Perception is everything…

Perception is everything… On the odd occasion that I brave a nail salon, usually around this time of year, I’m routinely greeted with mortified stares, as nail techs gasp in horror at these babies. They see my callouses, from lifting, as unslightly horrors to be filed away, soaked in lemon juice and softened into the supple babysoft hands of a ‘lady’. That’s their perception… but here’s mine.. f*ck that, these callouses are veritable trophies. They represent all my hard work overcoming my struggles, both mental and physical. They provide me with a means to grow stronger and lift heavier and achieve tasks I once never imagined possible. So why would I bother to hide them, why wouldn’t I be proud. I’m proud of the things my body can do and aim to do keep growing the amount and the complexity of those things.My ‘heart kid’ nieces’ open heart surgery scars, they aren’t ugly, they are a beautiful reminder of both the fragility of human life and the indomitable strength she possesses, to be the force of nature that she is today, from such frail beginnings.My 41 year old wrinkles and the white spots on my brain, they represent the choices I have made, the lessons I have learned, and challenges I have faced to become who I am today. Older, wiser, and more compassionate.The scars we bear represent our stories, our struggles, our tragedies and triumphs. In a world where people are air brushed and primped and preened within an inch of their life, yet we suffer from a lack of genuine understanding, it’s the distinctive marks and characteristics we carry that help us tell our story and build our own narrative. What the world needs now is more listening, communication and acceptance, not more judgement, especially over something as trivial as some ‘unsightly’ soft tissue. Just a timely reminder at this rather stressful time of year, the more we can connect and learn from one another the more we will find common ground or at least appreciate things from a different perspective.