The other day I glanced at my arm and my eyes took hold of a recent scar that had made its permanent home there.  I began to think on how that scar came to be.  Like most people as I have added birthdays to my portfolio it is expected to take notice of physical changes that may or may not pose a concern like growths or the common mole.  Personally, I have acquired a few of these over the years, most of which have been nothing more than a distraction or unwanted fixture.  Over the summer, I decided there were one or two of these aberrations that quite honestly needed to go.  And so on my next annual physical with my primary care doctor I requested a referral to take care of this small uncharacteristic bout of vanity.  Half expecting this request to be refused, my doctor agreed.

Fast forward a few weeks I find myself consulting with a dermatologist who is now probing my entire body for all of these fixtures.  I suppose keeping it simple and focused on the ones I have already identified was a bit much to expect on my part.  A doctor must be thorough, right?  Upon review, the doctor agreed to satisfy my vanity but determined there was one more spot he wanted to remove.  He pointed out a freckle on my left arm an inch or so above the elbow.  A freckle . . . at least that is what it looked like to me.  My doctor had a different opinion.  Simply put, he did not like what he saw and immediately scheduled my next appointment where this freckle along with the requested moles would be extracted.

Upon my return the next week, I approached this procedure with confidence.  I’ve had moles removed before.  This will not be a big deal.  This time I would be leaving with three less than before.  The first one was the obvious distraction for me as it was a mole protruding from my cheek and made shaving quite the chore.  The doctor pulled out a small scalpel and with what seemed to be a flick of the wrist the first target was removed leaving a small mark for sentimental value.  The second was a larger but less dense spot that just seemed to spread slowly over time located just outside my eyebrow.  This is the one I was more concerned about for more reasons than my vanity.  To remove this the doctor applied a slightly more involved process of freezing the spot (which burned by the way) until it disappeared.  And disappear it did.  For being as large as it was, there is no remnant left to speak of its prior existence.  Both of these moles the doctor immediately claimed harmless and of no concern.

Finally, the third and final spot, the freckle, was now to be attended to.  My mind had already determined this would be the easiest of the three and require something kin to sandpaper to remove with a quick swipe.  The procedure was easy . . . for the doctor, who has done a million of these procedures.  It was by far not the easiest from my perspective.  The demise of this freckle was an experience I liken to an atomic bomb landing on my arm.  I don’t quite remember the tool used to perform this extraction, but it dug in deep.  The next thing I know I am being given several stitches to close the gap on my arm.  It didn’t make sense how this freckle required such destructive power to remedy.  It turned out that this freckle contained cells that have the potential to develop into cancer.  After the stitches were removed two weeks later, I now have in place of teeny tiny freckle, a raised scar approximately one inch in length and a half inch wide.  And because of its placement just above the elbow, it can’t be hidden when short sleeve shirts are worn.  So much for my exercise in vanity.

So, as I glanced upon this scar, I began to think about how many times in my life I have placed a great deal of attention toward events and issues that concern seemed obvious.  Whenever I developed an unhealthy habit, I would do what was necessary to reverse the behavior.  That’s what we do as humans that desire to be our best selves.  It is the same in any area of our life, we pursue the resolve or remedy for the seen or known ailments and deformities.  The key words there are seen and known.  Often times when my attention is placed on the obvious concerns I become ignorant of or distracted from discovering some serious issues that are hidden beneath the surface.  Areas of my life that, if not attended to, will create even greater issues down the road.

Just like the freckle on my arm that turned out to be a hot spot for cancer cell growth, if we allow ourselves, we can become naive to the real problems within us and end up facing consequences that leave scars behind.  If my experience is any inclination, the freckles in our lives may seem insignificant on the surface, but the real issues are rooted deeper.  If not dealt with properly could have far reaching and permanent ramifications.  That doesn’t mean the obvious issues in our life are lacking in purpose so long as we recognize them for what they are and deal with them and not allow them to blind us from the potential deeper concerns.  In fact, the evidence of obvious concerns can point us in the direction of discovering the deeper ones.  Had I not taken action toward the moles on my face, though self-serving in intent, I may never had found out about the dangerous spot on my arm.  At least, not until it may have become too late.

That leads to another reality where deeper issues are concerned.  Sometimes it is impossible for us to recognize the areas we need help with or need to deal with.  They are hidden from us either from the distraction of the obvious flaws we choose to pay attention to, or, the filters we are using day to day are in fact blinding us from seeing what is really there.  For me, I would have never in a million years looked at that freckle and determined anything wrong with it.  It took a doctor concerned about my welfare who was experienced with this area, who had first-hand knowledge, to recognize a problem growing beneath the surface.  I suppose what I am saying is we should never discount the counsel of those we know love us and want to help us grow.  They may see something you are blind to that needs immediate attention.

The process of digging into our issues may be painful and require a period of healing and restoration.  There’s a good chance it may leave a scar when all is said and done.  Knowing what I know now, I’ll take this scar over that teeny tiny freckle.  Even though this scar on my arm will always be there, it will not grow into what could have become a grave health concern later on.  The scar is a reminder of the destruction that could have been.  But more than that, it is the trophy for a victory over something that was not good  hidden in my life.