Shells

This first post was inspired by a short film that I watched with my coworkers at Family Friendly WBGL during last week’s Wednesday morning staff meeting. Entitled “Shells,” the narrator of the film shared a story about his youngest son. One afternoon, while their family was at the beach collecting shells, the young boy saw a starfish floating just off shore. Realizing that such a prized specimen was within his reach, he asked permission to go and grab it. Giving his son the okay, the father watches his son run into the water after the starfish. After a few minutes, the boy runs back to shore without the starfish. His dad yells words of encouragement, thinking that the boy had become a little intimidated at the prospect of such a find. The boy runs back toward the water, and again comes back without the starfish. This happens time and time again, and finally the dad asks his son when he comes back, “Son, why aren’t you able to catch the starfish?” The young boy holds out his hands and responds, “Because my hands are full of shells.”

For those of you who have seen “The Wedding Planner” starring Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Lopez, there’s a part in the movie when Eddie (played by McConaughey) is trying to determine if Mary (played by Lopez) is a better match for him than his current fiancé. Talking with his golf partner out on the green one afternoon, he asks, “What if what I thought is great, really is great; but not as great as something greater?” You may need to read that through again. Go ahead.

This summer I have had a lot of time to myself. My family is three hours away. My boyfriend is in Africa. My friends are working odd hours. With all of this “me time” I have been able to reflect a lot about my past three years in college and how much I have changed since my parents drove away from my dorm that one muggy August day in 2006. They left behind their not-so-little girl, her head full of dreams. I identify well with that little boy in the beginning who worked so hard collecting his shells. I feel that with every year that I’ve been in college, I have collected my own version of shells. Call them pieces of wisdom, knowledge, plans—the names aren’t important. Every internship, every compliment from a professor in the journalism department, every A on a major assignment—they have all contributed to my “shell” collection. And with each new addition, my hands have become filled with these “shells.”

These are my prized possessions. It is these things that will ultimately help determine my future. The more “shells” I am able to gather, the bigger collection I am able to showcase to those who may be interested. But what about the starfish in the story? Or the ‘not as great as something greater’ line? As I move into my final year of college, I feel like now I have become that little boy who has discovered the starfish floating off shore.

Recently, I have been reexamining the “shells” in my hands as this starfish has come into view. I am starting to ask myself what Eddie asked his golf partner. What if what I thought is great, really is great; but not as great as something greater? I’ve picked up all of these beautiful “shells” these past few years; my collection by most people’s standards would be considered complete. But I find myself not satisfied with what I’m carrying in my hands. I want the starfish. But the only way I can get it, is by letting go of the pieces I have worked so hard to find. It has taken me three years friends, to finally be willing to let go of my “shells.” I have decided that the starfish floating off shore is worth more than my whole collection. Yes, it comes at a cost, and venturing out into the water is scary, but how much better would it be to show off my starfish rather than my small “shells?”

I think too often we settle—I know I have. Don’t let your shells keep you from your starfish, friend.