King Louie, Crabs and Doctor Who

I was chatting with my friend John yesterday when his phone started ringing; the ringtone was  ‘I Wanna Be Like You’ – from Jungle Book… King Louie wishes he was like Mowgli:

Now I’m the king of the swingers
Oh, the jungle VIP
I’ve reached the top and had to stop
And that’s what’s botherin’ me
I wanna be a man, mancub
And stroll right into town
And be just like the other men
I’m tired of monkeyin’ around!

He’s fed up with life as it is – he wants to change!

Life changes. We move into and through different chapters or seasons – sometimes through choice, sometimes circumstances beyond our control… leaving home, marriage, the birth of children, a new job, sickness, bereavement, retirement…

I’ve heard two ‘facts’ about crabs recently…

…If there are a load of crabs in a bucket they’ll attack each other and climb on each other to escape from the bucket… Some of us, to move out of one situation to get to another, will do anything – even if it hurts others.

…As crabs grow, their shells become too small for them. Shells have to be shed, leaving the crabs soft and vulnerable before they grow another shell… Growing into a new phase of life is good and natural, but shedding our old phase can leave us vulnerable.

John’s an actor. He appeared in Doctor Who when Peter Capaldi was the Doctor. We talked about the different actors who played different versions of The Doctor… they’re all different, yet he’s the same Doctor, reborn with a new identity…

We likened The Doctor to the different stages of our lives…

Musing…

…This morning reading the story of Jesus bringing his dead friend Lazarus back to life. Jesus says words that are often read at funerals: ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live even after dying.’

…Chapters already written, episodes already acted… in my life and John’s… and those yet to be.