A stranger on the train and I were stealing glances at each other yesterday. As I was working up the courage to say hi, I noticed she had healed SH scars on her legs. She saw me looking and covered her legs with her jacket and got off soon after. I wish I could apologize for making her feel self conscious, I was just caught up in thinking.

I was caught up in thinking about the pain she must have been going through before she hurt herself, the pain of SH and the pain of healing after the fact. I wish she saw the beauty in her marks.

She was beautiful not despite her scars, but because of them. They were marks of a difficult, unfair life that she was strong enough to live through. She found her way through it all and made her way onto the train. I wish she could have stayed a little longer, maybe that would give her enough time to notice my marks too.

The story we tell on our skin is that of quiet strength. I hope we can all be in the place where we don’t need to SH, but in the meantime we can be there for each other. You are beautiful because of your scars :) DM me anytime.