The bruises that bind us.

We are such fragile creatures.

In everyday ways, our skin, our hearts, our very lives run the daily risk of being wounded.

After all, everyone falls down now and then. Sometimes we fall because our foot fails to navigate one of many stair steps. Other times we tumble down under the weight of lost love, love betrayed or a love uninvestigated. Sometimes we just get to running so quickly that we trip over our own feet.

Regardless of the how, or the where, or the why, we all stumble. More often than not, most of us will rise up, dust ourselves off , and carry on as we had before...except perhaps for a few new bruises here and there.

I sometimes think that that it is our bruises which bind us all together. Whether it is the bruised heart of a lover scorned or the bruised chin of a fool hardy child, our bruises blossom in shades of purple, orange, yellow and red to testify to our common humanity.

It is a shame that we don't wear our emotional, spiritual and psychological bruises the way we do our physical bruises. I think we would have much more empathy and compassion for one another if we did and we'd certainly have a lot less anger, sorrow and despair.

But then, I think the world would be a better place if we'd all live our lives inside out...