Turtles and Snails

“We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another; unevenly. The shell must be cracked apart if the world is to be seen.”

— Anaïs Nin

 Our bodies are complex and, while we live with them every day, they often feel foreign.  We love them, but we really have no idea how they work.  Especially our minds.  Even scientists and doctors are often at a loss for answers as to what is happening inside.  Yet, our bodies are our home.  They are all we have.  From the day we are born, our energy, our soul, our personality is stored in this thing called “body.”

A turtle carries its home on its back. A snail does too. For centuries, these creatures have symbolized slowness, steadiness, and retreat. But when we take a closer look, not just at the symbolism, but at the biology of their shells, their homes, we discover something deeper: a living lesson about protection, growth, and the necessity of maintaining the boundaries that keep us safe.

Humans may not have shells in the literal sense, but our bodies and our boundaries function in much the same way. We carry our “home” with us, whether we’re conscious of it or not. And like turtles and snails, the health of our shell determines how well we move through the world.

When most people picture a turtle, the shell comes to mind first. But unlike a house that can be abandoned, a turtle’s shell is not a detachable covering. It is part of the turtle’s body.  Formed from its ribcage and spine, fused into a dome of bone, and covered by keratin plates called scutes. The shell grows with the turtle and, importantly, cannot be shed or replaced.

This is why the health of the shell is so critical. If a turtle suffers a cracked shell from a car tire or a predator’s bite, the injury is not superficial. It’s as if its ribcage were broken open. The shell contains blood vessels and nerves, so damage is painful and potentially fatal.

The most common danger to turtles in captivity isn’t predators, but neglect. Without access to sunlight or proper nutrition - particularly calcium and vitamin D - the shell fails to develop properly. It becomes soft, weak, or deformed. In the wild, this would leave a turtle unable to protect itself or thrive.

The turtle’s shell teaches us something essential: our first home, our body, is inseparable from who we are. We cannot crawl out of it, no matter how much we may sometimes want to. If we neglect to care for it, if we starve it of nutrients or ignore its signals, we weaken the very foundation of our protection.

The snail, in contrast, is a builder. When a snail hatches, it carries with it a tiny, fragile shell, just big enough to house its tender body. The starter shell is soft, but the snail has what it needs to make it stronger. An organ called the mantle continuously secretes calcium carbonate, layer by layer, expanding the spiral as the snail grows.

Unlike turtles, snails do not carry a shell of bone. Their shell is mineral, and its strength depends almost entirely on resources in the environment. If a snail doesn’t have access to calcium, either from the soil, water, or its food, its shell will become thin and brittle. Predators can crush it, falls can shatter it, and cracks may expose the snail’s vulnerable tissues to infection or dehydration.

Yet snails are also resilient. Small cracks can be repaired, healed over by new secretions of calcium carbonate. The spiral is not just a house but a living record of growth, a visible trace of time and environment.

From the snail, we learn another truth. Our boundaries and structures are not fixed; they are built layer by layer. The choices we make, the environments we inhabit, and the nourishment we receive all contribute to the strength or fragility of the shell we carry.

So, what do turtle shells and snail spirals have to do with us? More than we might think.

We, too, are creatures carrying our homes with us. Our first shell is our body, our living carapace of flesh and bone. It shields us, defines us, and grows with us from birth to death. It is our internal structure.  We are it and it is us.  Like turtles, we cannot abandon it. And like turtles, if we fail to nourish it with food, rest, movement, and care, it weakens, leaving us vulnerable.

We also resemble snails. Unlike turtles, we also build external structures: our houses, communities, and personal boundaries. These are not born fully formed. They must be created, reinforced, and repaired. If we do not feed them with healthy relationships, supportive environments, and intentional choices, our “shells” become thin. We may find ourselves overexposed, unprotected, or living in spaces that do not truly sustain us.

Boundaries, like snail shells, are not rigid walls. They are living structures, shaped by time and experience, able to expand as we grow. And just as a snail can repair a crack, so too can we mend the fractures in our own boundaries, given the right resources and attention.

For both turtles and snails, the greatest dangers often come not from external attacks but from internal neglect. Shell rot, malnutrition, or lack of resources silently weaken their protection until the damage becomes visible and sometimes irreversible.

Humans face the same risk. When we ignore our bodies, push past exhaustion, numb pain instead of healing it, or consume what does not nourish, we erode our shell from within. When we fail to build healthy boundaries, say yes when we need to say no, tolerate toxic environments, or deny ourselves the resources we need, we leave cracks in our defenses.

Over time, our neglect begins to show. Illness, burnout, broken relationships, or a sense of being “unhoused” within our own lives are all signs that our shell has been compromised.

Yet protection is not found in isolation. A turtle cannot remain forever withdrawn inside its shell. A snail cannot survive sealed off from its environment. To live, they must extend themselves outward.  Poking out their heads and limbs, touching the world, seeking food, light, and connection.

We are no different. Boundaries are not meant to shut out the world entirely. They are meant to create safety so that we can engage with it fully. Without allowing love, experience, and even struggle into our lives, we stagnate. The shell is not a prison; it is a base camp from which to venture forth.

Like turtles, we must recognize our body as a non-negotiable home that requires daily care. Like snails, we must see our boundaries as living, growing structures built from the choices and resources available to us.

The question is not whether we have a shell, it is how well are we tending it? Are we nourishing it? Repairing its cracks? Expanding it as we grow? Or are we neglecting it, leaving ourselves brittle, fractured, and exposed?

The turtle and the snail remind us that home is not elsewhere. It is here, on our backs, in our bones, and in the spiral of choices we make. And if we care for our shell, it will carry us steadily, slowly, safely, through the journey of life.

Brene Brown states, “True belonging doesn’t require you to change who you are; it requires you to be who you are.”  Being who we are is being honest about our needs and desires and authentic in how we show up day to day.  Our internal and external shells need to coordinate.  We need to maximize our internal health and monitor external people and situations to make sure they are supporting us, not robbing us of our energy and essence.  When we are who we are, our homes are more able to act and react according to what is needed. 

And when we feel “cracked”, we should remember Leonard Cohen’s words, ““There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.”  Life, and growth, is not chronological.  And we never know where we might run into cracks.  But if we are nurturing ourselves, our ability to heal will be greater if we remember, this is our home.  The only home we have.  Treat it with love and care. 

Much love,

Lisa

P.S. - blog photo courtesy of L. Guddall

Lisa Hamil is a founding member and host for The SOS Collective, an online international women’s recovery and support group.  However, this blog and any classes or coaching offered by Lisa Hamil LLC are separate from and not affiliated in any way with The SOS Collective.