Battle Scars
"People have scars. In all sorts of unexpected places. Like secret roadmaps of their personal histories. Diagrams of all their old wounds. Most of our wounds heal, leaving nothing behind but a scar. But some of them don't. Some wounds we carry with us everywhere and though the cut's long gone, the pain still lingers.”
Two summers ago I was out on a friend’s boat to celebrate the Fourth of July. We were having a fabulous time dancing, lying out in the sun , just taking it easy. We decided we would get off the boat and swim over to this small island where the majority of people had relocated to eat, drink and play Bocce ball. I noticed between the boat and land was a huge dark spot in the water which usually meant one thing (no it wasn’t the loch ness monster) – oyster beds. My friends put on their shoes and carefully made it across to the shore. After a few minutes of debating... with myself, I decided I would do the same. Of course as soon as I started to walk towards the oyster bed to try to make it across, I lost my balance and fell right down on my hands and knees into the oysters. I now have two scars (I am assuming they are permanent because it is now two years later and they haven’t disappeared) – one on the inside of my foot and one on the top of my right leg. I am not sure if they will ever go away. This is the story about how I got my scar.
Have you ever been around someone that is proud to “show and tell” their battle scars? Usually kids love to talk about their “boo-boos.” I always found it amusing when I worked in a daycare listening to the 4, 5 and 6 year olds. (I could write a blog just about how kids say the funniest things.) We would be on the playground and the little boys would come running up to me...”Teacher, Teacher, Look! Look! I fell off my bike and have a cut!” They say excitedly as they rip off the Sponge Bob Squarepants Band-Aid to display nothing more than a red colored strawberry.” They were young kids but yet they were compelled to tell me about their “Pain.” Maybe you have been around a war veteran who has true battle scars to talk about. Stories of war and hardships. Or maybe it is someone like my grandfather who is in his seventies –he can tell you stories about how he use to walk barefoot to school because they couldnt afford shoes. Or stories about my great grandmother the scars she use to leave on their behinds when they misbehaved :) I could sit and listen to stories from his childhood for hours. (Yes, some of them I have heard more than once but I don’t mind.)
Ok maybe you have caught on by now, or maybe you havent...but I am not just talking about stories that deal with blood and guts physical scars … I am also talking about emotional scars. And believe me these are usually the most painful and can come from so many things...Divorce, Death, Childhood issues, Financial struggles, lifes Disappointments. Life can be hard. It is a very bumpy road and we all get bruised along the way. A lot of times people just want someone to talk to…someone they can share their personal story with. How often do we take a minute out of our busy schedule to focus on someone else and really hear what they have to say? The funny thing is once you do… you will soon realize that we have all gone through the same thing. We have all been in relationships that have ended in heartbreak….we have all probably lost someone that we care about at some point in our lives. We have all been there.
Everyone has a past. Everyone has experienced pain. Sometimes the pain does linger…and sometimes it just helps to talk about it. That’s what I like about blogging. Even if no one else in the world reads my blog I still feel like I am able to share "my story". It is therapy. I also hope that if someone does read it maybe they can relate to some of my experiences and realize they are not alone. I like to think that every experience we have, good or bad, helps mold us into the person that we are today. It makes us who we are!
Here's a challenge - next time someone starts talking to you about what they are going through...or starts to share a personal story with you...really focus on what they are saying. Stop allowing your mind to wander about everything that you have to get done...or comparing how your life is SOOO much worse. Everyone has a story to tell...sometimes it is just nice to share.
Two summers ago I was out on a friend’s boat to celebrate the Fourth of July. We were having a fabulous time dancing, lying out in the sun , just taking it easy. We decided we would get off the boat and swim over to this small island where the majority of people had relocated to eat, drink and play Bocce ball. I noticed between the boat and land was a huge dark spot in the water which usually meant one thing (no it wasn’t the loch ness monster) – oyster beds. My friends put on their shoes and carefully made it across to the shore. After a few minutes of debating... with myself, I decided I would do the same. Of course as soon as I started to walk towards the oyster bed to try to make it across, I lost my balance and fell right down on my hands and knees into the oysters. I now have two scars (I am assuming they are permanent because it is now two years later and they haven’t disappeared) – one on the inside of my foot and one on the top of my right leg. I am not sure if they will ever go away. This is the story about how I got my scar.
Have you ever been around someone that is proud to “show and tell” their battle scars? Usually kids love to talk about their “boo-boos.” I always found it amusing when I worked in a daycare listening to the 4, 5 and 6 year olds. (I could write a blog just about how kids say the funniest things.) We would be on the playground and the little boys would come running up to me...”Teacher, Teacher, Look! Look! I fell off my bike and have a cut!” They say excitedly as they rip off the Sponge Bob Squarepants Band-Aid to display nothing more than a red colored strawberry.” They were young kids but yet they were compelled to tell me about their “Pain.” Maybe you have been around a war veteran who has true battle scars to talk about. Stories of war and hardships. Or maybe it is someone like my grandfather who is in his seventies –he can tell you stories about how he use to walk barefoot to school because they couldnt afford shoes. Or stories about my great grandmother the scars she use to leave on their behinds when they misbehaved :) I could sit and listen to stories from his childhood for hours. (Yes, some of them I have heard more than once but I don’t mind.)
Ok maybe you have caught on by now, or maybe you havent...but I am not just talking about stories that deal with blood and guts physical scars … I am also talking about emotional scars. And believe me these are usually the most painful and can come from so many things...Divorce, Death, Childhood issues, Financial struggles, lifes Disappointments. Life can be hard. It is a very bumpy road and we all get bruised along the way. A lot of times people just want someone to talk to…someone they can share their personal story with. How often do we take a minute out of our busy schedule to focus on someone else and really hear what they have to say? The funny thing is once you do… you will soon realize that we have all gone through the same thing. We have all been in relationships that have ended in heartbreak….we have all probably lost someone that we care about at some point in our lives. We have all been there.
Everyone has a past. Everyone has experienced pain. Sometimes the pain does linger…and sometimes it just helps to talk about it. That’s what I like about blogging. Even if no one else in the world reads my blog I still feel like I am able to share "my story". It is therapy. I also hope that if someone does read it maybe they can relate to some of my experiences and realize they are not alone. I like to think that every experience we have, good or bad, helps mold us into the person that we are today. It makes us who we are!
Here's a challenge - next time someone starts talking to you about what they are going through...or starts to share a personal story with you...really focus on what they are saying. Stop allowing your mind to wander about everything that you have to get done...or comparing how your life is SOOO much worse. Everyone has a story to tell...sometimes it is just nice to share.
This entry was posted
on Thursday, September 25, 2008 at Thursday, September 25, 2008.
