Scars

As I was walking up a set of stairs recently a complete stranger behind me made a statement that had me quickly turning around. It wasn't rude. Or offensive. It was in truth just a simple sentence. And surprisingly correct.

"You've had achilles surgery".

My first thought was how did they know. Secondly I began thinking was I walking a certain way that would of showed this. Then the aha hit, my scar.

The simple comment turned into an interesting conversation. Moments of connection that wouldn't of been there if I was wearing longer socks. The scar was visible. And this person chose to be respectfully curious, emphatic and honest.

How often do we miss opportunities to deepen connection, with self, others or the world around us, because of our scars? Not all scars are visible. And not all scars are up for discussion with those who haven't earned the right to hear about them (love Brené Brown's work, and the way she uses that phrase of earnt right). But we're constantly inspired by those who choose to let their humanness lead them to making a difference. As the quote below says, they're real hero's.

'Your scars are witnesses that you never gave up. You are a hero.' - Najwa Zebian

Scars. We've all got them. Some visible (like on the back of my leg). But many are invisible to others. I guess that's why they say, 'be kind, you never know what someone is going through'.

Photo by Luis Villasmil on Unsplash