scar tissue

I know something about you… you have a scar on your knee.
If right now you gasp and wonder how I know this: a lot of people have a scar like that, since falling on our knees is more common than we think. Some even get an arrow to the knee (sorry for this outdated joke).  That’s why some fortunetellers will use this fact to prove they can ‘really’ see the unexplained.  But since the supernatural isn’t really my turf, let’s get back to the scar issue.

 We all have scars, things from the past that changed our appearance.  Some are small and unseen, sometimes even unnoticed. While others might even affect the way you behave.
A personal example? If ever you have the honor/horror to see me topless:  you can still see a small line on the skin above my collarbone. While the scar is almost gone, the metal spike underneath it still remains. That spike was meant to keep the broken bone on its place. And while it has long served, it still remains as a part of me. In the beginning it changed my life drastically: the slightest touch of that area caused great pain. I became more cautious and avoided everything that might hint a danger of direct contact. As time passed I returned to my old habits and even took more chances: roller coasters,  cliff jumping, festivals… Although you won’t see me crowd surfing any time soon now.

The same thing goes with your inner scars.

 An experience might have hurt you so deeply that is has left a scar on your soul. In the beginning you’ll mostly remind the pain, and everything that gets near you will cause some kind of a reaction. Later on you’ll try to move on and pick up your normal way of life. The beginning is always the hardest part. You are suspicious of everything that has a hint of hurting you. Though as time passes you’ll eventually return to your normal way of experiencing life. It is true that the scar will still remind you time and again about the injury, and perhaps you’ll be more cautious in similar situations. But in the end it won’t affect you as much as you initially feared.  The cliché is often true: time can heal all wounds. So no matter which discomfort you might experience, whether it is physical or mental. You will still be you. And the pain will subside.

Side note: in some cases, when the pain is deeper, a full recovery will not always be in order. But still time will teach you how to return to a similar way of living. The things that make you who you are, will always find a way to submerge. Have faith in it.