Ever Seen A Crab Shell Exchange?
Well, have you? I hadn’t until late last year, I was mesmerized by it though. I came across the same clip just the other day, and since I don’t believe in coincidences, I knew it meant something. This morning this blog hit me and now I know why. So a Hermit Crab shell exchange, what a sight. When an available shell shows up on the beach the crabs gather. There is no fighting over the new big shell, no first come, first served. The crabs all gather around and they size each other up. Not in a fighting negative way like most humans would do, they do so to literally create a size order. The largest first then smaller and smaller until they all have a spot. No fighting or jumping the line, they just line up. The crab that fits the new shell perfectly goes first and he jumps from one shell to the next, the next in line gets in his abandoned shell and this continues until all crabs have upgraded and a little shell is left behind. How absolutely amazing is that? The more I thought of it the more I thought “why is this so amazing?” This should be how it is in general. If this were humans and this shell was a car or a home, there would be an all out war. We would have people trying to jump from their moms basement into a mansion with no thought to the large family stuck in a double wide. What kind of silly rat race have we got ourselves into?
Life for us is our crab shell, we are meant to outgrow it. Time and time again. Our problem shows up when we try to skip ahead in our shells. Know why the crabs don’t do that? Because they aren’t ruled by ego. Man, how nice that must be. The crabs don’t need the biggest shell, they need the shell that works for them. Why have all that room, why carry extra weight? They know their time in the larger shell is coming, yet they have no need to rush it. I must adapt this life thinking! How many times in life are we trying to skip ahead a few shell sizes? We carry the flawed idea that the bigger shell makes a better crab. Our homes, cars, jobs, clothes, electronics, relationships, even our spiritual journey. We look for the biggest, best shell, no matter the cost, no matter the weight. We jump in and start dragging ourselves along. Here is the part we don’t get, what starts out as more than enough quickly becomes not enough, every single time. Why? Because greed never leads to satisfaction, and trying to control the destination means the journey never begins.
The amazing thing about trading your shells accordingly, is that you’ll always see your growth. There will be accomplishment in your growth. Work, effort, and a payoff in the form of a new shell. When you try to skip ahead and grab a shell that isn’t meant for you yet, you lose that growth. While you still grow, there is so much space that the growth isn’t notable. You’ll just be dragging around weight and expectation that your body cant meet. Before long that empty feeling, that loose feeling, becomes an unsettled feeling. Before you know it you’re looking for another bigger shell. We mistake that “this isn’t working” feeling as “I need the next best thing’ feeling. When we decide what we have or where we are isn’t enough, we will always have not enough. Our ingrained reaction is to look forward, what’s next? What is considered better? More money, bigger house, better job? We never want to stop and look at now. What do I need right now? What feeds me, what fits me? Why don’t we ever think the answer is to let go of the extra weight instead of looking for space to take on more? Most people won’t stand in line, for some reason seeing the larger crab grab the larger shell would set us off in a very weird way. We forget that there is a place, and time for all of us. There is no winner in this race. We are all headed to the same place, we all just have different road maps. If one of us is further ahead than the other, great. They deserve it, I promise they have had to work for it. Here is the most important lesson we will ever learn in our lives. The size of the shell does not determine the heart of the crab. These crabs are just grateful for the shell that fits them. They can’t stay in one that doesn’t fit them anymore and they don’t try to stuff. They don’t want a shell that’s too big, that will slow them down and hinder them, so they don’t even try. Fun fact: if a Hermit Crab comes across a shell that’s empty but too large they wait next to it. When a proper size crab comes along they will take their shell and give them the larger one. So simple.
The easiest way to be successful and fulfilled in this life is to be grateful and content in what you have and where you are. Own your shell, and grow accordingly. No jealousy of the larger crabs ahead of you, no need to add to your burden. If we can learn from the crabs, life would be a much more beautiful place. Make room for the larger crabs, give them the space to grow with you. Leave a space for the smaller crabs, encourage them to grow with you. This life isn’t about how fast you get to the large shell, it's about living in every shell you get. So whether you leave a shell for me, or grab one I no longer need, I am immensely grateful for you. I hope you find home exactly where you are, rock the shell that fits you today, and keep walking until you find the one that fits you tomorrow. Don’t forget to leave a shell that will shelter others, and don’t forget to thank the crab that did so for you. It truly is about the journey.