As I started running, I knew I could do it. With each stride getting longer and longer, I picked up momentum until I passed the point of no return.
The fence wasn't even that high, and the section I'd chosen to hurdle over was lower than the rest due to some of the neglected wires coming apart. As my foot touched down for the final time before the leap, something didn't feel quite right. I guess the relentless downpour that morning had changed the ground upon which I ran. With a slip of the foot, my body left the ground and began to sail over the wire fence. Maybe I would clear it after all...
18 stitches and 24yrs later, I still have my memento of that journey.
There is a place on my left bicep that my little niece has affectionately named 'the soft bit'. She loves to touch it and says it feels like a butterfly's wing. Even though I was too young to remember the accident, I still get used as a cautionary tale for the kids to stay away from boiling water.
Throughout our lives, things happen to leave us with scars. Some are very easy to spot, and others, only visible on the inside. Whether they come from a leap of faith or a broken heart, these experiences change us forever, never to be the same again. But that's ok. Our scars are just a reminder of how strong we really are.
quality insight Jeff...
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!
DeleteI too have scars from childhood. One on my left arm and one my right leg. No stitches needed but it still visible to this day. I dont recall how I got it but I create these stories to my nieces and nephews everytime they ask me. :)
ReplyDeleteDo you? It's funny how we grow up with our scars. I bet the little ones love the stories!:-)
DeleteWe bordered on cheesy for a moment there. But I like your style.
ReplyDelete:-) Hehe, thanks for that!
DeleteYou are such a gifted writer and story teller. I love this. And I just again inspected all my visible scars -- from the pocket knife when I was 5, the fall to the knee 7 (and 8 and 9 and 10 and 11 and 12), the one below my eye from the baseball bat when I was 8. And more. I've decided to not focus on the internal scars ... today.
ReplyDeleteBless you, my friend! Wow, you do remember every single one! You must have had a great time as a kid :-) Your poor Duchess had her hands full.
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