“I used to be ashamed of my scars until I realized they are reminders that I have found better days and that the journey to find them was worth it.” ~ Ella Patrice
We all have scars, we all are marked by the life we live…
“I used to be ashamed of my scars until I realized they are reminders that I have found better days and that the journey to find them was worth it.”
I am quite scarred. Besides the typical scars caused by life and my own general klutziness, for many, many years I attacked my skin as a way of dealing with a number of un-diagnosed issues (one of which was dermatillomania). The results, while mostly faded, are still a fairly large number of scars that lay scattered upon my body like the constellations and galaxies fill the sky.
I know that I am not alone in having a body that shows how it’s lived with the marks it bears, nor am I alone in feeling ashamed or self-conscious about it. I also know that I am hyper aware of each crack, pit, bump, and jagged line that is etched, pulled, stretched, and criss-crossed along the canvas of my skin. Most people probably wouldn’t notice or even care about any scars that are visible. I know it’s rare I notice or really register anyone else’s scars.
The thing is, each and every single one of us is scarred. Some scars are physical, caused by wounds, accidental and deliberate. Others are of the mental and emotional kind, wounds created in the mind, heart, and soul. Some are both, the physical a sign and mirror of the linked interior scars.
No matter the way, not matter the scar, there is no reason to carry shame with them. They exist because you exist. How beautiful is that?! You have a scar because you are still here, you are still alive, you are still YOU. It’s truly incredible.
I still struggle with completely accepting all of my scars, especially those I gave myself, inflicted in moments of pain, confusion, desperation, and yearning. I still grimace and feel self-conscious sometimes when I see them, feel them, but more and more I find myself caressing them with love, with tenderness, with compassion.
My scars, after all, are reminders. Reminders that I’m still here. Reminders that I am still living. Reminders that I’ve found better days and better ways. My scars have created a unique road map of where I’ve been, who I was and where I’m going. And you know what? The story my scars are showing me is that the journey to discover these better days has been worth it. I’ve been worth it. These better days were always worth striving for, scars and all, and there is so much more yet to go.
I hope that you know that you are worth it – and that your scars are amazingly beautiful because they are yours. They are a part of your story, a part of what helped you become who you are right now, and a part of who you will continue to become.
You are here and I am so grateful and glad that you are!
Namaste ~ Ella
~ This was originally published as Affirmation Mondays 4 and it has been updated for current use.
~ Affirmation Mondays are positive words of wisdom, insight and joy to add a bit of cheer to the start of your week and any day you need a bit of a pick-me-up! For even more inspiration please check out my Affirmation Mondays Pinterest Board and my Quote-spirational Board!
Lawhimsy 