Friday, April 13, 2012

Crabs in a Bucket

I live in Louisiana.  I love the state that I live in,  however, I still managed to find a reason to crawl to the state line as an infant.
Louisiana is a rich tapestry of political history.
Well, at least the politicians are rich.


The nightlife in Louisiana is a wonderland of excitement.
The most exciting thing I have been doing lately is cheering for my bug light. "Geaux" is pronounced "go" in Louisiana.  Fortunately, we are able to take words, create our own variations and no one questions anything that we do.  It is just one of the many perks of being a Cajun.
I often sit out at night on my back patio watching bugs get bumped off by the electric mafia thinking that surely there is something better than this.


I do this alone.


I am not unlike a crab in a bucket.


One interesting thing that I like to do here in Louisiana is to go crabbing.
There are some great brackish (salt and freshwater mix) areas along the coast of Louisiana to go crabbing.  If you decide to go crabbing here, make sure you bring along a big stick to push away the alligators that try to take the bait that you put out.   On second thought, leave the stick at home and let them keep that chicken leg you put out.


I don't like to go by myself, though, because afterwards I need someone to season and boil the crabs for me.  My cooking skills are very limited.  I know how to boil water and melt butter.
There is something about crabs, though, that honestly makes me laugh.
When you put one crab in a bucket and there is a way out, that crab will get out. However, if you put two or more crabs in the same bucket, no crabs will get out.  They will continually pull each other down.  


Much like people.


Sadly, I find the people closest to me are the ones who pull me down.  Usually, it is the confluence of miscommunication and many unremarkable vexations that torpidly spiral out of control that brings them to this point.  I feel like we should be working with each other instead of against each other.  No one wins that way.  The sum of all of the frustrations of being pulled down begins to eclipse my capacity for patience and lucid thought.  Over time, I have developed this hard exterior shell that keeps people from getting close to me.  I get tired of being pulled down into a bottomless pit of tribulation.
I often sit back and wonder why some  people aren't better than crabs in a bucket.  Why do we pull each other down instead of lifting each other up? I do have people in my life who are desperately trying to pull me down right now.  My bloodstream has become a thick brew of betrayal and sadness.  It runs straight to my heart.  Fortunately, I carry something that keeps me from fighting back.  I carry it at all times.

It is very difficult at times to maintain a level of dignity and integrity, but I still do it.  Maintaining direction is very important to me.  I still forgive those who are out to destroy me for some reason.  I just wish that they would stop.  I really just want out of the bucket and to get where I need to go.  That will be my reward.


My compass guides me and I will never be without it.  They can't take that away from me. No one can.




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101 comments:

  1. Funny but, sadly, too true! We really are like crabs in a bucket. I've experienced the same thing in my life - people that are close to me, and whom I hope to receive a certain degree of kindness from, can't always manage it. I don't know why it's so hard to do though :-)

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  2. This was a great post. Unfortunately, it's as true as it is humorous. Eventually, I think everyone has a chance at finding our way out of that bucket. It's just finding and taking that chance that's hard to do, when everyone has been pulled down for so long.

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  3. Unfortuntely, this is the true story of a lot of peoples lives, only with pictures.

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  4. Crab is freakin' GOOD. They can climb out of the bucket after they're nice and red...and dead. We used to dump crab pots and cook 40 or so up and go sit on the dock and toss the shells in the bay. That was up in AK. I don't remember much about being in Louisiana. Alaska I remember...:o)

    And as for YOU being able to climb out, I'll be the crab boosting you out...;o)

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  5. Crabs are the worst. Except when people are. Some people will climb over you to get out of the bucket and then pull you out. Some will let you climb over them and hope you will pull them out. Here's hoping you find one of that variety soon.

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  6. I'm glad no crabs were harmed . . . wait. Oh no. Now I'm sad.

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  7. My kids caught a crab once.
    I was forced to cook it for them
    Then they didnt like it. Poor crab, bit of a waste actually.
    Lot of truth in this post. Loved it

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  8. Actually I've always liked Louisiana, but Gambit did sell it for me. That is an interesting comparison between people and crabs. I think there are people in my life that might want me to stay down. Most of the time people do it it's because they are the ones at the bottom, and they want other people to stay there with them. It's kind of the same deal as with the crabs. Always keep your moral compass though.

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  9. People want to drag you down because it's lonely in the bucket and they aren't ready to climb out yet.

    If you stop bathing, fewer nasty people will want you in their bucket. But the kinder ones will give you a boost. And some soap.

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  10. Oh, very funny, but too often true. Thank you for sharing~

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  11. Crab is delicious...

    I've never actually seen the crabs in action in a bucket though (you get them with their claws tied up here in the market), but the whole idea of people pulling other people down is depressing. Hope you get to escape from their evil (untied) claws.

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  12. Crabs really are a surly bunch, aren't they? You'd think someone would have found at least one happy-go-lucky crab that snaps its claws rhythmically like castanets.
    There are those angry pull-you-down crab people, but there are good helper-dolphin people too (I couldn't think of another helpful aquatic animal). Find them and you'll deaux fine (see what I did there).

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  13. Excellent analagy!!! Now remember that "little bucket" from my blog yesterday. Sounds like some people in your inner circle need to be stuffed in there and flushed. Also remember that declutter mantra: "Only surround yourself with people and things who bring you joy or add value to your life. Get rid of everything else". I swear it cleanses you like nothing else.

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    1. haha I am so glad you called it a "little bucket" instead of what it is and yes I am stuffing it full!

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  14. Unfortunately there will always be those that want to drag you down, especially when you manage to push your head up above the mire. They become scared of 'staying put', whilst you go out and challenge the world, fearful of being left behind.

    People like that will, no matter how loyal they've been, turn against you at a moments notice because of their fear. It just means you're succeeding.

    And THAT is the beauty of your posts Tracie. The humour always gives way to some kind of reflection, at least they do for me.

    Brilliant post!

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  15. Good funny post with deep message. And that crab in bucket, I always thought that it applied only to Indian crabs, one of our Indian politicans used to tell that story often.
    They never come up and even if someone managed to try, the others make sure that they dont by pulling them down.
    I love your moral compass. Pretty good one. It hurts a lot when people whom you trust or believe in stab you in the back.
    Learning the art of detachment goes long way. It always comes in handy. It is not that I dont trust people, I dont want to hate people, so I dont let them get into my boundaries so it makes little damage to me and gives me strength to ignore and move on.
    And mastering art of not clinging on anyone else also helps.

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  16. Such fun. I love your cartoons and your blog is so educational.

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  17. I liked the analogy of life to a crab bucket. Thing is though, crabs always seem to end up in a bucket. If one was to escape, chances are, it's most likely going to end up in another soon enough?
    I know there's people that would like to keep me in the bucket. So much so, that i probably can't ever get out of my bucket. Everyone in the bucket is doomed to the same fate, I just try to choose to be the happiest crab in that bucket and make the most of my time while i'm there? Unfortunately, it pisses people off to see someone else happy when they want you to be as miserable as they are. It can be a struggle.

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  18. I think the secret here is not to be in the bucket in the first place. Avoid that bucket at all costs because if you're in there? The next step doesn't bear thinking about...

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  19. Love this post! You're right - it's so hard to maintain you're integrity out there among all those other crabs who're pulling you down. I'm glad you've managed to let your moral compass guide you anyway. It was a good reminder for me to do the same!

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  20. CYW, ....This is beautiful, hilarious and sadly, SO true. Is being a lobster any better? Your insight is bang on!
    I really like your blog, one of my favourites! I'm guessing it's the artwork that appeals to the inner child--or is it visual-arts envy...? Regardless, this is perfection! ":)))

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  21. The little mermaid is missing her crap, how could you kill it? He was so cool, meanie!!!

    Yeah there will always be these people that have to drag you down because they are to petty or whatever else to get over themselves. But I just ignore them and move on. I can forgive but never forget.

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    1. Haha I think you meant "missing her crab..."

      Keep the cat off of the keyboard while you type
      So you won't be involved in specific misspelling hype.

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    2. LOL the cat already chewed the keys so I have to hit them extra hard to make them work. So we will blame him for all.

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  22. I want to get a few crabs and a bucket now, just to watch the entertainment.

    ...too bad there is no place to go crabbing in Idaho. No beaches. No sea.

    Yet, there are seagulls...

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  23. Heheheh cute! The idea of crabs pulling each other down is so sad! Work together crabs! BE FREEEE!

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  24. Great post. Sad, but great. I love your illustrations and the dryness of your wit. I heard this crab-in-the-bucket thing in a joke (against Mexicans) a looong time ago, and I thought it was so true, but--as we humans often tend to do--I thought it was limited to a certain culture. It's sad to see that the same applies everywhere, that people are nasty and destructive with each other all over the world. I hope you find some good constructive people to surround yourself with soon.

    Thanks for the visit to my blog and for the Twitter follow!

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  25. Tracie,

    Great post (as always)! I think you need a Friend Overhaul, and fast! That could be a new TV show. Think about it: they have TV shows to make over your body or make over your house, or even get you a new job. What about a TV show to completely get all your current friends to stop speaking to you and totally leave you alone instead, and in the meantime, get you all new (nicer) friends! sign me up-- I wanna be on that show. :)

    xxo
    MOV

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  26. Crabs in a bucket, just like work somedays. Wanting to do good and held down by others to bothered with self-interest to care. Oh, I enjoy succeeding when I do good things. ;D

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  27. I like how you made the transition from talking about crabbing to comparing said creatures to flawed humans. My friend Hanny (Coffee Bean) once wrote about how people are like parasitic cuckoo birds.

    http://twobeansornottwobeans.blogspot.com/2010/09/parasitic-cuckoo-birds-and-people.html

    Also: my cooking abilities also match those of a hot day. You're not alone. :P

    -Barb the French Bean

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  28. I saw a crab that was a zen castanet player once. It only had the top of one claw. Ouch!

    I avoid people like the plague if I can. Usually people have become like the offenders because of the people around them. It's human nature. I don't expect much else. Yes I know, "How cynical and sad.", but in character with my blog.

    I have rats bouncing off the screen door, trying to get out, when I start cooking.

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  29. Great post, Tracie, as always! I got stuck in a crab bucket a couple of years ago. My only way out was to un-friend the other crabs, take a running leap before they knew that, and crawl like crazy. Didn't look back, didn't think about forgiveness (as they wouldn't know and I really didn't care), and got to love that smile on my face. BUT I'm in Northern Virginia, where only 3% of the people are actually from here. I think crawling out of a crab bucket in South Louisiana would be extremely difficult for obvious reasons, but there are times when one has to care about one's self more than others. This is one of those times. Take a running leap and geaux, girl!

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  30. Tracie, you're so awesome. Crab hands and all.

    With me, it is not the people who are closest to me that bring me down, but the borderline friend/acquaintance-type people that do. I am nice to everyone. When people call me who I haven't talked to in quite a while and I know that they only calling because they need something from me... I call them back instead of ignoring them.

    It sucks sometimes, but at the end of the day it is better to be nice to everyone, even if doing so will lead to some annoying or uncomfortable situations.

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  31. Death and Texas! Bahaha! Love your moral compass.

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  32. That's very nice. You know all that stuff on your moral compass has happened to me too, routinely. But right now my cat's laying upside down looking at the ceiling and he has three legs and spots on his belly. So life is not all bad :)

    Just keep on being nice lady Tracy. I try to be nice lady Pish. If people want to be Assmunch McFuckerton that's their problem. My cat has spots on his belly :)

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  33. You know your absolutely right. And I don't know if that makes me happy or really depressed. Depressed most likely.I think the only solution to this problem is to put poeple who bring us down into a big bucket filled with crabs. Angry crabs.

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  34. I love the way this made me laugh and then think.

    I actually had what I refer to a "friend spring clean" a couple of years ago. I had one of those life things that makes you realise who your real friends are and afterwards I acted on it.
    It felt good.
    Sometimes I might still be in that bucket, but I share it with people who will give me a leg up if I want to get out and go buy shoes.

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  35. Genius! Way to take a pretty depressing reality and turn it into something fun where you walk away the winner! You always make me smile...for the right reasons.

    Princess WeeWee

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  36. This made me laugh, I really have to visit the states...there is so much I've yet to experience, especially Texas lol

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  37. You just made an illustrated post about my life! I decided about a year ago to no longer be a crab in a bucket anymore myself and I cling tightly to my moral compass :).

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  38. Your paint art is great. The alligator part made me laugh so hard and since I live in Texas I know about them state line signs. So you say geaux Saints??

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  39. do they have vampire clubs in Louisiana ? :)
    we all have crabs to pull us down in life, but being focused and not letting them get to you is whats probably needed. im glad youre on the right track, Tracie.
    :)

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  40. I have family in Texas ;-) This was funny (laced with frustration) and makes me wonder... are you a crab? (Astrologically).

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  41. I really appreciated your moral compass. Any way you go with it, you do well. Nice.

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  42. What a charming life story. So interesting and funny. It made me smile. Do let the alligator keep the chicken leg though--better that than he takes your leg.

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  43. Excellent piece! And I love crabs. Er, the kind that bite and pinch you. No, the ones that you go crabbing for and catch in a bucket. I'm pretty sure the crabs in Texas are bigger though but I do admire the Louisiana ones. They always seem a little happier to me.

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  44. When I caught my first fish I put it on a stringer to keep in the water. Then I fished some more.
    I didn't catch another so I pulled the stringer out to get my fish. Crawdads had eaten most of it and were hanging to its dead flesh.
    That is when I decided not to be a fish or a crawdad. Soft-fleshed or hard-shelled. Can get lonely at times, but my moral compass is crystal clear.
    Good luck!

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  45. Ha! Excellent post. Lemme guess....do you have a dog named Phydeaux? Well, you should!

    And you're right. Many people just seem to live to irritate the living bejeebers out of me. Why? Just follow your moral compass and you won't go wrong. Remember what Thomas Jefferson (?) once said: "In matter of style swim with the flow. In matters of conscience stand like a rock." ;)

    S

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  46. I love this post. I love your style. I'm fortunate, my family thinks I can do anything, and maybe I will, when I quit being chicken.
    Thanks for the visit Tracie

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  47. Now that's a unique post! I'm glad you didn't harm any crabs in the process.

    Catch My Words
    http://joycelansky.blogspot.com

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  48. I try not to pull people down, but have been known to tie a rope around their ankle, so in case they do get out, I can climb the rope and get out as well.

    If they resist, then when I do get out, I push them back in the bucket. But I keep the rope.

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  49. I need your blog! I am not funny, too serious, so this blog will be very good for me.

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  50. Love it. I chuckled all the way through. Except when I was wincing and/or groaning.

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  51. I thought I would stop by to say hi and to thank you for becoming a follower of mine. I will add myself to yours!

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  52. I have been feeling pretty pulled down lately too, and the whole depression thing starts to kick in when I get overwhelmed. I need to spend a whole week alone, well maybe not totally alone I would like to pick and choose who hangs out with me and when.

    I am just tired of everyone wanting a piece of my attention and they all complain if I get selfish for 20 minutes to myself.

    www.sweetydarlin.blogspot.com

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  53. I've only been following for a short time but I think you are way to awesome to let these negative people have a hold on you. For me, I either walk away (even if it is difficult) or I call them out on it.

    Comparing your cooking skills to a hot day had me truly LOL.

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  54. So true! I have gotten rid of all the puller-downers but it wasn't easy. Life is way better without them.

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  55. Thanks for following. Following you back. This was the best post I've read in ages. I absolutely love your blog. I'm marking it as a favorite right now. You are a creative, insightful genius.

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  56. To those people who are negative I always just say, "Wow. It must suck to be you." And then I get far, far away. What a charming blog post. I just love your adorable drawings.

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  57. Google ate my comment, so I'll try again.

    To negative people, I always say, "Wow. It must suck to be you."

    Your drawings are adorable. What a charming post.

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  58. This is such a great analogy! Kudos to you for climbing out of the bucket! It's amazing that a post can be so inspirational while also being so funny. I totally cracked up about the gators and their chicken legs. :D

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  59. funny stuff!! Thanks for visiting my blog!
    -MJ A to Z blogger

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  60. the same cooking skills as a really hot day? So funny! People can be crabby, but they taste so durn good! (crabs, that is)

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  61. Crack You Whip said, "The sum of all of the frustrations of being pulled down begins to eclipse my capacity for patience and lucid thought."
    * * *
    Just know that you may accept all credit for having run a highly appreciated & expedient rescue mission for me today!
    * * *
    I was smelling the 'reek of negative vibes' ~ those very ones that are encircled in your moral compass illustration. It brought me to the realization that I may need to work on building that "exoskelaton" just a little bit stronger than what it is right now.

    Then I laughed loud & hearty, cuz this past week I know there are folks who turned some things around to try and make me out to be the alligator. It was a wickedly delicious thought you gave to me, "Alligators will stone cold eat you..."
    * * *
    Thank you for turning my day around, while I consider myself quite ordinary, I surely was important enough for you to come rescue me. Thanks for visiting my blog. I'm @grammakaye on twitter.

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    1. Thank you! Ye, the alligators are everywhere and will eat you alive if you let them. You don't have to live in Louisiana to know that. Stay strong and have a great week!

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  62. I love the crab analogy. So true.

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  63. While no crabs were harmed in the making of this post, were any alligators harmed??? :)

    Sadly, I think most people (if not all) have someone in their lives who continually pull them down. As I've gotten older and (somewhat) wiser, I've tried to have less and less contact with those folks and surround myself with a fan club.

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  64. I spent a few years working in Louisiana and remember the "Geaux". It was always Geaux Tigers this, Geaux LSU that. After about a week, I couldn't wait to geaux home. I'm sure the crabs were lovely though.

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  65. So glad no crabs were hurt in your post. I was really worried about that. LOL.

    I nominated you for the Sunshine Award. If you'd like it, stop by my blog, Mama Diaries, to pick it up. Thanks for the laughs!

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  66. This is a great post that makes something very serious into a humorous affair! Way to go!

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  67. Glad to see you back around! Hope everything is great for you:)

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    1. I'm currently in an upswing and posting as well as commenting. Glad to see you're growing strong here!

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  68. Found you via Twitter, of all places. Funny, funny stuff.
    I always thought crabs were the dumbest frikkin' creatures known to man. I mean, don't they think it odd that there's a chicken leg in the water with them?
    But, then you explained the Cajun spelling of 'go.'
    Apparently, the crabs have company.

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  69. Found you via Twitter, of all places. Funny, funny stuff.
    I've always thought that crabs were the dumbest frikkin' creatures on the planet. I mean, don't they find it odd to be sharing the same water as a chicken leg?
    But, then you talked about the Cajun spelling of 'go.'
    Apparently, the crabs have company.

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  70. New to your blog, and that was a hilarious post! I've been to Louisiana (and Texas) and loved the cooking skills comment about they being the same as a really hot day!

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  71. Your blog is so much fun!! Very refreshing! I appreciate your humor!! I follow you now! Would you like to follow me back?
    xoxo

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  72. Wonderful way to approach a serious subject. I have always told my children, "You get more mileage out of laughter than out of tears." It seems someone told you too. Bravo!

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  73. You crack me up! Hilarious post.
    But I agree that people are like crabs in buckets, and that of course is not too hilarious.
    Also? You and I (and the sidewalk) have the same cooking skills!

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  74. Absolutely hilarious! Believe me, I needed this tonight... I'm definitely following. :)

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  75. Definitely v. funny. Texas and Louisiana are strange, strange places...
    I know what you mean about the crabs in a bucket syndrome: sometimes (oftentimes) people think that since THEY can't be happy then no one else is allowed to be. Dragging people down is often easier than raising them up, after all.
    I hope you find a way to bypass/rise above those negative people currently in your life: there ARE good people out there, too. :)

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  76. Won't mess with a Texan.
    And yeah, I've been around with crabs in a bucket syndrome as well, but I refer to it as TALL POPPY syndrome. You won't like the occasional tall poppy in a bush of short poppies, would you?

    You receive my coveted thumbs-up, and following.

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  77. Whoa! I love Tracie's Moral Compass. That is such a good illustration! and the 1st Texas one is hilarious! Man, you're good! :)

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  78. Teriffic analogy! I try to stay out of buckets as much as possible so the only one I have to pinch is myself.

    "same cooking skills as a hot day", *hee hee* me too!

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  79. Yep TX and LA are weird. I'm allowed to say that because I'm from TX....ok I better be looking over my shoulder now someone from LA might shoot me--wait that would only happen in TX--never mind.

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  80. Nicely done.

    I didn't know that about crabs in a bucket.

    And my cooking skills probably couldn't rival yours. lol.

    StephanieC

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  81. I love your blog. Thank you for visiting mine. I can agree with you about how weird Louisiana and Texas are (and so different from any place in the US) because I am from Louisiana, currently live her and have lived in Tx. Your blog is so refreshing and full of raw truth. I love it. I am a new follower and will be back often

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  82. That's hilarious! I'd go crabbing too, if I didn't have a bad reaction to shellfish. Been to Louisiana once. Would be great to visit again. :)

    I gave you a Shout-Out on my blog today! :)

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  83. Oh just brilliant. I never knew that about crabs. huh. GREAT 'like crabs in a bucket'! one of those phrases that i get to say as an ex-pat here in England and totally confuse the locals! thank you!

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  84. I am a cancer, and a crab, and a human, and gay, so I can totally relate to this story. Let's be two crabs that actually help each other escape!

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  85. I wish I had found this blog sooner! This is just hilarious!

    So true about the ones closest to you are the ones holding you down.

    Your drawings crack me up!

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  86. Very funny post! Thanks for the comment and follow, returning the favor ;)

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  87. I absolutely adore the moral compass. ADORE

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  88. tracie...

    y're funny!

    being as 'cajuns' is the murrikan way of saying 'acadiens' [french canadians from nova scotia], i can see why we, canucks, play such a big part in your life... or not

    -tony

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