Krish Patel - Week 15 - Scars
I was trying to find an idea and inspiration for my blog, and I happened to look down at my knees and see the scars that I have accumulated over the years due to failed skateboard tricks, dumb ideas on my scooters and tennis. Every time I see one of the 100 scars I have, they always bring back a memory from the time I received the scar. For example, the burn mark on my hand is a result of my mom accidentally hitting the pan off the stove and me trying to catch it. I always laugh when I see it as it reminds me of the foolish things I have done in my life.
Next is the scar on my elbow. I got this one from trying to ride my electric scooter with no hands at full speed. I fell down and scraped my elbow really badly and ever since then I have reminded myself to be cautious on the roads. I also have so many on my knees with them reminding me of my early childhood when I thought that I could pop a wheelie on my bicycle even though I had no sense of coordination.
These scars hold important memories for me while for others it could remind them of painful memories of abuse or trauma. Though the backstory might be different, the scars themselves represent how we have all overcome obstacles in our life from the small paper cuts to serious injuries like broken bones.
Many people have asked me if I would remove my scars if I had the opportunity to. However, if I am being honest, I would rather keep every single one of them because they are the only permanent reminder of the amazing memories of my childhood.
Source: https://quotefancy.com/quote/1764533/Chris-Cagle-Scars-heal-glory-fades-and-all-we-re-left-with-are-the-memories-made-pain
Hey Krish! I, too, have a scar on my elbow from falling off my scooter in fourth grade because I turned way too fast at top speed. There’s one on my hip from when I was running laps on the wet blacktop in PE and slipped on a turn (if anyone remembers that, no you don’t). Then, of course, there are the random bruises that come and go, seeming to have no origin but probably forming from me walking into table corners all the time. The cuts on my heels because I somehow always manage to cut myself on the pool wall during swim practice. But even my oldest scars, though still visible, are slowly fading, with only a couple of faint stretch marks where the scooter injury once was dark and painful. I like the idea that scars are remnants of the stories that make us who we are. Although I will probably not have the formidable (but traumatic) battle scars of my favorite book and show characters, each of the marks on my skin are a reminder that, no matter what injury I have sustained, I have healed. I especially like your use of descriptions to bring the story of each of your scars alive. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi Krish!
ReplyDeleteI was wondering how you related scars to memory and language this week, but I understood once I read through your blog. Your blog is very relatable, because I have a few scars (some have faded away) which automatically remind me of a past memory. For example, I have three scars above my knuckles on my left hand because of a bad swing while hitting a heavy pad barehanded while training for my 4th-degree black belt. Another scar that faded away was also on my left arm just above my wrist (the following is going to sound weird but bear with me), where my old martial arts instructor pinned me to a wall while slashing me with a knife on his last day teaching. It isn’t as bad as you think because it was a training knife, and he wanted to see if he actually could leave the studio to pursue a medical career as a doctor with people who can defend themselves, are competent, and know what they are doing. These scars remind me of the hard work I put into martial arts and are similar to you and the lessons you have learned throughout life. Don’t worry though, because I never got that injured from the knife, and he was allowed to do that without getting in trouble either! Thanks for sharing!
-Colin
Hi Krish,
ReplyDeleteI thought that your blog article was quite touching and interesting. The idea that your scars serve as a reminder of what you have done in your past childhood is a unique and fascinating one. I wonder how you feel about some of these scars going away. Although some of them may be permanent scars, there are definitely a few that might start to fade or heal as you get older and older and the years go by. Would you say that you feel like it is natural that these go away, since they represent moving on from the incidents regarding how you got them, or would you say that you feel like a part of your memories/livelihood goes away when these scars heal? Personally, I would feel a combination of the former and the latter. If a defining experience of mine was memorialized by a scar, I likely would not want that feeling to go away and would instead just want to keep that. However, for something more trivial like falling off my bike and hurting myself I likely wouldn’t care if that scar began to heal. It really comes down to the context.
Thanks,
Ritwik
Hey Krish,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that scars serve as great reminders of memories of the past. As a child, I was quite rowdy and did accumulate quite the number of scars and although I sometimes wonder if they will ever heal, I always smile, remember the time I got them. For example, as a child, I saw my dad vacuuming around the house and I got really excited. I started running all over the house until I ran straight into the edge of a desk in the house. I started bleeding and although the wound eventually healed, there is still a slight discoloration in that area compared to the rest of my skin. Although the event for how I got the scar seems ordinary, it reminds me of the fun times I had as a child and it always gets me to chuckle when I think about it. Great blog post!