I positively detest snakes. To me, they are slithery, slimy and plain creepy creatures.

But right now, as I write, they are the only things that I can think of.

No, I do not want to dwell on their flashing forked tongues or hissing venom – that could give me nightmares for the rest of this week! Instead, I would like you to consider one of their most interesting attributes:

The fact that they periodically shed their skin.

According to the experts, this activity takes place due to hormonal responses and is associated with growth. And usually, snakes shed their skin 4-8 times per year.

In case you didn’t know, we humans also shed a load of skin. But unlike our reptilian friends, ours doesn’t come off in the perfectly intact shape and form of our old selves.

Maybe if it did, we would look with more awe and amazement at our ability to grow out of what we once were, and into the new beings that we continually change into.

This explains my current fascination with snakes – the fact that they leave their old confinements to grow into something bigger and better (and of course, scarier!).

And also, the fact they can keep a reminder of that activity, which is the cocoon shape that trails them as they undergo the process of renewal.

I am in that same process of renewal, shedding away who I once was to become bigger and better. And when I look back in my mind at who I once was, at what that cocoon shape I am leaving behind looks like, I see all the errors, trials, tribulations and sorrows that I do not want to experience as I grow into a new wiser version of myself.

As I shed the old and grow into the new, I am excited and scared alike.

Will I fit into my new skin? Will it wear and tear and cause me to bleed? Will I want to run back and fit snuggly into what I once was?

I do not know the answers, but I know that growth into self-awareness and enlightenment is well worth the effort.

Instead of growing a thick callous uncaring layer, why not shed that and open yourself to growth and revival?

This entry was posted on September 21st, 2009 at 3:30 pm by Fungai Machirori and is filed under Inspiration, Reflections, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.