Once, while walking in the mountains, I came upon a large stellar jay on the side of the road. It looked up at me as I approached and I could see that although there were no apparent injuries, it was immobile. Its dark eyes were bright with awareness, and stayed on me as I knelt down nearby. After ten minutes or so, it suddenly gave one mighty flutter of its wings, then became very still. As its wings came to rest again, the light left the eyes as though a switch had been turned off. The shell was still there on the side of the road, but that spirit was gone.

It's the same with people, and all life. When the body that houses them, is no longer of any use to them, no longer needed, they depart.

kat, I liked your crab analogy, too. Ebbie, I like those words!

KT