Fairy Trees and Conch Shells

My best friend Ashlynn, and I made a pact and a promise to visit Ireland someday together.  That is where this story begins.

The day came 4 years after the pact was made, and we were off to Dublin together. We toured Dublin, but mostly spent our time in the countryside and the coastal towns. One of the most impacting moments of the trip occurred when we were hiking on a family farm in a place known as "the Burren." We nearly reached the top of the limestone landscape when we came upon what our guide called, "fairy trees." Like witches fingers, the only thing that the otherwise bare trees contained were little pieces of string or cloth.  The guide elaborated that people climb up the Burren with their carefully selected piece to leave behind a worry or a trouble.  I tore a piece of my scarf and tied it around the tree.  Maybe it was because I was getting into the culture, or because the landscape enthralled me, but I truly felt like my worry had been left there that day.

Almost a year later, I found myself on the shores of Cozumel Mexico, walking down the beach, when I happened upon a driftwood tree that contained conch shells hung intentionally on the limbs.  I wondered in the back of my mind if these conch trees had the same purpose as the Irish fairy trees.

I asked a few locals in (very) broken Spanish if they knew the reason for it, to no avail.  For me, however, I carefully selected a beautiful conch shell from the hundreds that were lying on the beach and picked a spot on the driftwood branches.  I thought very hard about what worry I would be leaving behind, and hung the shell.

I am leaving the Keys, without fairy or conch trees to choose from. Worries, while natural, weigh us down, prevent growth, and make us fearful.  I am leaving the Keys to symbolically leave behind several conch shells and pieces of cloth. It is not an act to run away, but instead a confirmation that I have more to offer to the earth than worries and the emptiness that it brings.  We are complex beings, but we are full of love, kindness, bravery, and strength.  Even in the tough times, I knew that this was true all along.  And though I be but small, I am fierce (Thanks Shakespeare).

The Burren's Fairy Trees in Co. Clare, Ireland

Conch shell trees in Cozumel, Mexico