I walked out to the beach expecting calm water and sand. Then I saw them. Brown hard shelled aliens. Someone cautioned, They have pinchers. They were big. Bigger then my hand. Bigger than may foot. Coming towards me! Some were covered in barnacles.
Then I saw one turned over on his back. His legs were still. He was unmoving. I felt a sense of distress from him. My heart ached. I stepped closer. I grabbed a nearby reed and reached towards him. I pushed his hard shell back over. He sensed something and moved pinchers towards me. But they didn’t have a pinch. The reed broke. I reached a tentative finger towards him then withdrew quickly. He didn’t hurt me. I tried again and let my hand settle on his shell. He was still and calm. He wanted to move and sensed my help. My fear left and I turned him over with my hand.
Then I questioned myself, Why would I, a big human, be scared of something 1/50th of my size? Because it was unfamiliar. Anything else? A small crab pinched me one time. I associated this creature with that memory because of it’s name: Horseshoe Crab. These false associations and assumptions made the ancient creature seem scary. As I became more familiar with the crab, I lost my fright. Then I wondered, How often does this happen in my life? How often do I leave something unfamiliar before I’ve given it the chance to present itself?
By stopping and watching. I understood more. After a few minutes, I realized the essence of the creature. It’s always there. There is strength is in stopping. Only when pausing in non-judgement can we allow the unknown to be revealed.
Jailen says
Woah nelly, how about them appsle!