Celebrating our scars

Why do we so often hide our scars while we can embrace them?

In her weekly column, the political commentator, Melanie Verwoerd, states that “we should celebrate our scars because they are a sign of our collective strengths.”

She tells how she stood next to a tattooed lady. What struck her was the confidence of the lady. How well she carried her tattoos. She then shared, with the woman, that she contemplated getting a tattoo to cover a surgical scar.

The woman replied, “You know, you must do it if it is a way to celebrate the scar. We should never hide our scars — they should be celebrated as a sign of what we have overcome.”

We seldom use celebration and scars in the same sentence in my world. But, to be honest, the sooner we can forget about our mishappenings, the better, we believe, it is. The opportunity to learn and grow is never the first thing that will cross our minds.

Bottom line: Take time. Sit back. Relax. And let us compare our scars. But, more importantly, let us share what we learned through the healing process. If anything at all.