Dissolving My Shell: A Musing….

The seashell creates a hard protective layer for the soft creature who lives within.

Although we as humans do not have a protective shell, we create a million different ways to literally and figuratively (walls, habits, actions, thought patterns) protect the softness that lives within us. These protect us from the dangers of the world and people around us. We protect our softness, gentleness, and, in some instances, the best parts of ourselves from the fears of being physically, emotionally, or spiritually wounded or abused.

The shell is an external force, but I started to ask myself, “what inner shells have I created throughout my life that are blocking me from the best parts of myself?”

Am I allowing myself to fully connect with all the parts of who I am?

Am I safe from others and most importantly, am I safe from myself?

Am I safe from my judgements, my criticisms, my should haves, my would haves, my selfishness, my shame, my doubts, the pressures I place on myself to seemingly never be enough, never be doing enough?

Why? Where does that come from?

Yes, I think about safety in relation to the world around me, but how much of the time am I “othering” myself?

How much of others’ perception is really my own perception of myself?

It is amazing what a simple seashell can teach you.

I want the soft, gentle, slimy being within the clam shell.