Stretch marks, when peered at through the eyes of a child, are seen as something new yet familiar. "Are you a zebra?" "Are you a cheetah?" "What are those?" "Where did they come from?" "Are you a giraffe?"
We coldly cut them off and defensively approach their questions, rather than confronting the pain, embarassment, and shame uncovered. What if we learned to approach these stretch marks like a child? Everything would be familiar yet new.
There is no bias.
There is no exclusion.
There is no judgement.
...just curiousity!
Life brings change that we enjoy and revel in, but it also brings change that is full of despair and sudden pain. Life is like stretch marks; it jarringly reminds us of what we have gained and lost.
Instead of trying to hide and erase these memories and experiences, we should take a close painful look at them. We will soon learn how to peer at them with eyes like a child.