Once upon a time a brother and sister named Hansel and Gretel lived in a hut in the woods with their father and a new stepmother who made life very hard for the children . The children were not allowed to eat until the stepmother had eaten everything she wanted, most of the time there was only scraps left on the plates. Hansel and Gretel were starving. One night the children were banished outside into the cold, they shivered through the night and when the sun rose the next morning, they planned their escape to find food. Although they were starving, they used the last of their stale bread to leave a trail of crumbs so they could find their way back home. Gretel was very careful to drop one crumb and then after a bit , another. They walked for hours and sadly found nothing so knew they would have to follow the crumbs back home , they turned to follow the long trail of carefully placed breadcrumbs, but they were gone . Birds had been swooping down and eating all the breadcrumbs. Breadcrumbs Gretel are never enough.
People like me have always settled for crumbs , maybe not even settled for them I thought that was all that was on the menu. Many times, I have felt like a chicken in a coop pecking and scratching around at the ground waiting quite indignantly some might say , fluttering around the cage listening to hear the feed scoop dig down into the grain and proceed with the daily ritual , the anticipation of the scattering of the grain and the impending frenzy that follows , literally it would be the pecking order which would see me retreat to the back of the pen , overpowered by the power , once they were all satisfied I would go out and politely peck at the crumbs . Crumbs are never enough.
Crumbs are offered to many people as a gesture, I was taught to be satisfied with crumbs, a little token that is meant to constantly appease you, a false sense of security even. Crumbs are a little pat on the head without needing to engage with someone , crumbs are a partial commitment to someone but still like a condescending touch that keeps you in your place. The crumbs keep you from starving to death, but they don’t nourish or sustain you . Crumbs are an invisible ball and chain that are designed to make you believe you are part of something, you are not in the same room as them you are looking through the window , you are smiling because you have not realised yet you are not part of it. You are the excited puppy at the back door jumping up and down , sliding on the glass door , spinning in circles , panting until you have exhausted yourself, finally the door slides open, and an outstretched arm throws you a bone . Your pat on the head , your crumbs , that’s not what you wanted but you settle.
Let’s go back to Gretel , who is lost in the forest with Hansel and fall into the hands of a witch who lives in a house made from gingerbread covered with cake and candy. The witch coaxed them inside with all the things they were hungry for, and it wasn’t food. They were starving for attention , affection and belonging as they were treated so poorly by their stepmother, the witch plans to fatten the children before eating them but Gretel outwits her and kills her. The witch used food and a false sense of security to manipulate the children, we should never be so desperate to belong or to be part of something that we become blind to what is really on offer.
Leave the crumbs for the birds
All our words are but crumbs that fall from the feast of the mind - Khalil Gibran