Pretty Pearl

“Joy is born of sorrow, healing comes through pain…

Until a seed can die, there is no grain.

Joy would have no meaning, without sorrow and pain..

and if we knew no dryness, how could we love the rain?”

I first read these lines in the 1st grade and then, they were totally meaningless. I only loved it because apart from the fact that I could sense  it was deep and I could impress my teachers with it, it actually rhymed! Amazing how, now after what seems like a ‘gazillion’ years, it finally dawns on me (‘hit me like a ton of bricks’ is more like it actually).

Ever notice how quite a number of things in our lives are so very unpleasant? We cry, yell, withdraw and trade blame but it doesn’t do much good. If anything, it only makes things worse and we feel horrible, not exactly the best feeling if you ask me.

I’d tell you a little secret, one of my favorite things happens to be pearls; necklaces, earrings, brooches, rings- I love pearls anytime, any day! I do not just love it for it’s sheer beauty or elegance but it also has a story of it’s own to tell and I would tell you all about it.

The formation of a pearl begins the moment an irritant such as a grain of sand for example slips into an oyster’s shell. Naturally the oyster is disturbed because in actual sense that intrusion can be likened to a splinter we all have experienced at some point. So, the oyster rises to protect itself by covering the irritant with a substance called nacre (which by the way is used in forming it’s own shell). It covers the sand with multiple layers of nacre and it (that is the grain of sand) eventually becomes a pearl.

Thus the product is very beautiful, very sophisticated and very fortunate. Let’s not forget it’s value, real pearls are worth a fortune! If it didn’t go through all it went though which included the isolation and having some oyster throw crap on it, it would still be a worthless grain of sand, not much worth to itself or anyone else (like seriously, do you know just how much sand we have on the planet already!).

So, here’s the secret I was going to tell, every time I’m having a really rough time (and trust me, I’ve had quite a number and still do!) I remember the name I christened myself: the BLAQUE PEARL.  It carries far more weight than you would ever know! It reminds me that though I am not perfect, I can achieve perfection with the help of everything I’d have to face. Well, I sure would prefer to be a pretty pearl than just a common grain of sand! So, all I can say to nasty experiences and the like is, “BRING IT ON MATE!”

…and you should too,cause it’s what would make you the prettiest pearl ever!