Monday, June 21, 2010

A Little Girl's Best Friend...

I never have understood - and never will understand - people who do not like animals nor see the importance of animals in one's life. They are not only a source of comfort and protection but medically, having a pet has proven to do more good for a patient than treatment itself in some cases. I'm not saying that having a pet will bring back your pigmentation in the case of Vitiligo, but it can surely relieve any stress or anxiety that the condition may cause you. 


My Yorkshire Terrier Kaiso is now 16 years old (far beyond his expected life span) and has been on this journey with me since I was 8. The total acceptance and lack of judgment found in this 'best friend' can get you through some truly difficult times. It may sound a little cliché, but seeing the way our animals look up to us and treat us with complete loyalty, acceptance and trust in return for just a little love and acknowledgement gives us quite an example of how we should treat each other. I would most certainly recommend getting a pet for a young child with a medical condition such as Vitiligo - it gives us somewhere to go when everywhere else is too difficult. Just remember that a pet is for life.


Here I am at about 9 or 10 years old. Yes, I was an absolute little nerd :) I even had braces by the time I was 12! You can see the Vitiligo clearly on my forehead, neck and backs of my hands, even inside my ears. Long sleeves were also my comfort zone.

Monday, June 14, 2010

He Sees Me Naked


He Sees Me Naked – 16/05/2010
- Darcel de Vlugt

He sees me naked –
In all my glory,
With all my worry,
And he is not fazed.

He sees me naked;
Beneath my mask of MAC,
Without the camouflage I use to hide my issues;
Without the airs and graces and bells on my feet;
Without the self-impressions and self-opinions forced upon me by society;
Without pretence, without barriers, without boundaries…
He sees not my flaws, even though I am flawed,
Even though I am floored and awed by how perfect he is,
He sees me naked and to him I am perfect.
To him I am a breath of fresh air;
To him I am new and undiscovered;
To him I am Eve on the first day in the Garden of Eden –
The only woman in existence, his woman…
He sees me naked and he sees my spirit;
He sees my imperfections as mine and mine alone,
Making me as perfect and unique to him as a unicorn;
He doesn’t see a horse with a misplaced horn.
He sees me naked and he sees my fear of judgment;
He sees the need to protect me, to wrap those arms around me and take me away
To where I can be safe from prying eyes and suspecting souls…
He lends me his eyes so that I may see myself in them;
So that I may see me in the way that he see…
He gives himself to me because I let him see me naked –
Stripped of ornament and decoration, and all that jazz…

Just me.
Just plain old me…
And he is not fazed.

He sees me naked,
And were I to ask him to tell me what he sees,
He’d smile and reply that he sees me in a way I’ll never see,
He’d reply that he sees me
and therefore he sees beauty.


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