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Mar 25

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Feeling crabby

I woke up feeling crabby today.  I went to work and felt crabby some more.  My co-workers came into the office and I had to bite back my crabbiness.  I talked to people on the phone and I’m not sure I was successful in holding my crabby to myself.

The reasons for the crabby are for another time – I’m still working through them for myself.  But here’s the cool thing – at some point I put up a post on Facebook:

Crabby day. Perhaps I should be scuttling around sideways.

A few minutes later, a dear friend and mentor sent me the story of Grasper, a fable by Paul Owen Lewis.

In the story, Grasper is a small young crab living in a rocky area.  He and his family and friends spend all of their time in that small area, never venturing too far away from “home.” One day Grasper’s shell splits and falls off.  His friends explain to him that he is molting, and that he needs to be extra careful to stay at home and not venture anywhere foreign, especially while he doesn’t have a hard shell.

But of course Grasper, being a good protagonist for a children’s fable, does exactly the opposite!  He wants to fit in with his community, but his urge to explore the world is too great.  He crawls up onto the rocks…and discovers a huge new world full of water and fish and new colors.

A crab much larger than any that Grasper has ever seen comes into sight.  And here I will quote:

“When he asks the crab how he got so large, the crab explains to Grasper that the same thing will happen to him if he continues to grow and molt and allows himself to give up the life and the self that he knows.  But Grasper can’t believe this explanation because all the crabs he knows are as small as he is. The giant crab explains to Grasper that a crab grows only as large as the world he lives in, and as big as the heart inside him. He says, “You must have a big heart to live in a big world.”

“Grasper is mystified. He’s been taught that to be safe in the world he must have a hard shell and a hard heart. But now he sees that if he wants to reach his full potential and grow into a giant crab, he will have to expand his horizons. Grasper will have to allow his heart to stay soft, for a hard heart can’t grow.”

Today, I am embracing the crabby.

Being crabby shows me the places where I am growing, stretching, and molting the shell that no longer serves me.
(click to tweet)

Even though it’s uncomfortable, it’s worth the effort.

With that said, here is the new image for today:

crab1

Today’s miracle: I’m growing.  Sometimes it’s not comfortable, but it’s definitely worth the effort.

About the author

Leah Carey

Leah Carey is the Chief Miracle Officer of The Miracle Journal, where she writes about the large and small miracles that happen in her life every day. She is a life coach, speaker, journalist, freelance writer, and lover of life. In all of those pursuits, she works with people to identify what’s already right in your life so you can build an even more joyful and fulfilling daily experience from that foundation. You can find her on Facebook, , Twitter, and YouTube.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.leahcarey.com/themiraclejournal/2013/03/25/feeling-crabby/