The Scariest Day

Last week I had one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. I was leaving work on a Tuesday, I had Hudson with me and I was letting him explore a little bit as we headed out to the parking lot. I didn't let him get more than 5 feet ahead of me, but when we rounded the corner of the building, something caught Hudson's eye and he went towards it. He squatted and reached for whatever it was he was interested in. I couldn't see what it was from my angle, and as I came closer I wasn't sure what I was looking at. At first I thougt it was a bee's nest because of the weird texture, but upon full view I saw that it was a rattle snake coiled perfectly in the corner. My heart literally stopped. "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" escaped my lips as a swept Hudson up in a blink of an eye. Holding him close to my body I went into the classroom the snake was outside of and informed the teacher of her little visitor. I took a picture of it from the inside, and looked at it's evil eyes. My heart was pounding.

Luckily, the snake wasn't provoked, it was relaxing in the sun and wasn't threatened by Hudson's presence. Thank heaven above it wasn't threatened. I don't even know if Hudson actually touched it or if his instinct told him to pull away, but I am so grateful he didn't grab the snake. I mean, Hudson will pick up anything and everything-- he doesn't discriminate. I am glad the little voice in his head warned him to pull his hand back, and I am so grateful I was paying attention. What if I had been playing on my phone and not keeping a close eye on him? It could have been the worst day of my life.

This experience taught me that I need to be 100% aware of  Hudson's surroundings, but it also taught me that there are many unseen dangers out there. He was in an otherwise safe environment, no one but myself was around, it was a beautiful sunny afternoon, but lurking in the corner was a freakin' snake! I know thatin reality there are babies that have been bitten by rattle snakes and may have not survived; I am forever grateful that this was not my reality.