Indelible Lessons

For those of us who grew up a few decades ago, and were allowed to "go outside to play", there were times we came back with wounds (mostly on our legs). Our mothers' reactions to those wounds will be story for another day but it was a common occurrence then to go out and come back with a cut or a gash on the knee after we must have tripped over while running around. If you check your legs, I am willing to bet that those scars will still be visible today as they were many years ago. In fact, for some of them, we can still recollect vividly the circumstances surrounding those injuries...despite the fact that they happened decades ago.

Scars are a part of our lives. I am yet to meet someone without them. They remind us of where we have been, how we have lived and things that have happened to us. They also left important lessons for posterity. Those lessons have formed part of our lifes' experiences. Many years ago, while still in school, I always kept my knife in the rack with the blade side sticking out. Then one day, I was trying to reach for it (while not looking), and then the blade cut me. It was not a deep cut but that day, I was taught a memorable lesson - never to leave pointy ends of household objects exposed and uncovered. I started to keep my knife with the handle sticking up from that day.

When a child trips, he continues on his merry way. When an adult falls, he goes back to examine the cause of his missteps. Probably to remove the cause, or to learn how to better navigate that area and not fall whenever next he goes through that path again.

One thing common with children is their lack of sense of danger. They never see it coming, they never anticipate it. And when the danger chrystalises they just cry about it, dust themselves and move on almost immediately. As adults, these are the points the important left lessons should be picked up. In every event in life, there are lessons. Whether or not we identify those lessons is where growth comes in.

Usually, there are two types of people. Those who will make mistakes, move on from the mistakes and never remember again till they find themselves making the same mistakes over again. The second set of people pick lessons from the mistakes and apply the lessons to other and future aspects of their lives. They are most likely not going to make those exact mistakes again if ever the situations come up again.

Though our scars may not be aesthetically appealing, but for the reason they got there, they are priceless. They are ever-present reminders of where we have been, but they don't have to dictate where we're going. They are there to help us navigate those paths where we've slipped in the past. They are there to help us recognise danger when they are yet to materialise. They are there to help us discern who around us is for the long haul and who is for the moment. They are there to point us in the direction we should go anytime we become confused. You may not know how true that is, but your scars are the best roadmaps to a beautiful life.