The World's Your Oyster

Dear Diary,

I was given this as a gift for Christmas.  The light came in the window and hit it just right, illuminating the pearl for a moment.  It got me thinking about the origins of this phrase and, no surprise, it was Shakespeare who first used those words in his play, The Merry Wives of Windsor.  The meaning generally implies you can achieve anything you wish in life or go anywhere because you have the opportunity or ability to do so.  But I look at how the oyster takes a tiny grain of sand, an irritant, and wraps it in a lovely coating, making it a thing of beauty.  What will you make with the "irritants" in your life?  

I've added a photo of an oyster I found on Cape Cod in 1986 with a real oyster still attached.