Deriving life lessons from broken and damaged seashells.
We all fall in love with nature. The most amazing of all the natural resources is the blue sea. Everyone loves the beaches, no matter the age group. I remember those days when I was enthusiastic to watch the magnificent sunrises and sunsets on the beach, which is near my residence.
A few days ago, I visited the to that place with my family to watch the beautiful sunrise. As the dawn unfolded, I saw most of the people were busy engaging with the exercising activities on the path, while there were also other groups and individuals like us who were enjoying the morning sunrise, waves, and serene sky.
While we were watching the waves from the shore, my nephew was busy collecting the seashells scattered in the sand. He selectively picked the good seashells, which had vibrant and unique designs. Accidentally, when he picked up a damaged seashell, he threw it immediately in the sand and continued to collect the perfect seashells.
When I witnessed this incident, I realized why humans have the nature of being attracted to perfect things and hesitant to choose imperfect things. While there are numerous contents describing the beautiful elements of the sea, there are very few thoughts about things like the damaged seashells, which often go unnoticed.
Most seashells get damaged due to the hitting of relentless waves, getting tossed against rocks, other shells during natural calamities, human activities, and predators, which often break shells to access their prey.
In this blog post, I want to share my thoughts about the damaged seashells through which we can learn profound life lessons.
Lesson 1: Changes are Constant
Once upon a time, the broken sea shells could have a fine beauty. It would look whole, beautiful, and perfect. As time flies, they are damaged due to various reasons occurring in the sea and shore.
In the same way, most of the events in our lifetime have a beautiful beginning. As we continue to endure various experiences, our lives get shaped accordingly. In this passage of time, we can’t decide that our lives are hard. Because hard times are temporary, so are the good times. Thus, these damaged seashells give a testament that changes are constant.
Lesson 2: Finding Strength During the Difficult Times
Even though the seashells are broken and imperfect, they play a vital role in supporting the marine ecosystem. They are still utilized by small marine organisms as a shelter and to improve the beach’s stability. Though these seashells are flawed, they still have a purpose: to serve the environment.
Similarly, it is normal to go through the toughest times in our lives. But at those weak moments, we cope with the difficulties with our real strengths. Through this, we still find a means to live, despite being broken inside.
Lesson 3: Finding Beauty in Scars
The journey of these wrecked seashells is not easy. To reach the shore from the sea, those marine shells endure too many hurdles. But the sign of those damages is not defeat; rather, they are the symbolic meaning of strength.
Likewise, when we face ups and downs in our lives, we always see them as scars rather than signs of strength. Indeed, those beautiful marks on the scars show us how far we have come through surviving the struggles.
In general, we are used to focusing on the flawless. Thus, we fail to understand the goodness in imperfect things. But these three lessons can help us change the perspective of our lives.
Broken and damaged seashells showcase the importance of embracing change, learning from difficult times, and finding beauty in the scars. This can only be understood practically if we undergo and recover from the toughest times, which are often unavoidable during our lifetimes.