The process of healing took a while. It involved multiple visits to the doctor's office and lots of pain medication. During a follow-up visit, a painful procedure had to be done to pop the blisters and remove the dead skin, leaving raw flesh exposed. I was in so much pain, but this was necessary for proper healing.
Of course, I was limited in my mobility during this healing period. I had to keep the dressing dry, so I couldn't take showers for the first few days. Baths were out of the question because the still waters could harbor bacteria that might infect the wounds. I couldn't give myself a sponge bath with both hands bandaged and didn't want anyone else to give me one. It took me an average of 90 minutes to get ready for the day. Being right-handed, having to do everything with my left hand was a challenge. The wound itched like crazy, but that was a good sign of healing.
This incident came to mind, because I have a friend who is struggling as a consequence of her poor choices. This friend had committed a felony some years ago, served some time and had made the restitution asked of her. She was recently fired from a job because she had failed to disclose this crime on her job application. She is frustrated that she should "continue bear the punishment" inflicted on her after she had made restitution. I can't help but see the similarity of her experiences to my grease fire incident. In life, we will make mistakes. We will go through some painful experiences as consequence of our poor choices and judgement. However, time and proper attention to the situation will heal the wounds we've inflicted upon ourselves. While we will eventually be able to go on with life, some scars will remain with us forever and that is not something that can always be hidden. My scar in the picture above is barely visible, but I'm glad to have it on my hand because it serves as a reminder to me that we are to learn from our past mistakes.
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