or my girly screams. I am willing to confess when I’ve been wrong and motivated by irrational anxiety. I’m not sure I’ll ever make it to the “catching one in a Tupperware container and taking it outside” phase, but you never know. A bit of time remains left in this seasoned learner yet.