TOD 03.10.08

When we were in Florida last week, we had a chance to go to Sanibel Island and spend some time shelling on the beach. The boys, of course, loved it. As I kept looking for above average shells, I started to notice two patterns.

The first pattern was that some color would catch my eye, and when I bent down to pick it up, it would be the inside of a shell. Naturally, I expected the exterior to be even more spectacular, but it never was. In fact, the prettiest interiors seemed to always go with the dullest exteriors. I also noticed something about the location of the neatest shells. Sure, many of them were in the water, but I actually found that by merely combing my fingers through the sand back up where our towels were I could usually find several appealing shells buried there without even having to go down and get wet, where everyone else was looking.

So, the most beautiful insides seem to be on the dullest outsides, and the best place to find outstanding shells seemed to be right where I was rather than somewhere else. Perhaps there’s a lesson or two in there somewhere.