The Dirtbag Diaries

Tue, 27 April 2010

"There is a wonderment in scars, the remnant of a body able to heal itself," writes Becca Cahall. "I love that my skin has chosen to retain memories that I might have otherwise have forgotten." We've all got them. War wounds. Battle scars. We get them from crashing bikes in the woods, surgeon's scalpels and cheese grating falls on granite. If you look back at each scar, each of them tells an incredible story, tales to share around campfires and over beers. The real incredible thing is that we chose to see what we want in our wounds and in others. We look past them to the emotion and memory behind them. The become the physical diary of our lives.

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Direct download: The_Shorts_--_Scars.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:10 AM

Comments[6]

This episode of the Dirtbag Diaries particularly resonated me, and was even a bit emotional. By the end of fifth grade, I already had gone through about 70 stitches, and carried the scars of a severe animal bite on my left leg. The scar brought all kinds of reactions throughout my life, but it's now part of me, and I'm glad its there. Thanks for this, Becca and Fitz.
posted by: Ethan on 2010-05-21 02:13:49
Listening to your podcast reminds me that people are generally good and that most things can be worked out on a bike ride, slab of granite or in the woods! Thanks for putting yourself out there!
posted by: Corey on 2010-05-18 03:33:29
Yeah, I think scars fill that void of tattoos for a lot of us. Except they are this byproduct from a life well lived. Totally spontaneous.
posted by: the dirtbag on 2010-04-27 13:36:00
Now that I am in my 30\'s (and not slowing down) my step kids like hearing about my scars both mental and physical that have come from years of climbing and biking in so many places.
posted by: Tracy on 2010-04-27 16:27:00
I am covered from head to toe in scars...I lost count of the surgeries, falls, accidents & incidents. My husband
loves how I relish in delight as I tell the stories about how
I earned my scars. It is so true that our scars are road maps
of who we are...the tales they tell, the journies they remind us of and how I feel they reflect our inner strength & beauty. The thing I love most about my scars is how they reflect who I have become & what it has taken to get to get here.

Thanks for the story.
posted by: Rennie Lee on 2010-04-27 09:52:00
It occurs to me that many people think of tattoos the same way. Sitting in a hot tub this past weekend the discussion went from scars to tattoos. Everyone had a story for each scar and tat that told something about themselves and their life experiences.
Thanks for the short I really enjoyed it.
posted by: KRB on 2010-04-27 13:18:00