I have a bellybutton scar from the time I thought it would be cool to have a piercing there. Eventually it got infected and practically fell off until I accepted the fact that I’d have to remove it. That was about 4 or 5 years ago.
People are always telling us to not do stupid things like piercing your navel or dyeing your hair blonde or wearing something ridiculous and outlandish. Thing is, I find that I regret the things I didn’t do more than the things that I did. I regret not taking the risk of doing what I really wanted when I was younger. I regret not speaking out against some things that I should have. I regret not taking the time to do some things just because they were fun. I have not, for one second, regretted any of the things that I did do.
The fact is, while some people complain about the scars they have, I treasure them like jewels. Each one represents a time when I fell down and hurt myself because I was so obliviously enjoying myself, and the time that I eventually gave myself to heal.
Now every time I’m in the bathroom, looking at my bellybutton scar or any of my other scars in the mirror, I remember the story behind each one (one of which involves a monkey attack, but that’s a story for another day).
If you’re living a life completely devoid of scars, chances are you never really lived.
