Scars. Most of us have them. Some are worn like banners, proudly showing what we have survived. Others are hidden, harder to see and never talked about. And then there are those that are only felt on the inside. Yes, we all have scars.

I talk about my scars in a pretty matter-of-fact manner. I can’t change the fact that they are there, I have no desire to erase them, they are part of who I am. In fact, I wonder what type of person I would be without them?

I have scars on my hands from a “fight” that I was in in junior high. I have a scar on my finger from stitches that I had to have when chopping corn one fall.

I have three scars on my knee from orthopedic surgery when I was in high school. I have scar in the crook of my elbow from a not-so-wise decision that I made regarding jumping from a stack of bales when I was younger.

I have two scars on my shins from frostbite. Apparently yoga pants and a pair of Uggs are NOT enough protection when going out mid-winter to bring the cows in, especially if you fall through a snow bank and it takes you 15 minutes to get back to the house. Lesson learned.

Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb. That’s my only excuse. The mark has faded, but it still looks like I left a pair of too tight socks on. Nice one, Val. Nice one.

I have three scars from gallbladder surgery. I have a large scar from three C-sections.

No, my days as a model are long over. 😉 But each one of those marks tells a story about my life. My ability to keep on keeping on. Especially the scars that you cannot see.

The whole point of living is not to preserve the body that you were given, it’s to live life to the fullest. Sometimes the world leaves its mark on you, but hopefully you are leaving an even bigger mark on the world.

I’m not sure where my next scar will come from, but I have no doubt that it will happen. In fact, I’d be rather disappointed if it didn’t.

I’m on Day 5 of a 30 Days of Thoughts series…check out the other days here!