Vacuosity

Don't scratch

When I was a kid, I got a scar on my left knee from fallng onto a board with a nail in it. It wasn't much of an event; stitches and scars were a matter of course for me. I haven't thought of it much since then.


Today, for some inexplicable reason, that scar became furiously itchy. I scratched it, but it wouldn't stop. It seemd the more I went at it, the worse it got. I finally had to just ignore it. Eventually, the sensation subsided and it stopped bothering me.


My sister MaryEllen, and her kids came by today to visit. Julia and MaryEllen always get to talking, comparing as they do, her family's upbringing and ours. Remarking on similarities, amazed at the differences, they always seem to surface the incidents that hurt the most. Usually things we had forgotten and are better off for not remembering.


I realized that even though old scars can itch sometimes, they're often better left untouched.

posted by David @ 10:39 p.m.