Sally Sells Sea Shells

Conch shells, turtle shells, oyster shells, mussel shells, hermit crab shells, etc. The list goes on and on. Being on an island, I see shells everywhere I go. They are used in decoration on nearly everything. You will see tourists loading their suitcases with them as cheap souvenirs for those they love back at home. There are necklaces and bracelets and anklets. Apart from those mentioned above, you might even see one or two when you go to the beach on any given day. We recognize shells. For the most part a person can look at a conch shell and know its a conch shell. The same applies to turtles, oysters, clams, etc. We have been trained to recognize these shapes and outward appearances. The recognition tells us what we are looking at. But it is not this recognition that makes them what they are. A conch shell is not a conch shell because it looks like one. A conch shell is a conch shell because a conch lived in it. We define a shell by what lives inside of it.

I was brought to this thought recently by thinking of a friend. Sometimes bodies get in the way. A body helps us to recognize who it is we are looking, but that body does not define the person. It's what's inside that defines who we are. It's what's inside that we love about people. It's their personality, their thoughts, their dreams, their character, the way they react in a moment that we will remember and cherish. A person's body can be broken while what we love about them remains intact.