| Here's the definition of scar according to | | | | accompany them obtained in adulthood are |
| wikepedia.com: | | | | usually not so funny - or welcome. Perhaps |
| | | | the most disfiguring scars of all are the |
| A scar results from the biologic process of | | | | ones that can't be seen; the emotional wounds |
| wound repair in the skin and other tissues of | | | | we carry inside. Often, those scars are |
| the body. Thus, scarring is a natural part of | | | | caused by loss, bigotry, hatred, abuse, or |
| the healing process. With the exception of | | | | failure. And we all have 'em, some people |
| very minor lesions, every wound results in | | | | just hide their blemishes and pretend their |
| some form of scarring. | | | | life is unmarred. Why? Unless you've lived |
| | | | your life in a bubble and wearing a Kevlar |
| Scars obtained in childhood are, well, | | | | vest, we're all going to get hurt. |
| usually kinda funny. When someone asks how I | | | | Physically, emotionally, socially, whatever, |
| got the three deep gashes on my right calf, I | | | | being hurt and recovering is part of life. |
| usually chuckle, shake my head and say, "I | | | | |
| was a really, REALLY dumb kid..." Then, I | | | | It all comes down to how we view our scars. A |
| tell a tale where the three main characters | | | | fresh wound is not a scar. The very nature of |
| are a four-wheeler, a barbed wire fence and a | | | | a scar means, something has happened - and |
| certain 15-year-old who bears a striking | | | | healed. Something terrible was survived. If |
| resemblance to yours truly. | | | | we can look at ourselves and embrace all we |
| | | | have been through to become who we are - we |
| When I was standing in the fence line with a | | | | might begin to view scars as: lessons |
| bloody leg that looked like it'd just gone | | | | learned, places been... victories won. |
| through a meat processor, do you think I was | | | | |
| laughing? Nope! And when the doc shoved a | | | | For years, I hated, HATED the five-inch mark |
| syringe full of anti-tetanus medication into | | | | across my chin that showed up the same night |
| my arm, did I have a big grin plastered on my | | | | I lost my sight. Now? I kinda like it. How |
| mug? Again, no. So, why was I beaming a week | | | | can I like something that doesn't fit with |
| later when showing off my bandages to my | | | | the American ideal of beauty? Again, it's all |
| classmates? Time. As time passed the physical | | | | in how we think of it. |
| pain eased and I had proof of just how tough | | | | |
| a kid I was. And now? Now I look at those | | | | If we twist our thinking, we see these |
| scars with fondness. They remind me of my | | | | "imperfections" not as failures, but as signs |
| throw-caution-to-the-wind childhood, of the | | | | of being tried, tested and proven. With the |
| fact I lived through a horrifying, if rather | | | | proper attitude and time to adjust, we can |
| stupid accident, and now have a fun story to | | | | eventually accept and ultimately love the |
| tell! | | | | trials that put those physical blemishes on |
| | | | our bodies and souls. |
| Physical injuries and the scars that | | | | |