Finding beauty in your scars Alexandra Heather Foss

“Because of your smile， you make life more beautiful.”—Thich Nhat Hanh

Beauty is something that has always confused me—what it means， why it matters. We think of beauty and often find answers in beautiful magazine pages and thin models.We see beauty as something like—eye color， hair style etc. We see beauty as something to be measured and weighed. I dont see beauty that way. I see beauty as the point between what hurts and what heals， between the darkness of tragedy and the light of joy. I find beauty in my scars.

We all have scars， inside and out. We have freckles from sunburn， emotional pains， broken bones， and broken hearts. However our scars look， we need not feel ashamed but beautiful. It is beautiful to have lived， really lived， and to have the marks to prove it. Its not a competition—as in “My scar is better than your scar”—but its a proof of our inner strength.

Long time ago， I would have laughed at this view. I covered my face to hide because it hurt to look at myself in the mirror. I was afraid that people would know what I had experienced through my skin. Now， I see scars and I see stories. I see a being who has lived， who has depth， who is a survivor. Living is beautiful. Being a part of this world is beautiful， smile-worthy， though there are tears. When I decided they were beautiful， I became beautiful.

Sometimes all it takes for your life to change is a move in view， one action or one word， and everything is different—an action like a smile， a word like “forgive”. Take a moment now to smile. Do you feel it in your body？ In your skin？ Where do you feel happiness？

When bad things happen， we dont feel happy and beautiful， but we dont need to be frustrated because life gets ugly sometimes. Joy and beauty are everywhere， in everything， in every one of us—no matter how we look， and no matter how we may hurt.We may hurt， but we will heal—and theres beauty in our scars.

Vocabulary

scar n. 傷疤

freckle n. 斑點

龍岳松改編