Nature is "all of the above," pretty much.
If it's not leeches, it might be ticks. Or swarms of mosquitos the size of crane flies who descend on you by the millions. "The Alaskan Air Force."
If you grew up with it, it's not so much terrifying as it is an exercise in simply staying awake and alert. Being mindful. Actually see what's around you... aside from the pretty flowers and the view.
Nature gets used to humans. We live in a small city of about 10,000. We've occasionally had bobcats, cougars, coyotes and other wildlife trot through the garden. There have even been a couple of bears in the neighborhood.
It's all rather "Northern Exposure."
Posted using Proof of Brain
I haven’t gotten used to these things yet so I am a bit overwhelmed. Not in any real debilitating sense but like after I see someone get bitten by leeches, I can’t stop myself for checking for them, even in the most ridiculous places, and I find myself watching tons of bear videos so I have some idea how to behave if I ever run into one.
I grew up with animals around but none dangerous and also in the suburbs everything is so sterile and controlled. Turkeys, female deers, squirrels, rabbits and the occasional raccoon aren’t all that threatening or disgusting. Worms were kind of gross but I ignored them.
We definelty never saw an outhouse and no one near us was farming.