valentine's gift

When I awoke this morning there was an inch or two of snow on the ground. Tabula rasa is what I called it. The snow melted by the end of the day, but something about it's unexpected arrival helped me get back on track.

During my teens, I developed what I thought was a zit on the bridge of my nose. Unfortunately, it wasn't acne and over a few months it became a fairly large skin colored mole. It was something I despised, but figured I'd have to live with.

Now, it exists only in memory. I worked through some doubt today and did something I've been wanting to do for 17 years. I had it neatly sliced from my face by a plastic surgeon. Its removal was my valentine's gift to myself.

I was surprised at how free I felt after it was gone. It is amazing how much emotion I had placed on that one mole, how burdened I felt by it. No longer! I am proud that I actually did something purely cosmetic for myself without feeling guilty.