The story of a conch shell is overlooked; how often do we realize its message to us? At most I’ve felt a rush of excitement when I found one on the beach, only to grab it fast and hold its aperture close to my ear. I imagine you’ve done the same But aside from its crown-like, decorative top that you now hold, and the sound of the ocean flooding your ears this conch shell has a lesson to teach us about adaptation, authenticity, home, aging, and legacy.
On Aging – The story begins far before we even went to the sea. The conch’s life is one we cannot ever know or understand, but the size of its shell speaks of the creatures age. The older the conch, the larger the shell and the larger the crown; each dent and point embellishes the shell’s overall appearance. I remember the grandest one I had ever seen was in my grandfather’s home; my father eagerly shared with me his childhood memory of finding it in the ocean. It was clear to me, from the look on his face, that he was revisiting that moment. Enthusiasm and joy from years ago made their way to the forefront of the present time, in an instant. If only we could meet aging in humans with a similar eagerness
On Home and Authenticity– The sound one experiences when holding a conch shell close to the ear is intriguing because of how similar it is to the voice of the ocean. The conch shell becomes a small portal that has the ability to take you back to the moment of time in which you obtained the shell- possibly at sea, on vacation, somewhere warm or beautiful, maybe with someone, and maybe with someone you love. But from the perspective of the conch shell, which was once a home, it has now been permanently removed from its own home- the ocean. In a new land, can this conch shell preserve its authenticity? Or will new culture make him forget who he is? The answer is at the core of the shell- quite literally. Despite its now dry exterior, the sound of home still rings- constantly
On Adaptation– It would be nice to end the story here and conclude that despite its long journey away from home, the conch shell was able to take with it a piece of the ocean. But alterations to our perception of the world is a reality and they come with time but, even more so, they come with change. Our surrounding environment greatly impacts us physically, mentally, and emotionally. And this conch shell’s magical sound is not the ocean at all but in fact it is the “noise of the surrounding environment, resonating within the cavity of the shell.” Does this take away from the shell’s beautiful concept? No, it strengthens it and it strengthens the originality of the shell itself It is now not merely mimicking its past, but rather allowing its past to wondrously mold it in a way so that no matter where it is placed on the earth, it can soak in the new environment and uniquely translate it with every one of its curves
On Legacy– The conch shell has lived an extraordinary life, and it began with the birth of the one who inhabited it. It grew old with this companion and served him well by protecting him every step of the way. Though we will never know or understand the totality of the story, we have the pleasure of experiencing a snippet of the tale, and from this tale there is much to learn, we just have to listen.