We were shelling on the beach over the weekend. The shells that had landed on the beach were unbelievably beautiful and varied. It had been a long, long time since there had been such an unbelievable array of colorful and unusual shells for the taking. It turns out that times around the full moon are supposed to be the best times to find truly unique shells on any particular beach. We found large conch shells, and clam shells that were so brightly yellow and orange, you would have assumed they had been painted. There were piles of pearly snail shells which were so neatly arranged that my daughter wondered if someone had collected them and put them there, but it turns out, these piles were all over the beach, like leopard spots. I got excited and inspired enough by the experience, to order a book about the different varieties of shells on Amazon. It felt like a brand new, interesting experience, even though I have been shelling on beaches since I was a little girl. I got excited and reacquainted with the treasure hunt feel of it all, all over again.
Friends, this year has been an incredibly difficult and somewhat disillusioning year. A lot of things that make us energized and excited have gone dormant under layers of worry and concern and fatigue. But those things which arouse and delight us, are still there, underneath it all. Like finding a long lost piece of jewelry or another treasured thing, long considered gone forever, the experiences which make us feel moved and aflame, will happen again. We will surprise ourselves with the remembered feelings of delight and aliveness which these dormant experiences will bring us, when life starts to feel lighter again.
The beautiful shells that appeared on the beach, were always there. Some of them are hundreds, maybe even thousands of years old. It’s just that they got covered up by heavy sand and high tides from storms and winds and tossing seas. But on a calm, cloudless day, the sun shown its light on the glistening shells, and the moon smiled her blessing on the banquet of abundant gifts which she had bequeathed to the beach combers. And as the beach combers picked up their perfectly lovely gifts, to examine them closer and to hold them gently in their hands, near to their peaceful hearts, the shellers remembered how perfectly, naturally loved they were, and how perfectly and naturally loved, they have always, always been.
Kelly,
Loved picturing you and your daughter gathering shells and appreciating their beauty and uniqueness. I love uncovering the hidden treasures of nature. Just recent we moved to our new Florida home that we have been building which seems like forever. We have been renting, waiting for this house to be built. So now as I am unpacking and finding my old treasures that I boxed up about 4 years ago. It has been delightful to reacquaint myself with my old things. Some things still fit in my life, and some things don’t. I came upon some old flower pots, actually topiary pots and frames. I used to love creating topiaries years ago and I started to imagine the shapes I would make with the beautiful ivy I could now imagine buying. So, I recently stopped in at a nursery here in Florida, and I felt my soul come alive with all the beautiful plants and color, color, color! All these beautiful growing plants in Nov… from a northern girl’s perspective, that is miraculous. ~Any way, sorry to go on, but I wanted to share my experience with you, as you were uncovering treasures of the sea, I was uncovering my old love of plants and planning topiary forms. Nature is amazing and with all that has been going on in the world…the beauty of nature brings me back to times when life was not so complicated, and to wait in hope of things that will be! Thanks for reading my long message.
Joan, that is so inspiring! I do love how many different varieties of plants and flowers bloom all year here in Florida. It is killer for allergies, but total eye candy! Enjoy!