I’m getting ready to move house and I opened THAT drawer.  The one where you stuff all the bits of paper that you believe you need to keep for some reason.  Not the important stuff, that’s all scanned and filed, but the scraps of paper with notes to self on them, random shopping lists that you forgot to take to the shop, really old Christmas cards and little pearls of wisdom that you are sure you need to remember or learn more about.  The scrap of paper that caught my attention as I cleared out this drawer simply said:

The oyster has to be irritated to make a pearl

I hadn’t dated the paper, which is something I am always wishing that I did with greater regularity, and there is no context as to why I wrote that statement, but it caught my eye and as I was ready to welcome a distraction from my labours I thought I’d stop and have a think about it.  As some of you will know, I don’t think in my head, I think by typing so…….

First thought…  there is a familiarity about this phrase.  Have I already written about it?  I had to go check.  Apparently I did and here’s the link if you want to go check it out:   https://aurian.blog/2022/02/24/irritations/   How interesting and a wonderful synchronicity. I wrote that blog as my ex and I started house sharing, and right now I am packing up to leave that house.  The start and end of an era.  I love these little gems in life.

2.  Irritation.  Before these pearls of wisdom can appear, there is irritation.  These are the things which we all experience that drive us nuts.  Or cause pain or difficulties in our lives.  Whatever the irritation is we have to do something about it or it runs the risk of becoming a massive, big canker in our lives.  The oyster wraps the irritation up in nacre.  Interestingly nacre is made of 95% aragonite which is a crystal known to represent truth, understanding and an unclouded perception of reality.

3.  Looking at our irritations with a clear understanding of what is happening (our reality), and recognising that truth has many facets, and coming to an understanding of how to deal with the irritation, is exactly how we should aim to resolve those irritations in our daily life. 

So – have I resolved the irritations in my life?  I think I may.  My ex was a constant irritation.  There is a reason why he is my ex.  I wish him well in his new ventures and I am excited about moving house and entering my next stage in life.   One irritation down!

My next irritation is probably the biggest. This is my daughter whom I love with all my being but who, for her own reasons and without giving me any hints, just dropped right out of my life.  This is going to take a whole lot of nacre to smooth out the constant pain of this one, but I’m working on it. 

As I sit here at my lap-top, I am trying to work out what other irritations there are in my life and I cannot think of anything that is building-a-pearl worthy.  I’ve reached a stage where I can accept change; I understand myself a whole lot more than I used to and, most importantly, I no longer try to hide my idiosyncrasies.  I know what they are and I have come to accept them.  They no longer confuse or irritate me.

Do all our irritations become pearls?  They definitely all have that opportunity, but it depends on how much we are willing to work on them.  I know of many people who have actually become comfortable with the scratchiness of the irritation and although they may talk about fixing things, they never get around to doing it.  Or they can’t be bothered to take the time to do the work needed to smooth out the issue.  Some people are so caught up in the drama that they don’t even see that there is a little raw spot in their life that runs the risk of growing – and perhaps even turning septic! 

Ah!  But for those who do take the time to seek out where that irritation came from, where it is hiding, how and why does it affect me, who look into the various facets of the truth of the problem and work to gain understanding of all aspects…  these are the people who can turn the problems in their lives into pearls of wisdom. 

Ashirvad Shanti

Auri’An