On Burning

I did something foolish last week. I spent the whole day outside on a sunny day without protection, and now I’m peeling. My shoulders are molting after being too exposed to the sun. While that is something that I can learn from, and will not be making a habit out of, there’s a little nugget of value to be extracted from this experience.

Imagine what Icarus’s shoulders looked like after having flown too close to the sun. In being burned, we learn the lessons of patience and preparation. We are humbled, our body is forced to shed what is now dead to heal. 

And so, the burning – unless so severe that it kills or permanently disfigures – makes way for the new and informed version of you. That’s something to remember when we’re in the fallout zone of some personal catastrophe after flying too close to the sun ourselves. I’m not sure if Icarus survived his encounter with the sun, but I know that most of me did, and part of me did not. And that is for the best.