Fernanda Nascimento
Apr 15, 2024
"We will adorn our scars with gold and reminisce on our journey—guided by hope."
Kintsugi, or the golden splice, is the name of the Japanese art that repairs broken ceramics and adds an aesthetic touch by filling its "scars" with gold. It seems to offer a metaphor applicable to our reality. Even if we embrace social isolation, at some point, we will experience hurt.
As I write these words, my country remains under isolation due to a virus that is unfamiliar, leaving us vulnerable without antibodies to protect us. All of nature, including humans, possesses means of defense. Antibodies serve as a prime example. However, for our immune system to effectively defend against a specific threat, it must first encounter and learn from it. Such is the nature of real life.
Bringing my own experiences to light, I endured the most challenging two years of my life. I confronted battles with depression, anxiety, defamation, fears, and numerous frustrations. When I endeavored to pursue my life's purpose, fear whispered lies, urging me to postpone my college aspirations for a year due to cost and presumed failure. I relented, only to face anxiety's grip once again a year later.
It was a dark period, yet today, as I reflect, I recognize that without those trials, I would not be the person I am now. Amidst loss, I found resilience. Someone stood by me throughout it all, offering unwavering support and love without judgment—a true friend indeed.
This year undoubtedly stands as one of the nation's worst in history. We collectively face a formidable battle, yet individually, we confront our own. The mere thought is exhausting, but every struggle has its resolution. Even if our stories lack happy endings, they are stories worth telling—experiences uniquely our own.
Life unfolds in cycles, akin to seasons, where the body becomes a battleground for past conflicts, and the mind navigates an uncertain future. To live is to embrace vulnerability, to break, rebuild, and restore oneself. It entails acknowledging our losses and learning to defend ourselves better.
Perhaps living is akin to traversing dense darkness while retaining faith in an unseen light reserved to shine upon us all. In such trying times, we must cling to hope, for it is the last ember to fade.
Better days lie ahead, where we will adorn our scars with gold and reminisce on our journey—guided by hope. We will recall our tears and find solace in their passing, for everything shall be alright. Each day feels like a moment captured in a frame.
"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." — John 1:5
**This piece has been republished with minor style edits with permission from the author.**
Fernanda Nascimento is a Brazilian writer whose work has appeared in Koinesune Magazine.
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