Do you know how a pearl is formed? Most people do, but in case you don’t: a pearl is formed by an irritant (or sometimes a parasite, according to Google) in a clam, mussel, or oyster. The oyster coats the irritant in layer upon layer of some kind of fluid until a pearl is formed. This is a defense mechanism, I read. Pretty neat, don’t you think?
We place a lot of value on pearls. Wild pearls formed naturally are very rare, or perhaps rarely found. And, as we’ve discussed before, rare items incur higher values. What else affects value? Time and effort, right? Think about it. Men and women crossed this vast country in covered wagons with hardly a thing to their names. For months. They spent months “camping” with no promise of a home or supplies when they stopped. They weren’t welcomed by frappuccino machines and scented bath salts. These people didn’t have running water. They bathed in freezing cold creeks! FOR MONTHS! All on the hope that they would find a place to call their own, a place to make their own. They wanted a fresh start. And they were willing to pay dearly for it. Currency? Time and effort.
We don’t give up a lot of comfort and convenience in our society today. In fact, we abhor it. When was the last time you took a road trip with your kiddos? Did they stare at a screen the whole eight hours? Probably. What about you? Did you get frustrated when you hit a patch of traffic that put you half an hour behind schedule? I’m guilty! Driving through Knoxville, TN during rush hour can be a pain believe you me! But…truthfully, I have an air conditioner. I have a radio. I have an MP3 player. I have a phone that plays whatever I want. And I have water. I have snacks. I have a clock. What reason do I truly have to be frustrated?
As a rider on a road trip, when you get to the end of your journey…do you appreciate the result? Or do you maybe take it for granted just a little bit because all of the hard work has been done for you already? Kids are notorious for the “are we there yet” question. Why do they ask so many times? Sure they have shorter attention spans and time seems to move more slowly for them. But, I also think they ask because they’re bored. They aren’t the ones staring at black asphalt and yellow lines, tensing at every semi truck that swerves just a little bit too far into your lane. They aren’t the ones with sore necks from checking endless blind spots or crampy hands from gripping the wheel around sharp curves. Maybe…maybe we just don’t have the mettle that those early pioneers did? Or, maybe, we haven’t worked as hard as they have.
We’re surrounded by comfort and convenience. We get frustrated if Amazon puts an extra step in our checkout, asking us to choose an address. Shouldn’t it have saved my preferences already? Why do I have to confirm the debit card number? This is taking too long! I love electricity, indoor plumbing, and electronics as much as anybody. Trust me! There are many modern conveniences I’m very thankful for, and many unnecessary ones I utilize. But my point is, the easier something is to obtain, the less value we place on it.
Hard work begets reverence. Another example: first cars. Many parents in today’s society gift their children brand, spankin’ new cars on their sixteenth birthdays. Think about that. On their sixteenth birthdays. That means, the kid hasn’t even passed the driver’s license test yet! Now, if you can afford to do this for your child, great. I commend you. That’s a wonderful gift. But…how well does your child care for his car? Does he pay his own gas? Is he on your insurance plan? Do you pay that bill…or does he? Teens are notorious for vehicle accidents. They’re new drivers. They’re inexperienced. Whoops. Let’s hope no one dies, they learn their lessons, and move on. Right? Uhh…well, that sounds harsh. But what can I do about it? What if your kids played a bigger part in investing in that first car? What if they paid for half of it or all of it? What if they were responsible, financially, for keeping the car maintained? Well, maybe they wouldn’t shrug off that third wreck…
I bought my own first car. I still drive it. I’ve never wrecked it, though I have been hit in the tail before. There’s now a horrific crack spidering on my bumper and it disgusts me every time I see it. It’s cosmetic damage. And, yes, my OCD plays into it. But, there’s a deeper dissatisfaction than that. I paid every penny it took to purchase my car. With my own money. I pay for my own gas, and always have. Yes, family gifts me a little gas money for road trips to visit them sometimes, but I fill my tank 98% of the time with money I earned at my job. I also have paid for my own car insurance from day one. I saved up for two years to have enough money to pay for my car. I’ve paid for the repairs, the new tires, the oil and filters to change my oil. I’ve paid for the tags and license taxes. I’ve paid for the tools, flashlights, and jumper cables that sit in my trunk. I’ve replaced the alternator, the battery, belts, oil, filters, and tires with my own hands. I’ve invested in this car. Time, money, effort. This car is my baby. And I take really good care of my baby. Why? Because I know how hard it was to get it and to make it run, to keep it nice and to personalize it. I put blood, sweat, and tears into this car. It’s valuable to me.
We value what we work for, what we earn. Hard work pays off. Let’s look back at the pearl and the oyster for a moment. Did you know it can take anywhere from six months to twenty-four months for an oyster to form a pearl? That’s half a year to two years! Imagine a parasite eating away at you for two years! …Imagine the dark, stormy nights in our lives. Sometimes…sometimes we face hard situations. Sometimes life throws us a curve ball and we don’t get to duck in time. Sometimes we have irritants that fester inside of us. For long periods of time.
Parasites feed off of their hosts. They don’t benefit them. At all. In fact, they bring harm. What parasites are eating you from the inside out today? What curve balls have knocked you off your feet, made you want to curl into a ball, cry, and give up? What irritants have inflamed your anger, your self-pity, your judgmental and self-righteous, indignant and entitled sides? I know I have a few. Do you?
I believe that if we handle those dark nights, those curve balls, those irritants the right way…we can come out with rare, iridescent pearls in our lives and our characters, pearls that are more valuable than we can every know.
Love always,
Coralie