Lessons From Shells and Sand Dollars

I've been ruminating this week. First at the beach and later while felled by some annoying stomach bug yesterday. I've been ruminating over the nature of families, faith, grace, mercy and kindness.

On Monday during my beachwalk I was touched by the unmerited kindness of strangers. There I was, dipping my wrinkled old toes into the surf while shell hunting, and not having much success.As I drew near two young Hispanic males they each bend, picked up a cowrie shells (I call them purse shells) and when we were abreast each handed me the shell, with some sweet banter calling me "abuela".

Abuela is Spanish for grandmother, fitting because of my gray hair, but here in Costa Rica there is a sweetness about the people, a kindness we seriously lack in the States. A type of kind respect. I was very touched and thanked them before moving on.

I have those two shells sitting on my nightstand even if they aren't very good cowrie shells, the surfaces of the shells scratched and blurry. But I keep them there now to remind me of unearned grace and kindness, along side of the monsterously huge dark cowrie I found minutes later in the surf, washing up on my feet.

Largest cowrie I've ever found while shell hunting! Photo does not do it justice.

And I have to ask myself, why is it that some people can be so accepting, loving, giving so
spontaneously without asking anything in return? So many times we run across only those that want to take or use us in some way.

A little farther up the beach I ran into some other less pleasant types, a group, a family group either from Canada or the States. They were squealing and digging up live sand dollars. Giving nary a thought to the fact that they were harming a living creature.

It's unfortunate because this was the largest field of sand dollars I've seen, at least several hundred laying barely tucked into the surf and sand. I think it was so many only because we were having the low, low, l-o-w tide we get once a month during full moon. Lots to see when that happens including lots of sand dollars and star fish.

I had to struggle with myself to be kind to them, to point out that the white and light gray sand dollars were perfectly fine to harvest (if you avoid the shell police! It is against the law to harvest shells without a shell harvesting license, but if you only pick up one or two you can usually get away with it, which is why I only take premiums now like the one above) What's not fine is picking up the live sand dollars with their hairy undersides and fine hairlike tubes coming out of their sides. I think once I explained what was going on, showing the kids how tickly the hairs on the bottom can be as the sand dollar moves on your hand, it was fine. The kids were fascinated by the sand dollars, laughing to see a small one moving his appendages in such a way it looked like he was hopping in the surf.

Walking back to meet Jim, watching the crabs sunning themselves like they are wont to do on sunny morns I could not help but think that reaching out kindly to educate others is a lot better than going ham on them, like I really wanted to do. We do so much out of a lack of knowledge that we sometimes genuinely need a gentle lesson.

I struggle daily to be nice, grant grace and mercy, and I'm not real good at it yet, but I'm hoping with time I get better and I learn to see the lessons around me.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Missed Stompism

One anecdote I neglected to pass on that had Jim and I puzzling and laughing. Stompy, Jim and I were talking about her upcoming European trip when she mentioned she was going to be in Amsterdam a few days. I squeal and tell her had I know I would be loading her with money and a shopping list for the Van Gogh museum. I really, really, REALLY want that entire set of sweet Samsonite with his almond blossom painting on it. She turns to us and tells sue she's going to the Sex Museum instead. Oh holy crap!
Read more

Bottomless Betty and Blocking the Aunt Heap

Image
  The Chesapeake Bay Bridge last weekend. So where have I been? Back to Louisiana and then up to Maryland. I wanted to check on my mother in her assisted living. It didn't go well at all, even if I stayed ten days. One of my aunts in the Aunt Heap nicknamed my mother 'Bottomless Betty' after she suddenly developed the inability to wear bottoms at all, no pants, no panties, no skirts. It was most bizarre and had a sudden onset. Her dementia has gone haywire in the few months she's been in assisted living. I'm not entirely sure she knew who I was either. This was a shock, her mental status slid so fast it was scary. Did what I could, talked to the folks in the admin office seeking a way to help her. My mother's doctor had tried a drug to slow the dementia but all it did was cause my mother to hallucinate.   Got home on Tuesday night, taking that long airplane ride from Washington, DC to my home near Tamarindo, Costa Rica. Human Greek chorus and alarmist member of...
Read more

Strange Days and Orchids

Image
Water feature from the Orchid Garden near San Jose. Well, it's been a strange week or two. I've lost days to this silly ankle thing. Took off the boot at a week to start doing physical therapy movements, made it two days and now the boot is back on and I'm down to two pain pills. It's healing so slowly this time. Have to do a medical follow up this week. Several days ago we went to a party for a lady we know who is throwing in the towel and going home to the U.S.A. Katie was trying to do that thing that is impossible here on the Gold Coast -- live as a gringo without a steady monthly income. Even a social security pension will not cut it here. It's expensive, but likely not as expensive as life in the U.S.A. is getting lately. Read that there has been a 40% jump in the price of vegetables and fruits last month. Deporting the folks that do all the grunt work there was one very bad idea mixed with those insano tariffs. We have high tariffs here and it inhibits the amo...
Read more