I am coming to this over a year late, but I just wanted to say that being different is good and much needed in today's society where we're all just expected to smile and nod and gleefully embrace the status quo. Kudos to the experiences you are giving your daughter! I try everyday to help my daughter (15 months) see that she doesn't have to be like everyone else to be OK - it's a lesson that I wish I had learned long ago.
Like the comment above, I'm well over a year late, but I can't let the passing of time prevent me from expressing myself.
I'm so glad you've expressed your own inner wounds that are invisible to most people. As someone with burn scars covering 75% of her face and body, it can be really difficult when your personal tragedy is literally, written all over your face. It upsets me when strangers ask "What happened to your face?" because I think it's a really personal question.
What I don't usually tell people is that I was in a house fire when I was two years old. From the moment I left the hospital after the accident, my parents decided that I should be in no way treated differently from any other kid my age. I wasn't sent to burn camp, nor was I exposed to any other children in a similar circumstance.
In some ways, I was absolutely desperate to be like everyone else with their lovely, smooth skin. I had this burning need to be like others, to have the same hair, make-up and clothes as the girls around me. But in actuality, I was very unhappy when I achieved this level of "normality." Even when I looked like everyone else, I didn't really.
So, at 19, probably the same year that you were off discovering the mean/beautiful streets of Dublin, I finally became more comfortable with who I was. I made some permanent changes to my life, that I felt demonstrated that I accepted that I will never look like anyone else.
Sometimes, I think being horribly scarred is a curse, and sometimes I think it's a really good thing. I have much more tolerance for anything or anyone different, and it's definitely a value that I've tried to pass on to my nephews, and one I want my future children to subscribe to.
Well I am over two years late but like you said in this post, "we've smashed into each other, and just for that I am grateful." I am having a hell of a time catching up on your blog. As a new mom to 6 month old Ryan, I am finding such a wonderful connection to all these amazing people via this whole blogging world. You have replaced Dooce as my addiction. Sorry, Dooce!
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