I'm hoping that one day I end up looking like a junkyard cat. I don't know why, but I think it's pretty cool when someone is pretty banged up.

I'm not a very careful guy, so my hands are all torn up, burns on my arms / legs, old gashes... Each one's got a story but at some point they start to get hard to remember. I've still got two eyeballs, both ears, and all my digits though.

Maybe it's that Hunter S. Thompson quote; “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming 'Wow! What a Ride!'"

Even outside of the human body, appreciating things that have aged, served a purpose, and have been repaired so they can still accomplish that goal is a beautiful thing.

Kintsugi and wabi sabi are probably the most convenient terms to capture this.

I find nothing more satisfying of clothing that I've personally patched up and repaired the sea on. I have memories tied up in that. The same goes for the scar on my wrist from falling off that longboard in college when I was trying to learn (that was the end of that).

Maybe I’m weird. I like my scars. I didn’t ask for any of them. Or I unconsciously asked for all of them.

Sometimes the universe makes a mark on you; what you do with that is up to you.

I got a little bold with dear Earth recently and she smacked me pretty hard. I knew what I was doing, knew the risks, and did it anyway. It’s maturing into a decently large scar, and I’m pleased. It’s a nice memory, that kiss.

Maybe I’m weird. Regret minimization, which most people seem to follow as a life strategy, is too boring for me. I always thought I’d die young but after luckily surviving some really stupid decisions in my youth, I’ve gotten much better at measuring risk.

In John Sandford's "Prey" series, detective Lucas Davenport looks scary with a cut that goes from his forehead down his cheek. Bad guys know it's from his tough guy image but the reality is he got it from fishing when a hook went wild and ran down the front of his face. But he doesn't tell anyone that.

I had a similar thought a while ago:

> I find that much anxiety can be alleviated by finding beauty in transience, imperfection, and scars. If we feel judged for our scars, we become afraid to get scarred. We follow the path that results in the least amount of pain, rather than the path that leads to the most amount of learning.

from "Scars are beautiful" (2015) https://stephango.com/scars

Twelve years later I can say that thinking about scars/pain this way has made me far more optimistic, less anxious, less fearful.

The only scars i like on my body are the ones from the plasma donations i have done. i have about 30 of them by now, with some strong emotions tided up in those pinpoints.

My body marks are a good memento mori anchor for me. I appreciate them for that. Of what importance could they be anyway if today was my last day.

You can preplan too! My first two basal cells were close enough in symmetricallity on my shoulders that I asked the dermatologist to cut me just ever so slightly more on the second one to create a “wings clipped” effect. Now I have a clever response about fallen angels anytime someone asks about them

Disagree. Laser scar removal is a billion-dollar business. You seriously don't have to accept them as story accounting if you have "fuck you" money. As the costs come down and the business grows, in several decades it will eventually land on it being part of final wound treatment.

It looks like the person in the photo had a parotidectomy.

I had the same two years ago.

The concepts such as "appreciating", "beauty" etc are all artificial. You have what you have. There is nothing to appreciate or not appreciate. You. should take care of yourself and your folk. That's pretty there to it.

This is very wabi-sabi.

I'm not going to appreciate the scars from when I cut myself as a teen.

"Scars have the strange power to remind us that our past is real." Cormac McCarthy, All the Pretty Horses.

Scars and scratches do tell stories, whether they are on our body or on our bikes. Sometimes the same event gives you scars and also leaves a mark on your bike.

Would I go as far as "appreciating their beauty"? More like accepting that they are there, let them remind us of what happened, and how we prevent something like that from happening again.

For some young folks it may be an opportunity to pause and think about how sometimes people do not recover from their injuries. Most of us eventually become disabled, and we still need to continue living our lives as best as we can with what we have, which is why public transit, walkability and accessibility are important to preserve.

I have a really poor memory, like I can't remember most of my childhood due to trauma and stuff. But also I have lots of scars for many reasons - one in my right elbow when I was learning to ride a bike, measles vaccine, on both of my knees when learning to walk since I've fallen to the ground more when walking that when riding a bicycle, hot silicone burns in my hands, a piece of steel that almos pierces my penis, mosquito bites... somehow still I can remember what caused which and that gives me a bit of the few sanity I still have

embodied kintsugi