scabs

im pretty sure it is hardwired into our DNA to pick at our scabs. i can think of few things as satisfying as getting your fingernail underneath a thick, scaly, brown scab and flicking it off your knee in one complete piece. and who doesnt like feeling the surface of a scab? i even know a few people who enjoy eating their own scabs.

but why are we so fascinated with scabs?

underneath each scab is something quite special. what once was damaged skin and ruptured blood vessels is now returning to what it was before the injury, before the bleeding, before the pain. the scab hides this miraculous biological process and protects it from infection, and when it is ready, when the skin underneath is fully healed, the scab will fall off by itself.

when i pick at a scab on my knee, it is because i am itching to see what’s going on underneath. my curiosity as to whether my injury has healed tempts me to pick at my scab, to expose the incomplete process underneath, and ironically, this delays the regeneration process. deep down inside, i want to see healing, i want to see renewal, i want to see how my knee is supposed to look.

picking at the scab might cause you to bleed again. but its okay, your body will form another clot and another scab will take the place of the one you impulsively separated from your body.

but wouldnt it be better to wait?

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