A Lesson Learned from Scars

Today I am thankful for my scabbed and bruised knees and hands.

Wait. What?!?

But it is true. About two weeks ago I was on my morning run when, out of absolutely nowhere, I completely ate it. I fell in an alleyway and scrapped up my knees and my hands pretty badly as well as sprained my ankle.

Needless to say, I handled the pain and the shock of it all so well. Not.

My husband raced to my side, cared for me (the Drama Queen), and took me to the doctor to wrap my ankle and clean the open wounds.

Now, weeks later, the bruises are still evident, and the scabs elicit stares wherever I go. As much as I am wishing away the remnants of my unfortunate tumble, I cannot help but think of what they are presently doing for me.

I started running again a mere four days after the accident. Probably too soon on the sprain, but if you know me, you know I cannot stay off my feet. And every run I have taken since that day, I have been much more aware of my surroundings, much more careful of my stride, and paid much more attention to the trail ahead.

The scabs are an ever present reminder of what can happen when I am not paying attention, when I let my thoughts, my music, my plans for the day ahead, distract me.

The scabs I have now are a literal and tangible reminder of a mistake that I have made. They have caused me to think that if other mistakes I have made would produce some sort of similar physical scar that would act as a reminder, a warning of what would happen if I did not take heed, would I not repeat the same mistakes again?

Now, I am glad that every mistake I make does not produce a physical scar…there would be too many to count, but I do want to take the same precautions against repetitive mistakes as I am taking now on my runs.

 I want to learn from my mistakes, figure out what “tripped” me up in the first place, and when I pick myself back up again and start running, I want to be sure to not make the same mistake again. And hopefully, in the process of learning from the past and making changes for the better for the future, I will do less damage to myself and the people I love.