Elizabeth Grimsley
Volunteer, Shining Trail Council of Girl
Scouts Keokuk, Iowa
103333.2347@Compuserve.com Lifetime
GSUSA member
This story is for all those leaders who feel they are fighting against the
tide PLUS all the girls who have "friends" who encourage them to quit Girl
Scouts (or any other worthwhile activity).
THE STORY OF THE CRAB BUCKET
One time a man was walking along the beach and say another man fishing
in the surf with a bait bucket beside him. As he drew closer, he saw that
the bait bucket had no lid and had live crabs inside.
"Why don't you cover your bait bucket so the crabs won't escape?", he
said.
"You don't understand.", the man replied, "If there is one crab in the
bucket it would surely crawl out very quickly. However, when there are many
crabs in the bucket, if one tries to crawl up the side, the others grab
hold of it and pull it back down so that it will share the same fate as the
rest of them."
So it is with people. If one tries to do something different, get better
grades, improve herself, escape her environment, or dream big dreams, other
people will try to drag her back down to share their fate.
Moral of the story: Ignore the crabs. Charge ahead and do what is right for
you. It may not be easy and you may not succeed as much as you like, but
you will NEVER share the same fate as those never try.
We have been enriched by the talents of people who have had less than
"perfect" bodies, whether by birth, accident or disease - Helen Keller,
F.D. Roosevelt, Stephen Hawking, George Bush, Stevie Wonder, Christopher
Reeve, to name just a few. They chose to "climb the crab bucket" instead of
listening to others.