Scars are good. Even better are those that get deep involving pain and bless the bearer with tenacity and perseverance. A well-led life has gone through the crests and troughs of life. A life that’s awash with unexpected predicaments and evolved a winner passing many priceless heat tests can relish the real fun in life, the joy that’s above and beyond cash flows and back-scratching.

It was exactly eight years ago we had had a burglary that filled me with trauma and made me spill hot boiling oil on my calf that gave me nearly third-degree burns. I feel that was the culmination of my depression from suffering. The suffering resulted from a constant conflict between hard work and luck, fate and destiny, and rupture and rapture. That accident resulting in the unfolding of many shocking events was the pinnacle of my combats. Then on, I feel I’m invincible. That physical scar still helps me deal with any emotional scar gracefully.

Coming back to that December incident when my younger one was a months baby, the older one was not even 5, was a life lesson. Doing maths between time and distance, we ruled out visits by family  Friends who were frequent weekend- stayers at ours announced they wouldn’t come over to help my husband, who was struggling with visits to the burns unit at the local hospital where my months baby wasn’t allowed. They never came back to us to date—one of many examples of good riddance.

Right then, the angel who imbibed confidence and infused life back into me stepped in. That friendship burnt the ambiguity in me if I had to change myself to suit the selfish people around or hang on there for the right time and right people.  

Then on, no looking back. I feel I can see beyond the masks that people wear. Yet, I feel amused and blessed when people use my time and emotions in the name of friendships and relations. That’s where some lives start and stop. I made an oath not to change myself; should I change, I let those precious people who define ‘life in life’ bringing the contentment through spirituality slip through!

Yes, I am a proud owner of certain precious friendships that don’t expect me to scratch their backs, nor extend me any party invites that are put forth based on people’s financial status and glossy outlooks. They accept me as I am! They introduced me to the concept of humanism. At this juncture, how can I not express my gratitude to my parents who raised us (me and my sister) on moral grounds! I should also not ignore my husband’s acceptance of my ideologies and give me a free hand to inculcate these values and principles in my children. Pray, I, along with these other precious friends, stand tall with these time-tested values! This chosen path may leave us with scars, but they are worthy.

Scars are beautiful. A life that hasn’t experienced those isn’t complete. A life marked with scars helps one see the simple joys of life, teaches one to be happy for others, be part of other’s pains, and allows one to weave human relations. How one deals with scars defines that life.

If scars force one to be self-centered, then one hasn’t learnt the art of living.
Scars that guide one’s life to be empathetic are a blessing to the world.
Lucky lives remain oblivious to scars, but those are empty lives.
Those who never experienced scars yet, are benevolent are the angels. 

My scars help me be a simple human being. All I have is a great family, friends, and angels who lift me.
Trust me when I say scars are good.