Erasers and the Schoolyard

"I think we all wish we could erase some dark times in our lives. But all of life's experiences, bad and good, make you who you are. Erasing any of life's experiences would be a great mistake." -
Luis Miguel, is a Mexican singer, producer and songwriter. He was won 5 Grammy's.

Often we try to erase something from our past, but then there are all those shavings. We try to brush them off our slates with bare hands, only to find they stick to our sweaty palms. We try to blow them away with the strongest breath we have in our lungs, but somehow they always wind up on our clothes. Those shavings stick to us because they belong to us and we can never rid of them.

Erasers are only rubber, and what happens with rubber, per the old schoolyard taunt? It's bouncy and anything you try to put on it will undoubtedly come back to you. You can try to furiously erase until your palms are pink with blisters and you are scratching metal against your slate, but there are always those shavings, always finding a way to stick to you.

Instead of trying to erase something, I have learned to put it back on the shelf for a later date, a day when I feel strong and ready enough to work on it. That day may not come for a long time, but at least I know it is there for me to return to when I decide I am ready to face it.