Salazar: A Shell of a Lesson

A lesson in a shell

Interesting how life shows us what’s true. It’s kicking my ass, but I’m learning that this truth is all around me and always present. Seeing these truths, however, is entirley up to us. We don’t always notice the things our eyes see. We have to bring some truths into focus in order to see what’s really there — or might I say “here.” I recently took a trip to the Mississipi Gulf where I accidently found a hermit crab. I had intentionally grabbed a variety of loose sea shells to bring home as souvineers. After getting back to my Uncle’s condo, where I was lodging, I dumped the shells onto a table to see what I had found. Out from my oblivion, I discovered what I had missed — the hermit crab which would now become a gift  for my son. He named him Salazar.

Salazar rarely moves from one spot to another, and like a healthy hermit crab, he confines himself to a limited space. This closed-quartered crustacean is teaching me some things. In many ways, I can feel kindred to this idea of being alone or being withdrawn. Being a divorcee without custody is full of epiphanies of solitude. I try to turn solitude into solidarity. When I succeed, I see life and its beauty. When I fail, I withdaw into my own shell of misery and victimhood.  It’s my first full summer of absolutely no visitation.  I think there is a hermit crab at the other residence as well. I have no idea how to crack that shell. Alas, I am reaching for an open mind so I can see what’s been hiding all along.  

These words from my Personal Pastor beckon me to look again and reconsider what I have been seeing:

“Though it MAY seem this way, the TRUTH is NOT painful. What causes pain are the lies we believe. (The Strategy?) As long as we believe that lies are true we will believe TRUTH is a threat to our way of thinking and being. We will blame the truth for causing pain which gives us an excuse to avoid seeing clearly. It is clear and quite simple: The lie has the specific agenda to seduce you into believing it.”
Marquis Hunt
If I’m not careful, I can use being separated from my children this summer as an excuse to restrict my mind and allow  my mind  to constrict me to a limited space. Within the confines of the space I have created illusions. These illusions sometimes cause pain. As quickly as Salazar decides to move from his space into another, I can move from illusion to truth!

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 22nd, 2010 at 4:13 pm and is filed under exmarital woes, Reading is Fundamental, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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