Evidence

Today

As I was shaving my legs, I realized a couple things that made me happy.

First, there are these... I guess people call them spider veins?... on my calves in the fleshy part below my knees. I have them on both legs. They make me think of those coral that appear like brittle red fans. I like them. I know a lot of people want to get rid of them. Maybe they're ugly? To me, it's like having tattoos of coral fans, slightly faded, on each leg. 

I have always sensed a special connection to the ocean, feeling very at home there, gliding in and out of the water like a giant snake, fighting the pounding pounding pounding waves, like some monk raking sand. I enjoy it, that pointless fight, So much so that I don't want a diamond on my engagement ring. I'd rather have a pearl, the gem of the sea. To me diamonds symbolize worry and pride but a pearl symbolizes freedom, power and the Kingdom of Heaven.

Second, as I was shaving my left thigh, I found a slight discoloration on the side, wrapping to the bottom of my leg. I tried to scrape it off with my fingernails but it didn't budge. Then I wondered if this was the evidence of the burn I received as a toddler when rolling around the floor of my grandparents' camper, I rolled into the space heater. My parents could never remember which leg it was I burned. Maybe this one is it, I wondered. And maybe this is the remnant of the burn.

I like my imperfections, some more than others, obviously. But it's the same reason I like peoples' crooked, child-like teeth, their deep-set eyes, their prominantly-bridged noses, their lopsided smiles, their multi-colored facial hair. I have spent my whole adolescent life studying the human form as a fine artist and now as a makeup artist. I am fascinated by the evidence of our genetic variations, our childhood accidents, our aging. We are such beautiful creatures.