I have a phobia of snakes. I appreciate them as animals, and I respect their place in the animal kingdom. But that in no way prevents me from being completely terrified of them. So naturally, my brilliant idea was to meet my fear head-on.

As the python started to make its way up my hand, I could feel all of its muscles contracting as it slid further up my arm. The photo below catches the moment just before I had a mild – albeit internal – crisis. After watching what can only be described as “too many” National Geographic and Discovery Channel programs, I knew what it looked like when a snake was about to strike. Just after this photo was taken, I looked down only to find the snake starting to coil back. My imagination had already fast-forwarded to the hilarious stories and jokes my colleagues would be making at my expense on Monday morning.

But alas for them, the snake took pity on me. It merely continued to slide further up my arm until I called time on this adventure. The zookeepers certainly got a kick out of watching me squirm, and my work friends learned that I become a sissy girl around snakes. Furthermore, this bucket list item in no way helped me overcome my fear of snakes. At all.