Everlasting

Cowrie shell

Original

Framed

I was never able to find a cowrie - it was the one shell I dreamt of finding and cherishing. I would scour every shore line I went to. The closest I ever got was one of the lips of a cowrie, yet I was so excited. When I started my travels I was in awe of everything the sun and the moon touched but I still had hopes of a cowrie… I pulled up along the coast of Nyingulu and walked over the dunes, blown away by the colours and the beach all to myself. I scoured (out of habit). An array of broken shells, large shells, were scattered everywhere. I saw a tiny bit of spotted shell and thought I’d better take a look at the buried, probably broken, shell. I was wrong. I pulled it out of the sand and there it was - my first cowrie & it was fucking huge. Bigger than my palm. 

That lesson taught me that if the universe doesn’t answer your prayers immediately it’s because there’s something way better in the future. Be patient.

I’ve found many cowrie shells since and I still get excited every time I find one.